Bidding War Coming for Inoue?
By Eddie Sanchez
The IBF announced on Tuesday that a purse bid has been scheduled for October 29 for Naoya Inoue’s mandatory defense against Australia’s Sam Goodman. The IBF explained that “an agreement could not be reached” between the parties involved.
Teiken Promotions, based in Japan, has long represented Inoue, who holds an undefeated record of 28-0 with 25 knockouts. However, Top Rank, a prominent American promotion company, also has a significant interest in the four-division and undisputed super-bantamweight champion.
Representatives from both Teiken Promotions and Top Rank were either unavailable or declined to comment on the situation as of Tuesday morning.
One boxing official indicated that plans were still “full steam ahead” for Inoue’s defense against Goodman, who holds a 19-0 (8 KOs) record, with the fight tentatively scheduled for Christmas Eve in Tokyo.
Negotiations had been ongoing since September 12, with the IBF providing over a month for both sides to reach an agreement. While there is still time to come to terms before the October 29 purse bid, if no deal is reached, other promoters will be free to submit bids to stage what is expected to be a highly anticipated bout featuring one of the sport’s top pound-for-pound fighters.
Inoue, 31, recently secured a seventh-round TKO victory over TJ Doheny on September 3, delivering a body shot that ended what some considered a below-par performance by his high standards. He has now stopped or knocked out nine consecutive opponents, a streak that dates back to his 2019 “Fight of the Year” against Nonito Donaire.
Meanwhile, Goodman, 26, holds a decision victory over Doheny from March 2023 and notable wins against Ra’eese Aleem and Miguel Flores last year, which propelled him into the mandatory challenger position.
It is believed that Inoue, following a likely victory against Goodman, is eyeing a future bout with fellow Japanese fighter and unbeaten bantamweight champion Junto Nakatani, who successfully defended his title on Monday. Inoue is also expected to move up to featherweight in 2025, where several champions are eager for a showdown with him.
However, before any of these plans can materialize, a promoter must first secure the rights to stage Inoue’s bout with Goodman.
