‘Cartel can’t fight for you’: Sam Goodman hits back at Cesar Vaca after fight week threats

The war of words between Aussie hero Sam Goodman and dangerous Mexican Cesar Vaca has begun ahead of their PPV showdown on Wednesday.

His neck tattoos tell the story of an upbringing on the mean streets of Guadalajara, and Cesar Vaca has sent an ominous warning to Sam Goodman, promising to target and reopen the dodgy cut over the Aussie’s left eye.

And Vaca isn’t just empty threats ahead of their pay-per-view main event at the Hordern Pavilion on Wednesday night.

The slick 19-1-1 fighter has the pedigree to back up his trash talk about ruining Goodman’s hopes of fighting Naoya Inoue. 

In fact, it’s the Mexican who has a relationship with the Japanese pound-for-pound great after spending two months training with him.

He also has close connections to boxing superstar Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez and caught the eye of Floyd Mayweather with a stunning upset win on one of “Money’s” exhibition undercards last year.

Goodman vs Vaca | WED 14 MAY 7PM AEST | Australia’s undefeated Sam Goodman makes his long awaited return to the ring where he faces Mexico’s Cesar Vaca in Sydney | Order Now with Main Event on Kayo Sports >

Goodman (L) and Vaca meet face-to-face for the first time. Pictures: No Limit Boxing/Gregg Porteous

None of which means anything to Goodman, who fired back at the 23-year-old on Monday afternoon.

“I don’t care who you’re friends with or who you sparred with. Good on ya,” a fired-up Goodman told this masthead. “The cartel can’t fight for him.

“You’re fighting me, they’re not fighting. It’s not sparring. It’s a fight.

“If the cut comes open, I’m gonna put my fist through his head. F**k him.

“I couldn’t care about cuts now. He can focus on cuts, I’m focused on winning.”

Goodman and Vaca met face-to-face for the first time on Monday, and the Mexican immediately noticed the scarring over the Aussie’s left eye from the two cuts that ruined his hopes of fighting Inoue.

“In the face-off just now, I saw his eyebrow. It’s very damaged – very damaged,” Vaca told this masthead. “It’s something I’m going to target on Wednesday night.

“I’m going to take advantage of it.”

Vaca was born into the fight game, and followed his father into the boxing ring, having his first amateur fight at just 11 years old.

The Guadalajara fighter has been fighting since he was 11. Pictures: No Limit Boxing/Gregg Porteous

Several of his first pro bouts were promoted by Canleo’s longtime trainer, Eddie Reynoso.

Canelo and Reynoso are both from Guadalajara, and maintain close ties to the city, where Vaca still lives and trains.

“I’ve known them for a long time. We have different teams, and they do their own thing, and we do ours, but I’ve had the opportunity to meet them and spend time with them,” Vaca said of Canelo.

“Eddie Reynoso promoted my first few fights, and we have a very good relationship.

“We don’t talk all the time, but when we do, we have good conversations, and he gives me a lot of good advice.”

That advice was so good that Vaca was eventually hand-picked to fly to Japan to spend two months helping Inoue prepare for his 2023 super-bantamweight world title blockbuster with Stephen Fulton.

It was no small achievement for a rising 21-year-old in a city and country absolutely obsessed with boxing.

“I was in camp with him twice, and both were fantastic experiences that really touched me,” he said of his eight weeks in the trenches with Inoue. “I was there for two months, and when we sparred, we sparred six rounds and I made it six rounds with Inoue every time.

Vaca and Naoya Inoue after one of their many sparring sessions in 2023. Picture: Supplied/Instagram

“I knew I was at a good level, but that experience showed me I’m at an even better level, and I’m going to show that on Wednesday night.”

After impressing Canelo’s connections and making an impact on Inoue, Vaca was then plucked to appear on the undercard of Floyd Mayweather’s big-money exhibition rematch with John Gotti III – grandson of the infamous Mafia boss John Gotti – in Mexico City.

Vaca was the B-side, fighting a highly-touted local kid, but – fighting in honour of his late grandma, who he says was like “my second mother” – he stunned the local boxing scene with a majority decision win.

He promises to repeat the dose on Wednesday.

“I’ve improved in the two years since sparring Inoue and I know I’m the B-side again this Wednesday, but that’s how we like it,” he said. “We got the upset on Floyd Mayweather’s undercard too.

“I took on a guy with an undefeated record from the promoter’s company.

“I love going into the other guy’s backyard to fight.”

Originally published as ‘Cartel can’t fight for you’: Sam Goodman hits back at Cesar Vaca after fight week threats