Naoya Inoue remains the undisputed champion at 122 lbs, but the IBF has decided the division can’t simply wait. On September 27 at Toyota Arena Tokyo, two of the most credentialed contenders in the weight class meet to fill the vacancy at the top of the IBF queue: Japan’s Ryosuke Nishida (11-1, 2 KOs) faces Australia’s Sam Goodman (22-1, 8 KOs) for the IBF Interim World Junior Featherweight title, with the winner positioned as Inoue’s next mandatory challenger.
The stakes are straightforward. Nishida is a former IBF bantamweight champion making his case at a new weight. Goodman has been circling a world title shot for two years, derailed twice by sparring injuries and once by a points loss to Nick Ball. Neither can afford to wait much longer.
| Date | September 27, 2026 |
| Venue | Toyota Arena, Tokyo, Japan |
| Event | Prime Video Boxing 16 |
| Title | IBF Interim World Junior Featherweight Championship (vacant) |
| Division | Super Bantamweight (122 lbs) |
| Rounds | 12 |
| Broadcasters | Prime Video (Japan), DAZN (US & UK) |
Ryosuke Nishida (西田凌佑) is a 29-year-old southpaw from Osaka who turned professional in 2019 and steadily climbed through the IBF bantamweight ranks without significant fanfare outside Japan. His defining win came in May 2024 when he upset IBF champion Emmanuel Rodriguez by unanimous decision in Osaka — a result that announced him as a legitimate world-class operator at 118 lbs.
At 5’7” with a 68.1-inch reach, Nishida is built for the inside-outside rhythm that southpaws impose on orthodox opponents: he angles in to land the straight left, then resets before his opponent can load up a right-hand counter. His IBF title defense against Thai contender Anuchai Donsua (KO7, December 2024) showed the punch output was there when opponents invited aggression.
The loss to Junto Nakatani in June 2025 — a sixth-round TKO that ended his IBF bantamweight reign — was costly but clarifying. Nakatani was simply the better man that night. Nishida regrouped, moved up to 122 lbs and won a twelve-round technical decision over hard-hitting Mexican Bryan Mercado in February 2026, surviving a head clash that forced an early end. The scorecards, 69-64 across the board, suggest he was in control when the bout was stopped.
He enters this fight ranked No. 1 by the IBF at 122 lbs.
Sam Goodman is a 27-year-old orthodox boxer from Albion Park, New South Wales, promoted by No Limit Boxing. His record (22-1, 8 KOs) covers 169 rounds across eight professional years — durability and consistency are central to his identity. Goodman has fought exclusively via high-output volume, making opponents work to land clean shots while he piles up jabs and body work across twelve rounds.
At 5’7” with a 66.5-inch reach, he and Nishida are a near-identical physical match. The key difference is stance: Goodman is orthodox and has historically struggled with southpaw angles. He’s comfortable sustaining volume over long fights — his total rounds (169 across 23 bouts) reflect a man built for championships, not quick nights.
The asterisk on Goodman’s record is his loss to Nick Ball in August 2025 at featherweight in Riyadh. Ball outworked him across twelve rounds (115-113, 118-110, 117-111) in a fight where Goodman looked undersized for featherweight and unable to impose his usual volume game. He came back down to 122 lbs and looked sharper: a near-shutout of Tyler Blizzard (100-90, 99-91, 100-90) in December, then a controlled unanimous decision over previously unbeaten Rodrigo Ruiz (116-112, 115-113, 118-110) in April 2026.
He enters this fight ranked No. 2 by the IBF.
| Ryosuke Nishida | Sam Goodman | |
|---|---|---|
| Age | 29 | 27 |
| Nationality | Japan | Australia |
| Record | 11-1, 2 KOs | 22-1, 8 KOs |
| KO% | 18% | 36% |
| Height | 5’7” / 170 cm | 5’7” / 169 cm |
| Reach | 68.1” / 173 cm | 66.5” / 169 cm |
| Stance | Southpaw | Orthodox |
| Debut | 2019 | 2018 |
| Total Rounds | — | 169 |
Ryosuke Nishida — Last 4 Finished Bouts
| Date | Opponent | Result | Method | Rds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 2026 | Bryan Mercado | W | TD | 7/12 |
| Jun 2025 | Junto Nakatani | L | TKO | 6/12 |
| Dec 2024 | Anuchai Donsua | W | KO | 7/12 |
| May 2024 | Emmanuel Rodriguez | W | UD | 12 |
Sam Goodman — Last 4 Finished Bouts
| Date | Opponent | Result | Method | Rds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 2026 | Rodrigo Ruiz | W | UD | 12 |
| Dec 2025 | Tyler Blizzard | W | UD | 10 |
| Aug 2025 | Nick Ball | L | UD | 12 |
| May 2025 | Cesar Vaca | W | UD | 10 |
The southpaw-orthodox dynamic will define this fight. Nishida’s straight left is his go-to weapon, and as an IBF title eliminator champion at bantamweight, he’s proven he can land it against elite opposition. Goodman’s jab and movement are his primary answers, but the question is whether his feet can stay between Nishida’s angles the way they couldn’t against Ball’s pressure at featherweight.
What makes Goodman dangerous here is his reach into the pocket: he doesn’t need wide-open shots to land meaningful punches. His power punch output from close range kept Ruiz honest over twelve rounds and pushed the volume up in rounds 5-11 of that fight. If he can disrupt Nishida’s southpaw timing early, the fight becomes competitive.
Nishida’s edge is ring generalship. He took Mercado apart over seven rounds without being reckless, building scorecards rather than hunting the finish. Against Goodman — an orthodox volume boxer who will be throwing combinations from round one — a calm, patient Nishida who capitalises on positional errors could run up a wide card.
Ryosuke Nishida
Sam Goodman
Nishida is the heavy favourite — around -280 to -400 (US moneyline), with Goodman at +200 to +270. He fights in his home country, has the southpaw advantage, and is the IBF’s top-ranked contender.
The case for Goodman is a real one, though. He’s fought more rounds (169 vs an uncalculated total for Nishida), he comes in off two convincing wins, and his loss to Ball was at featherweight — a division he doesn’t belong in. At 122 lbs he’s shown sharp, consistent form.
But Nishida’s style matchup advantages are too significant to overlook. The southpaw angles, the reach edge, and his calm scoring approach against power-heavy opponents all point to a points victory — with occasional rounds where the straight left lands and the scorecards open up.
Prediction: Ryosuke Nishida wins by unanimous decision.
The fight takes place Sunday, September 27 at Toyota Arena Tokyo. Main card expected around 4:00 PM local (JST).
| Region | Time | Broadcaster |
|---|---|---|
| Japan | ~4:00 PM JST | Prime Video |
| United States | 3:30 AM ET / 12:30 AM PT | DAZN |
| United Kingdom | 8:30 AM BST | DAZN |
| Australia | 5:30 PM AEST | — |
This fight is the second world title bout on the Prime Video Boxing 16 card, which also features Takuma Inoue vs Tenshin Nasukawa II (WBC World Bantamweight title) in the main event, plus Ryusei Matsumoto vs Russell Acosta (WBO Interim World Minimumweight title) and Tomoya Tsuboi vs Ricardo Malajika (WBC Super Flyweight title).
What title is at stake in Nishida vs Goodman? The vacant IBF Interim World Junior Featherweight (super bantamweight, 122 lbs) title. The winner moves into mandatory position to face undisputed champion Naoya Inoue.
Why is there an interim title instead of a full IBF title fight? Naoya Inoue holds the full IBF title and has no fights scheduled at this time. The IBF created an interim title to keep the division active while Inoue focuses elsewhere.
What happened when Sam Goodman was scheduled to fight Naoya Inoue? Goodman was scheduled twice for a Tokyo fight with Inoue in 2024 and early 2025. Both times, cuts suffered during sparring training camps forced him to withdraw. He was later given a world title shot at featherweight against Nick Ball, which he lost on points.
What is Ryosuke Nishida’s record? Nishida enters this fight 11-1, with 2 wins by knockout. His sole loss was a sixth-round TKO defeat to Junto Nakatani in their IBF/WBC bantamweight unification bout in June 2025.
Where can UK fans watch Nishida vs Goodman? DAZN carries the fight in the UK. Main card starts around 8:30 AM BST on Sunday, September 27.
Who is the promoter for Nishida vs Goodman? The fight takes place under the Prime Video Boxing 16 banner in Japan, with Nishida promoted through Muto Boxing Gym and Goodman by Australia’s No Limit Boxing.
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