Sam Goodman isn’t buying the idea that Nick Ball is a softer touch than Naoya Inoue. Seven months after cuts ruined his long-pursued shot at the Japanese great, the 26-year-old Australian has moved up to featherweight to challenge Ball for the WBA title on Saturday in Riyadh—and he insists this is a “totally different” test, not an easier one. “He’s a world champion… a good package - size, pressure, fitness, and he can use his feet,” Goodman said. “It’s not a walkover by any means.”
Goodman’s 2024 detour is well known: their original Inoue date was postponed after a sparring cut, the same wound re-opened, Ye Joon Kim stepped in, and Inoue later faced Ramon Cardenas. With Ball–Goodman landing beneath Moses Itauma vs. Dillian Whyte - and with Inoue an ambassador for Riyadh Season - promoter chatter says the winner could be next for the pound-for-pound star. Goodman won’t look past the man in front of him: “I’m ready to shock people… I come in and take that belt off him.”
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To remove excuses, Goodman left Albion Park early to acclimate - first to Dubai, then on to Riyadh. “It’s dry, but not as bad as I thought,” he said, adding that the cuts have “healed up properly.” The weight is under control, too: a disciplined trim to 126, and he believes he’ll carry the “bigger body on fight night” against the 28-year-old champion making his third defense.
As for the pressure of a first Saudi headliner? Goodman shrugs. “I acknowledge it but I don’t feel it… that does you no favors.” The plan is simple: shut out the noise, execute the game plan, and make the conversation about the belt he’s wearing - not the one that got away.
Image Credit: No Limit Boxing