Naoya Inoue is expected to make his next championship defense against Sam Goodman on December 24 in Tokyo. Facing off the Australian contender, the Japanese four-division world champion puts his undisputed super bantamweight title on the line.
The outing marks Inoue’s (28-0, 25 KOs) third ring appearance for the year. The undefeated 31-year-old is fresh off the win via seventh-round TKO against TJ Doheny of Australia in September. In May, he stopped Mexico’s Luis Nery in the sixth round.
Making his international debut as a pro, unbeaten Goodman (19-0, 8 KOs) challenges for his first world title. The 25-year-old scored a unanimous decision against Thai Thachtana Luangphon in July and TKO’d fellow-Australian Mark Schleibs in the fourth round in March.
According to ESPN, the Naoya Inoue vs Sam Goodman showdown is being finalized. An official fight announcement is expected to be made shortly.