Sam Goodman Grinds Out Interim IBF Super Bantamweight Title in Brutal Tokyo War
Goodman won a wide unanimous decision over Nishida in a foul-filled 12-round battle to get back in the Naoya Inoue queue.
Sam Goodman traveled to Japan and came home with the interim IBF super bantamweight title, grinding out a unanimous decision over Ryosuke Nishida on Sunday night at Toyota Arena in Tokyo. Judges scored it 116-109, 115-110, and 114-111.
Goodman pressed forward from the opening bell, forcing the taller southpaw Nishida to fight at a pace he couldn't sustain. The Australian worked the body with combinations and uppercuts, closing distance against Nishida's reach advantage and making the hometown fighter uncomfortable on the inside.
The fight was rough. Goodman was cut on the forehead in round three. Nishida landed hard left hands in round four. In the eighth, referee Deon Dwarte deducted points from both fighters, docking Goodman for leading with his head and Nishida for repeated fouls including a low blow. Nishida lost another point for low blows in the tenth and picked up an additional warning in the eleventh.
Both fighters bled and swelled through the final rounds, but the scorecards were never in doubt. Goodman's relentless pressure and body work separated him clearly from a game but outworked Nishida.
The win moves Goodman to 23-1 and puts him back in line for undisputed champion Naoya Inoue. Cuts had previously forced Goodman out of two planned fights with the pound-for-pound star, making this victory as much about proving durability as earning a title.
Goodman did exactly what he needed to do. He went to Japan, walked through a tough southpaw, ate some fouls, bled from the third round on, and still won going away. That's what you want to see from a guy who's been pulled out of two Naoya Inoue fights because of cuts.
The question now is whether Goodman's face holds up against the best puncher in boxing. Inoue doesn't just cut guys, he removes them from consciousness. But Goodman showed real grit in there, and the body work was excellent. If he can drag Inoue into a fight like this, make it ugly, make it a war, he has a better chance than most people think.
Nishida fell to 11-2 and fought hard, but the point deductions killed any chance of a hometown decision. When the ref is taking points from you in three different rounds, you're not winning the fight.
https://www.boxingnews24.com/2026/09/sam-goodman-outworks-ryosuke-nishida-for-interim-ibf-title/
