Open bidding for the next bout of “The Monster?”
The IBF on Tuesday ordered an October 29 purse bid for undisputed super-bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue’s mandatory defense against Australia’s Sam Goodman, with the sanctioning body reporting “an agreement could not be reached.”
Japan’s Ohashi Promotions is the promoter of record for Inoue, 28-0 (25 KOs), although powerful American promoter Top Rank also has a major stake in the four-division and undisputed 122-pound champion.
Officials at Ohashi and Top Rank either were unavailable or declined comment on the matter Tuesday morning.
The expectation, according to one boxing official, has been that plans were “full steam ahead” to stage Inoue’s mandatory defense against Goodman, 19-0 (8 KOs), on Christmas Eve in Tokyo.
The IBF had given the sides more than one month to negotiate from September 12. The parties still have time to come to an agreement before bids are due on the morning of October 29.
If they can’t strike a deal, all other major promoters are free to post a winning bid and stage a bout featuring one of the world’s most popular fighters and arguably the globe’s top pound-for-pound boxer.
Inoue, 31, is coming off a seventh-round TKO of TJ Doheny on September 3, a body shot ending what had been a lackluster showing by his standards. He’s knocked out or stopped nine consecutive opponents dating to his 2019 fight of the year versus Nonito Donaire.
Goodman, 26, has a March 2023 victory by decision over Doheny on his resume, and he also defeated Ra’eese Aleem and Miguel Flores last year to boost his rise to mandatory position.
It’s believed Inoue is angling beyond an expected victory over Goodman toward a showdown with countryman and unbeaten bantamweight champion Junto Nakatani following his successful Monday title defense.
Inoue is also expected in 2025 to move to featherweight, where the wealth of four champions are interested in meeting him.
First, a promoter needs to emerge to stage his fight with Goodman.
The IBF also on Tuesday issued tentative approval for a flyweight title eliminator between Nicaragua’s Felix Alvarado, 41-4 (35 KOs), and Argentina’s Tobias Jeremias Reyes, 16-0-1 (15 KOs), for a fight scheduled to take place in Nicaragua on December 20, according to the IBF.
Alvarado is currently the IBF’s No. 3 contender and Reyes is No. 5 – with both of the top two spots vacant under champion Angel Ayala Lardizabal (18-0, 8 KOs) of Mexico.
Signed bout contracts are due to the IBF by October 30.