Source :- PERTH NOW NEWS
Luckless Australian boxer Sam Goodman might have hit the jackpot after reviving his flagging fortunes with a unanimous points win over Mexican Cesar Vaca in Sydney.
Goodman improved his unbeaten record to 20-0 with a dominant performance at the Hordern Pavilion night on Wednesday that could propel the 26-year-old into a blockbuster world title shot in the US.
Goodman’s team will now petition for the world’s top-ranked IBF super-bantamweight fighter to be the mandatory challenger to face superstar Naoya Inoue.
Goodman might even wind up on the same card as his No Limit stablemate Tim Tszyu’s showstopper rematch with Sebastian Fundora in Las Vegas in July or August.
A world title crack at Inoue would be nothing but deserved after the 26-year-old Goodman had a $1 million battle with the Japanese in December cruelly snatched away by two sparring injuries.
Goodman descended into financial peril after, first, his scheduled Christmas Eve blockbuster against Inoue in Tokyo was postponed after the challenger suffered a cut over his left eye in training.
The Albion talent was then left devastated after the postponed January showdown was cancelled when he reopened the cut and was forced to undergo surgery.
Goodman faced losing the million-dollar home he bought late last year if he’d lost on Wednesday night.
He finished the high-stakes encounter with cuts around both eyes and was left suitably relieved to have survived without sustaining any more serious damage.
“It was a punch that got me with this one and then, f***, it was a beauty of a head butt that got me over here,” Goodman said after being awarded the contest 99-92, 99-91, 100-90 by the three judges.
“So the next two rounds were about managing to get through it and winning the fight.
“It was all about being smart the whole fight and getting that momentum back on the road to world titles.”
