Inoue-Goodman purse bid scheduled, but Akhmadaliev objects

WBA mandatory challenger insists he should be next for the undisputed junior featherweight champion

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Reports that a fight between undisputed junior featherweight champion Naoya Inoue and IBF/WBO mandatory challenger Sam Goodman was done were premature.

The IBF on Tuesday notified its registered promoters via email that it has scheduled a purse bid for the fight on Oct. 29 at 12 p.m. ET at its offices in Springfield, New Jersey, as well as via video conference. The sides could still make a deal up to 15 minutes before the bids are unsealed.

The fight was initially ordered by the IBF on Sept. 12, but according to the IBF, no deal has been made between Inoue’s team — co-promoters Ohashi Promotions and Top Rank — and Goodman promoter No Limit Boxing during the time frame permitted.

However, Goodman’s team was confident the fight will happen.

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“Can confirm we are fighting Inoue next,” No Limit Boxing promoter George Rose told Fight Freaks Unite on Tuesday. “We are just finalizing a deal. Details will come soon. Sam Goodman is mandatory in the WBO and IBF and has done everything to earn this shot. Sam will shock the world in this one.”

Inoue retained the undisputed 122-pound title by seventh-round knockout of former titlist TJ Doheny on Sept. 3 in Tokyo and it was expected that his next opponent would be either Goodman (19-0, 8 KOs), 26, of Australia, or Murodjon Akhmadaliev (12-1, 9 KOs), 29, of Uzbekistan, the WBA mandatory challenger and former unified titleholder.

The Akhmadaliev camp pushed back Tuesday on the IBF’s order, claiming that Akhmadaliev should be the next challenger for the Japanese pound-for-pound star.

The WBA previously ordered the fight and then allowed Inoue to sidestep it and face Doheny in an optional defense.

“Please be advised that we object, (on) behalf of Murodjon Akhmadaliev to this purse bid and, indeed, Mr. Goodman being the next bout of Mr. Inoue,” Akhmadaliev attorney Patrick English wrote to the IBF, a copy of the correspondence of which was provided to Fight Freaks Unite. “Murodjon Akhmadaliev is the long standing WBA mandatory and in order of sequence the WBA mandatory (long overdue) is next in line. We have demanded that the WBA enforce the mandatory. We do not wish to threaten but we will take legal action if Mr. Inoue attempts to bypass his WBA mandatory.

“If Mr. Inoue wishes to vacate his WBA title then we cannot object to him fighting someone other than Murodjon Akhmadaliev, but as it stands now we object to anyone or any organization interfering with Mr. Akhmadaliev’s rights.”

Inoue (28-0, 25 KOs), 31, is scheduled for his next fight on Dec. 24 in Tokyo, according to co-promoter Hideyuki Ohashi. If Inoue wins, Top Rank chairman Bob Arum has said the plan is to then bring Inoue for his first fight of 2025 to Las Vegas, which would be his third fight there and fourth of his career in the United States.

Promoters interested in participating in the Inoue-Goodman purse bid — if it takes place — must pay a nonrefundable participation fee of $5,000 in U.S. funds as well as put up 10 percent of their bid. The winning bidder must then forward an additional payment of 10 percent of their bid amount within five business days following the purse bid.

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Inoue photo: Sumio Yamada/WBC

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