The IBF has officially ordered an interim super bantamweight title fight between Australia’s Sam Goodman and Japan’s Ryosuke Nishida, moving Goodman back into position for a potential showdown with undisputed champion Naoya Inoue.
No Limit Boxing confirmed that Goodman, 22-1 (8 KOs), and Nishida, 11-1 (2 KOs), now have 30 days to negotiate terms for the bout before the fight heads to a purse bid.
For Goodman, the opportunity offers a chance to revive a world title pursuit that has taken several twists over the past two years. The 27-year-old from Albion Park was scheduled to challenge Inoue in Tokyo, but cuts sustained during sparring forced him to withdraw from the proposed bout on two occasions. He later moved up to featherweight and came up short in a title challenge against Nick Ball in Saudi Arabia in August 2025.
Since returning to super bantamweight, Goodman has rebounded with a unanimous decision victory over previously unbeaten Rodrigo Fabian Ruiz in April. He currently holds the IBF’s No. 2 ranking at 122 pounds.
Nishida enters the fight as the IBF’s top-ranked contender in the division. The 29-year-old southpaw from Osaka previously captured the IBF bantamweight title with an upset victory over Emmanuel Rodriguez in 2024. His lone professional defeat came against fellow Japanese standout Junto Nakatani.
The matchup pits the IBF’s top two available contenders against one another, with interim championship status and a future mandatory position against Inoue at stake.
Inoue remains the division’s undisputed champion and is expected to defend his titles later this year, leaving Goodman and Nishida with a clear route toward a world title opportunity if they can first navigate what shapes up as a significant crossroads fight.
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Boxing • Boxing News • Sam Goodman Lands IBF Interim Title Fight Against Ryosuke Nishida
Last Updated on 2026/06/15 at 9:28 PM
