FILE–Japan’s WBC and WBO tremendous bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue celebrates his victory over Philippines’ WBA and IBF tremendous bantamweight champion Marlon Tapales of their four-belt world tremendous bantamweight title unification match at Tokyo’s Ariake Enviornment on December 26, 2023. (Photograph by Kazuhiro NOGI / AFP)
Naoya Inoue’s Christmas Eve super-bantamweight world title struggle towards Sam Goodman in Tokyo has been postponed to January 24, his fitness center introduced Saturday after the Australian reduce his eye in sparring.
“We have been knowledgeable as we speak from Goodman’s aspect that he had sustained an harm,” Inoue’s Ohashi Health club mentioned in an announcement.
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“We determined to postpone the struggle after discussing with Goodman’s aspect the standing of his restoration,” it mentioned, including the struggle would now happen on January 24.
Goodman harm his left eye throughout his closing coaching session earlier than jetting to Japan to face the undisputed champion, the Australian’s promoter and his supervisor advised Sydney’s Each day Telegraph.
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Goodman, the necessary challenger for Inoue’s WBO and IBF titles, wanted 4 stitches and was advised he couldn’t struggle for 4 weeks, the newspaper mentioned.
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“He’s nonetheless going to be nice, however we couldn’t let him struggle with the reduce in 10 days’ time,” his supervisor Pete Mitrevski mentioned.
Japan’s Inoue, who has a 28-0 document with 25 knockouts, beat Eire’s TJ Doheny in his most up-to-date defence in Tokyo in September.
The struggle towards Goodman, who has a 19-0 document with eight KOs, was set to be his final in his homeland earlier than an anticipated bout in Las Vegas subsequent 12 months.
Inoue was resulting from defend his super-bantamweight titles for the third time since turning into undisputed champion in December final 12 months.
He’s simply the second man to develop into undisputed world champion at two totally different weights for the reason that four-belt period started in 2004. American Terence Crawford was the primary.