Japanese undisputed super-bantamweight world champion, Naoya ‘Monster’ Inoue, is set to defend his titles against Australian Sam Goodman in Tokyo’s Ariake Arena on December 24, Afrosport reports.
Inoue, one of the deadliest pound-for-pound boxers in history, defeated TJ Doheny by technical knockout in September to become a four-weight world champion.
The 31-year-old became one of just three men to ever be named undisputed in two weight divisions in the four-belt era, joining Terence Crawford and Oleksandr Usyk.
The International Boxing Federation (IBF) had initially ordered the Japanese boxer to face Goodman on September 12, but the fight fell through after both fighters failed to agree on the terms within 28 days.
However, both camps eventually struck a deal in the October 29 purse bid hearing to avoid an IBF auction.
Meanwhile, Goodman, 26, is currently undefeated having won all 19 of his fights with eight knockouts, and finally gets a shot at a title bout.
Inoue has a 28-0 record with 25 KO victories, and will host Goodman inside the 15,000-capacity Ariake Arena, where he has won all of his last four fights by knockouts.
The title bout in Japan has been billed as ‘Nightmare on Christmas Eve’, with Inoue’s WBA, WBC, IBF and WBO belts on the line.
