Naoya Inoue is giving boxing fans an early Christmas present.
Inoue (28-0, 25 KOs) is set to defend his undisputed super bantamweight titles against his mandatory challenger, Australia’s Sam Goodman (19-0, 8 KOs), on December 24 at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan. The news was made official at a press conference in Japan on Thursday.
The bout streams live on ESPN+ for U.S. fans in the early hours of Christmas Eve, a Tuesday morning. UK fight fans can catch all the action on Sky Sports in the late morning/early afternoon.
The IBF formally ordered the Japanese pound-for-pound star to face Goodman on September 12, but the pair could not agree to terms within 28 days, so an October 29 purse bid hearing was set. However, the camps have now managed to strike a deal and avoid an IBF auction.
Amongst other matchups on the December 24 show, WBO bantamweight champion Yoshiki Takei (11-0, 8 KOs) makes the second defense of his title against an opponent to be announced, and welterweight Jin Sasaki (18-1-1, 17 KOs) meets Shoki Sakai (29-14-3, 15 KOs).
Inoue has held world titles in four weight classes, including the undisputed championship at bantamweight. In July 2023, Inoue moved up to super bantamweight and stopped then WBC/WBO king Stephen Fulton in round eight.
Five months later, Inoue knocked out another unified champion, Marlon Tapales, to become only the second-ever two-division male undisputed champion of the four-belt era.
The 31-year-old has already made two defenses of his undisputed super bantamweight championships in 2024. In May, Inoue was knocked down for the first time in his career but recovered to stop Mexico’s Luis Nery in round six. In September, he delivered a seventh-round knockout of Irishman TJ Doheny.
Goodman earned his No. 1 contender position with a split decision win over Ra’eese Aleem in July 2023 and has kept active with four routine victories since.
There is an ongoing dispute as to whether Inoue should fulfil his IBF or WBA mandataries first. According to Boxing Scene, Murodjon Akhmadaliev’s representatives objected to the Inoue-Goodman purse bid and informed the leaders of all four sanctioning bodies that there would be litigation taking place if Inoue’s next fight wasn’t against Akhmadaliev or if Inoue did not vacate his WBA strap.
“Two fights ago, [the WBA] gave [Inoue] a special exception [to fight someone other than Akhmadaliev, Luis Nery],” they stated. “It’s long since the WBA’s turn and we’re not going gently into that good night. Inoue either gives up that title or there’s going to be litigation.”
