Junior featherweight title challenger Sam “The Ghost” Goodman will risk his mandatory fight against undisputed 122-pound champion Naoya Inoue when he faces tough Thai Chainoi “The Rockman” Worawut at the WIN Entertainment Centre in Wollongong, Novel South Wales, Australia, next Wednesday night.

The fight is a matter of life and death for Goodman. A loss for the 25-year-old Australian at Albion Park would see him at the back of the queue; a win would see him retain his position.

So why fight?

“It was always in the cards and it looked like there was a chance I could fight for a world title. That’s more or less the reason,” Goodman (18-0, 8 KOs) told The Ring

“As you’ve seen over the last 12 months, I like to stay vigorous. I train all year round. And after my last fight, I thought it would be another good test, to fight someone who is world class and get back out there with a world class opponent before I face the likes of Inoue.”

Goodman has always had a busy schedule. Other than the first year of COVID-19 in 2020, he has boxed at least three times a year throughout his career. Last year, he picked up the gloves four times, defeating Ring-ranked contenders Ra’eese Aleem (20-1, 12 KOs) and TJ Doheny (26-4, 20 KOs) and claiming the scalps of Miguel Flores (25-5-1, 12 KOs) and Zhong Liu (19-1, 7 KOs), all by decision.

In this sport, activity matters.

“It’s not about getting worse or anything like that, it’s just building and building on what I’ve done and hitting challenging before I get to the biggest fight of my life. That’s what it’s all about,” said The Ring’s No. 4-ranked junior featherweight contender, who is coming off a fourth-round knockout of Mark Schleibs in March.

“It’s another good, tough test; to get through it and pass with distinction, and then move on to the most vital fight of my life.”

Goodman lands a hook on Mark Schleib in his final fight. (Photo courtesy of No Limit Boxing)

Bangkok’s Worawut, also known as Thachtana Luangphon (25-0-1, 15 KOs), won’t be flying to Australia just for a free vacation and a packet of cream cookies. The seasoned former Thai boxer has a powerful right hook and a jarringly tiny left hook, weapons the 27-year-old will look to utilize against Goodman in his first boxing fight outside his home country.

“He doesn’t have the bad eye and he’s pretty composed there as well,” Goodman said of his opponent. “He’s pretty tranquil, but I don’t think he’s had too much adversity in his career. I think I have more than enough skills to frustrate anyone in this division. Not just to frustrate them, but to really make them wonder what they’re doing in the ring. I think there’s a lot of things I can take advantage of.”

“I think my strength will be controlling the pace of the fight and where it takes place.”

In a recent interview with Wasim Mather for this website, Worawut spoke about Goodman’s skills as a boxer.

“Sam Goodman is a good fighter with quick footwork. He’s always waiting for a counterattack and has a great lead hand,” he said.

“It’s like another fight. I’ve been training 100% for over two months. My goal is to fight Inoue; that’s my dream, but first I have to win the fight with Goodman.”

Both boxers enter the fight with enormous pressure, and the winner will be able to count on the biggest prize in the lighter weight classes.

“Beating me will change the course of Worawut’s career,” Goodman said. “I’m aware of that. Like I said before, I’m just focused on myself and what I need to do.

“I don’t really care what he thinks or any of the pressure he puts on himself. I just focus on getting the job done and doing it well. That’s where my head is right now.”

“I’m not thinking about it too much. I’m just enjoying fight week again, fighting a guy in my hometown, which could be my last fight here for a while, but who knows? I’m just enjoying everything that comes with it. But I’m pretty focused on this fight. I’m in the best shape of my career and I’ve done everything right, so I’m not taking any risks.”

Japanese superstar Inoue (27-0, 24 KOs), the No. 2 boxer in the world according to The Ring magazine regardless of weight class, is the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

The 31-year-old from Yokohama is expected to return in September, with the resurgent left-hander Doheny considered a potential opponent. The 37-year-old Irishman, who lives in Australia, has successfully built a profile for himself in Japan, notching three straight knockout wins over solid opponents over the past year.

Speaking to In slow May, Inoue’s American co-promoter, Bob Arum, expanded the plan for the 122-pound world champion.

“The plan is for Inoue to fight again in Japan in September. And then, depending on how everything goes there, he will fight again at the end of the year, maybe in Riyadh,” the Top Rank boss said.

“Both Sam Goodman and the Irishman (Doheny) are great opponents. I had a chance to talk to Sam briefly this week in Tokyo and I was very impressed with his attitude. So whether he’ll fight Inoue in September or December, I don’t know.

“But he will definitely fight Inoue this year.”

Goodman knows what he is risking by facing Worawut, but believes he will be in better shape when he faces Inoue in five months.

“That’s the plan. Our plan has always been to fight him in December. That’s what we’re working towards. Everything I’ve done this year is a stepping stone toward that ultimate goal,” Goodman said.

“That’s on my mind and it motivates me every day. It’s close, but there’s still a lot of work to do. And it starts July 10th. I’ve got one more guy to deal with, and once I deal with him, I’ll be fully focused on the December date.”

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Jaron Ennis will defend his IBF welterweight title against David Avanesyan at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on Saturday, July 13, with the event broadcast live worldwide on DAZN. Cody Crowley is out, and what do we get? Avanesyan, the Armenian knockout champion, is ready to make this fight even more spectacular for the Philadelphia crowd.

More than 10,000 tickets have already been sold, proving that Philly fans are ready for a good time — or maybe just a fight. If you don’t have a ticket yet, you can visit Ticketmaster.com before you get stuck watching highlights on your phone like a sucker.

Ennis (31-0, 28 KOs) returns to his hometown for the first time since 2018. And he’s coming off a knockout win over Roiman Villa last year just to remind everyone why he’s the champion. Meanwhile, Avanesyan (30-4-1, 18 KOs), known for taking down Brits like it’s a hobby, is ready to turn July 13 into a night to remember — or at least something to talk about at the pub.

Ennis, who doesn’t mince his words, said, “Now that Crowley is officially out of my fight, I think Avanesyan is the better opponent. He’ll put up a better fight.”

Avanesyan, clearly excited about another shot at glory, added: “This is my last chance at a world title and I have to take it. I respect Ennis and his career because he was excellent, but he has what I want and what I need.” Translation: He’s ready to fight and doesn’t plan on being a footnote in Ennis’ career.

The evening’s fight card features a full lineup including Jalil Hackett taking on Peter Dobson for the WBA Continental North America welterweight title, Skye Nicolson defending her WBC World featherweight title against Dyana Vargas and a lightweight heavyweight bout between Khalil Coe and Manuel Gallegos.

As expected, Shakur Stevenson defeated Artem Harutyunyan on Saturday night to defend his WBC lightweight title for the first time.

The result was a unanimous decision victory, with Stevenson (22-0, 10 KOs) notching his fourth straight points victory in five fights, defeating Harutyunyan 170-74.

The comeback fight in front of 8,412 fans at the Prudential Center in Newark, Up-to-date Jersey, marked the end of Stevenson’s contract with longtime promoter Top Rank.

While the 27-year-old left-hander didn’t pick up a significant win that would have significantly increased his value heading into free agency, he did make a statement in other ways.

Three-division champion Stevenson wore a T-shirt with a clear message addressed to Top Rank boss Bob Arum, who was not in attendance at the event.

“Bob Saves His Son From Getting His Ass Kicked” was the slogan on the back of Stevenson’s T-shirt, with a photo of Arum and IBF lightweight champion Vasiliy Lomachenko on the front.

Stevenson, who was set to become a free agent, had no chance of getting the fight that would decide his career.

But there was a deal.

Stevenson said he turned down a five-fight, $15 million offer from Top Rank.

“Yeah, it’s not a dime a dozen,” Stevenson said in an interview that aired on ESPN just before his win over Harutyunyan. “But I know my worth and I know who I am now. I understand my worth from when I first signed with them to now — it’s a lot higher.

“It wouldn’t be hard” [to get the big fights] if I committed to coming back to sign with Top Rank. The fights didn’t happen because I didn’t re-sign with Top Rank.

“I see all these guys getting opportunity after opportunity, it’s just so tough to get a huge fight. I blame my promoter for a lot of that. They could have done a lot more to make those huge fights happen.

“I was built the right way and I appreciate them for that, but at the end we could have tried harder to make the huge fights instead of always making excuses. The vision should have been much bigger.”

During the post-fight press conference, Stevenson spoke about the fights he was unable to fight, namely the fights with Lomachenko and Gervonta Davis, who are now scheduled to face each other.

“To say [Lomachenko] “Fight me,” Stevenson said. “Wouldn’t that be a chilly fight? Someone who goes in there and tries to fight and tries to win? He’s technically good. There are a lot of people who probably think, ‘Lomachenko can beat’ [Stevenson]. He couldn’t stop. [Harutyunyan]. Why not put up a fight? [Lomachenko] doesn’t want to fight.

“I’m just telling it like it is… I can’t force these fights if these guys don’t want to fight me.”

Stevenson’s message to Tank was plain.

“Get ready,” he said. “I want to fight guys who are trying to fight me and have something to lose, like I do, not guys who come in here and want to be part of the show.”

Stevenson is also unsure what will happen next as he has not ruled out a return to Top Rank.

“I don’t know what I’m willing to do. I have to sit down at the table and find out,” Stevenson said. “I’m ready to get back in the ring as soon as possible.”

Stevenson pulled out of the fight with Harutyunyan (12-2, 7 KOs) without any problems and rated his performance as C-plus.

“He was a tough fighter. You can’t take anything away from him. If a good fighter knows how to survive and that’s his goal, sometimes it’s tough to get him out of there,” Stevenson said.

“These guys came to survive and their goal is to make sure they get through 12 rounds… I did what I could [to entertain the fans]. Sometimes I let go of my hands and sometimes I punished him. This guy just made sure he stayed on his feet.”