Sam Goodman’s world title fight postponed by one month after training mishap

Sam Goodman’s world title blockbuster is back on after initial fears a training mishap would shatter his historic bid for glory.

Underdog Sam Goodman will get his shot at a world title with pound-for-pound king Naoya Inoue agreeing to postpone their Christmas Eve bout by a month after a training mishap left the young Aussie boxer with a split eyelid.

Goodman was a shattered man on early Saturday morning when his final sparring session in Sydney resulted in a devastating injury that required four stitches above his left eye.

He was due to fly to Tokyo on Sunday morning to prepare for his historic bout, but doctors and his own management immediately knew he would not be fit to fight.

Goodman had feared he had “lost his shot” at Inoue, a dream fight Goodman has had written down in a note on his phone two years ago.

“Wanna be great you have to do great things,” he wrote in a note dated October 18, 2022.

“I will beat Inoue.”

Sam Goodman’s injury at boxing session has caused a postponement Picture: Brendan Bradford

At that time, Inoue wasn’t even in the same division as Goodman, but the 27-year-old had been planning for more than two years.

With the stitches still fresh, Goodman held back tears as he drank a long black coffee at an outdoor table three doors down from the gym in Cronulla where his world title dreams were ruined.

“I’ve lost my shot,” he told this masthead.

Goodman was the mandatory challenger for Inoue’s IBF and WBO titles, and will remain the number one contender for the IBF title.

The Aussie’s camp feared Inoue would seek another short-notice opponent for the December 24 title defence, with the Japanese superstar rumoured to have another fight already lined up for April when he is expected to go up a weight division.

Goodman's medical certificate advising he will be sidelined for four weeks. Picture: Brendan Bradford

That is why Goodman was so devastated, he knew he may never get the chance to face the champion ever again.

But late on Saturday came the unexpected news that the Japanese superstar had agreed to postpone the bout rather than seek a new opponent, allowing Goodman the four weeks of recovery time the doctor’s suggested it would take for his eyelid to heal.

The new bout is now scheduled for January 24.

Goodman’s manager Pete Mitrevski was adamant the right call had been made to postpone the December 24 bout.

“He would’ve been cut open again if he was wearing eight ounce gloves against Inoue,” Mitrevski said.

“He’s still going to be great, but we couldn’t let him fight with that cut in 10 days’ time.”

Earlier, as he ripped off his gloves and headgear, Goodman was adamant he could still fight on December 24.

But he broke down in tears while sitting on a darkened stairway at the entrance to the gym when Mitrevski and head coach Joel Keegan told him they were pulling him out of the fight.

The rescheduled bout is the best case scenario for the young boxer, giving him time to prepare for the shot at glory he’s had written on his phone for the past two years.

In a wild day for Aussie boxing, IBF cruiserweight world champion Jai Opetaia is also without an opponent for his schedule title defence on January 8.

Opetaia was set to fight Husseyin Cinkara on the Gold Coast, but Cinkara pulled out with an ankle injury this weekend.

Opetaia is still slated to headline the card, but doesn’t yet have a new opponent.

“This is part of boxing,” said Opetaia. “I’m not worried. I’ll be more than ready for whoever accepts the challenge. I’m here to prove I’m the best, no matter who’s standing across from me.”

Originally published as Sam Goodman’s world title fight postponed by one month after training mishap