Naoya Inoue wanted to close the year with a bang. But it’s no longer the case anymore. His fight with Sam Goodman has been derailed. The fans had been up waiting for the Japanese fighter to put on a year-end show for them. But their Christmas evening plans have been spoiled.

Inoue, 31, had been booked to face his IBF mandatory challenger on December 24 in Tokyo. But just days before the challenger was scheduled to fly to Tokyo to finally mount the challenge, he suffered a cut in the sparring. The unexpected news has the promoters and fans shaking their heads in disappointment.

Sam Goodman’s cut forces him out of Naoya Inoue fight

Brendan Bradford, of CODE Sports, informed the fans about the sad development surrounding Goodman. He wrote, “He picked up a cut on his eye in his last spar before flying to Tokyo.” As expected, it has resulted in their fight being called off. Jake Donovan also informed the fans that there was a contingency plan in motion. The fight may now be postponed to January 24. Mo Boxing No Problem posted on their Instagram page similar details along with an image of Sam Goodman with a cut above his left eye. The caption read, “The fight between Naoya Inoue vs. Sam Goodman is off for December 24th as Goodman has suffered a bad cut on his left eye in last sparring session before heading to Tokyo ❗️👀”

However, the Inoue camp would like to keep the fight and schedule on, as postponing a holiday event would come at a considerable cost. Not to mention, it could end up derailing their future plans. But the news of the fight being called off didn’t sit well with the fans, and they expressed their candid opinions in the comments of the Instagram post.

Fans play matchmakers for Inoue

One user believed Goodman was lucky to not face Inoue. They said, “Lucky for him Inoue tuff.” The super bantamweight champion boasts of an unblemished record and is on an 8-fight KO record, and that’s the reason many pros and pundits have him as the favorite.

A user lamented how their holiday plan had been messed up. They declared, “Christmas Eve ruined.” The card scheduled for Christmas even had the likes of Yoshiki Takei, who would defend his WBO bantamweight title and has carved out a reputation as an aggressive fighter. The event surely would have produced fireworks given the stacked undercard.

Someone theorized Inoue could fight Junto Nakatani instead. They argued, “Nah if I were inoue I’d look to fight nakatani.” Nakatani is a three-division champion and currently holds the WBC bantamweight crown. There have been rumors of him moving up and challenging Inoue but nothing concrete has come out of the discussions yet.

A comment floated the idea of fighting Gervonta Davis. The comment read, “Fight tank bro.” But there is a question of Inoue bridging two weight classes and moving up to fighting at 130. There are demands of Inoue vs. Davis, but it might be off the table due to practical issues.

A user claimed Goodman did it intentionally not to fight Inoue. They stated, “Bro just did it on purpose. Goodman would’ve been KO too.” Goodman has a contrasting fighting style compared to Inoue and has yet to fight some credible fighters. But a stylistic matchup between them will keep the fans interested.

What do you make of this development concerning Naoya Inoue? Who do you think should replace Sam Goodman on the card? Let us know in the comments below.