Goodman eyes Saudi blockbuster and Crawford camp, while Wilson continues quest for Kambosos

Super-bantamweight Australian boxer Sam Goodman is all-in on fighting Japanese superstar Naoya Inoue later this year, heading to a training camp in Colorado with a modern day boxing great.

The equation for Sam Goodman on July 10 is simple: Beat the unbeaten Chainoi ‘Rock Man’ Worawut in Wollongong and book a shot at Japanese superstar Naoya Inoue in December.

And if he’s successful, the Illawarra local will likely spend a training camp in America alongside superstar Terence Crawford in preparation for a world title blockbuster against Inoue, which could be held in Riyadh.

Meanwhile, ‘Mr Damage’ Liam Wilson continues his quest to land a fight with George Kambosos Jr when he fights Youssef Dib in the co-main event.

Goodman is the number one ranked super-bantamweight in the world, but Japanese knockout artist Inoue will fight Irish-Aussie TJ Doheny in September first.

Goodman meanwhile will headline a pay-per-view show in front of his hometown fans at WIN Entertainment Centre against world ranked Thai Worawut.

A win will make Goodman’s case to fight Inoue all but undeniable.

Goodman could book himself in for a date with Naoya Inoue. Picture: Getty Images

There had been hopes of luring Inoue to Australia, but after he drew a crowd of 55,000 in Japan in early May, Goodman knows he must travel.

Tokyo is the most obvious location for the fight, but Saudi kingmaker Turki Alalshikh is known to be interested in holding the fight in Riyadh.

“I highly doubt it’ll happen here in Australia with the sort of superstar Inoue is now,” Goodman told this masthead. “The only people who could take him out of Japan are the Saudis – or if the Saudis promote in America, then that’s an option.”

And what better way to prepare for one of the best of this generation than to train alongside another of modern boxing’s greats in Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford?

“My manager’s well-connected with Bud’s camp, so it’s something we’re looking at doing,” Goodman told this masthead of training with Crawford in Colorado. “It doesn’t get any bigger or better than that, and training over there is a massive opportunity.

“It’s not an easy task, but I’m best when I’m active and in camp. We’re going all in, we’re not just here to make up the numbers.”

Goodman is hoping to train with Terence Crawford. Picture: Getty Images

Which is why Goodman is willing to fork out tens of thousands of dollars on a training camp alongside Crawford and his legendary trainer Brian ‘Bomac’ McIntyre.

“It costs a massive amount of money – tens of thousands of dollars – it’s not cheap,” he said. “My coaches and I have done training camps over there before and it costs a lot of money.

“But I know what lies ahead.

“It’s legacy and history, and to cement that, I’ll spend whatever is required.

“It’s not all about the money. I didn’t get into this sport just to say I’m a millionaire.

“People are saying I could be sacrificing a payday, but I couldn’t give a f—k. Everyone wants to get paid, but money’s not the priority, for me it’s all about the belts.”

Queenslander Liam Wilson training in the United Sates. Picture: Top Rank

Indeed, Goodman says his fight with Worawut, while a tricky task, is just another step towards his fight for the undisputed title against Inoue in December.

“Everything I do is geared towards winning the belts,” he said. “In my life at the moment, there’s no f---ing around.

“I’m not here just to show up against Inoue like all these other blokes. I’m here to win.”

In the co-main event, former world title challenger Wilson will move up to lightweight to face Youssef Dib as he continues his quest to land a fight with Kambosos.

It will be Wilson’s first fight since an electrifying WBO interim world title loss to Oscar Valdez in March which, he says, still “hurts like a dagger to the heart.”

George Kambosos Jr. lost to Vasiliy Lomachenko earlier in May. Picture: Hector De La Cruz.

Now 13-3, Wilson has been vocal about wanting to fight former unified lightweight world champion Kambosos, questioning the Sydneysider’s controversial win over Maxi Hughes in 2023.

“I won’t sugarcoat it, in my opinion, he hasn’t won in four fights,” Wilson told this masthead. “He lost to Maxi Hughes, he lost to (Devin) Haney twice and then to Lomachenko.

“And he got lucky against a sick Teofimo Lopez.

“I think he’s there for the taking.

“I’d fight him next – I wish I could fight him now, but Youssef Dib’s the man in front of me. I’ll take care of him on July 10 and get Kambosos.

“We’re two Australian fighters, around the same weight with two credible records and it’s a fight Australian fight fans deserve to see.”

Originally published as Goodman eyes Saudi blockbuster and Crawford camp, while Wilson continues quest for Kambosos