Sam Goodman did not travel to Tokyo to admire Ryosuke Nishida’s boxing. He crowded the Japanese southpaw, worked his body, and kept throwing through a rough 12 rounds to win the vacant IBF interim super bantamweight title Sunday at Toyota Arena Tokyo.

Goodman won a unanimous decision by scores of 116-109, 115-110 and 114-111 on the Takuma Inoue–Tenshin Nasukawa undercard. The Australian improved to 23-1 with eight knockouts. Nishida fell to 11-2.

Nishida had the reach and the sharper single shots. He found Goodman with his left hand, particularly in the fourth round, and had spells when he pushed forward himself. But Goodman refused to spend long at the distance Nishida wanted. A straight right and left hook helped him get inside, where he leaned on Nishida and kept punching to the body and head.

The fight became untidy early. Goodman was cut on the forehead in round three. Nishida also bled and developed swelling around his right eye. Neither man backed away from the exchanges, and their work up close brought referee Deon Dwarte into the story.

In the eighth, Dwarte took a point from Goodman for leading with his head and one from Nishida for repeated fouls, including a low blow. Nishida lost another point for low blows in the 10th and received a warning in the 11th.

The deductions widened the final scores, especially the 116-109 card. Nishida can point to them when looking at the margins, but he still had to solve the central problem: Goodman kept getting close enough to work. When Nishida tried to box at range in the 10th and press late, the Australian continued to meet him with punches. The pace eased in the final two rounds without Goodman giving up ground.

It was a hard way for Goodman to claim the biggest win of his career. Cuts had previously forced him out of two planned fights with undisputed champion Naoya Inoue. This time he fought through one, beat a former IBF bantamweight champion in Japan, and left with a title that could put him back on Inoue’s path.

For six rounds, Tenshin Nasukawa appeared to be losing the same fight twice. Takuma Inoue was beating him to position, scoring with the jab and straight right, and making Nasukawa’s promise to take the initiative sound increasingly empty. Then Nasukawa dropped the WBC bantamweight champion in round seven.

That knockdown gave the rematch the urgency their first meeting had lacked. Nasukawa came forward with more purpose, found openings for his left hand and made Inoue fight to preserve his lead. Inoue held on to win a unanimous decision Sunday at Toyota Arena in Tokyo, but he had to survive a much harder second half.

The official scores were 116-111, 116-111 and 114-113. Inoue moved to 23-2 with five knockouts, while Nasukawa dropped to 8-2 with three.

Nasukawa’s problem was the time it took him to change the fight. Inoue had spent the opening half collecting rounds with cleaner, more controlled boxing. Once Nasukawa put him down, the challenger needed to keep that pressure on without surrendering another round. Inoue regained his composure and did enough late to stop Nasukawa’s surge from becoming a complete turnaround.

The narrowest official score shows the knockdown’s importance. It also shows the cost of Nasukawa’s slow start. One big round could close the gap, but it could not erase all the work Inoue had done before it.

Nasukawa showed progress. In their November 2025 fight, he lost by scores of 116-112 twice and 117-111. This time he put the champion on the canvas and forced Inoue to fight hard through the final rounds. His stoppage of Juan Francisco Estrada in April was evidence that he had improved; this performance showed he could bring some of that growth into a fight with Inoue.

Still, the result is familiar. Inoue has now beaten Nasukawa twice and made the second defense of the WBC belt he won from him ten months ago. Nasukawa proved he can hurt the champion. To beat him, he needs to start fighting with the urgency he found in round seven.

LIVE COVERAGE

World Boxing News provides live results and a round-by-round scorecard as Takuma Inoue faces Tenshin Nasukawa for the second time at Toyota Arena Tokyo in Japan.

Inoue and Nasukawa collide over 12 rounds for the WBC bantamweight title in their rematch.

Ryosuke Nishida faces Sam Goodman for the interim IBF super bantamweight title, while Ryusei Matsumoto takes on Russell Acosta Silveira for the interim WBO minimumweight title.

Tomoya Tsuboi and Ricardo Malajika also meet for the vacant WBC super flyweight title.

WBN provides live results and updates from every bout as they happen, plus a round-by-round scorecard for Inoue vs. Nasukawa.

Results

All times are local JST.

19:44

Ricardo Malajika handed Tomoya Tsuboi his first professional defeat with a split decision over 12 rounds, winning 116-112 and 115-113 on two cards. Tsuboi took the third 115-113 and dropped to 3-1.

18:47

Ryusei Matsumoto improved to 9-0 and retained his interim WBO minimumweight title with a unanimous decision over previously unbeaten Russell Acosta Silveira. The judges scored the 12-round contest 118-110, 116-112 and 115-113.

18:02

Natsuki Kuramochi defeated Hayato Aiko by majority decision over four rounds, earning scores of 40-36 and 39-37, with the third judge scoring it 38-38.

Kuramochi improved to 2-1-1, while Aiko dropped to 2-3-1.

Remaining Bouts

Takuma Inoue vs. Tenshin Nasukawa — 12 rounds, WBC bantamweight title

Ryosuke Nishida vs. Sam Goodman — 12 rounds, interim IBF super bantamweight title

Inoue vs Nasukawa Scorecard

Takuma Inoue vs Tenshin Nasukawa

(Round-by-round scorecard will refresh every 2 mins)

Round-by-Round Notes

Round-by-round updates will appear here when Inoue vs. Nasukawa begins.

TV Coverage

Broadcast information will be added when confirmed.

Follow WBN’s live boxing coverage throughout the event.

About the Author

Phil Jay is the Editor-in-Chief of World Boxing News (WBN), a BWAA-acknowledged boxing news website founded in 2010. A veteran boxing reporter with 16 years of experience, he has interviewed world champions, broken international exclusives, and reported ringside from major events. His work is published worldwide through WBN and distributed on platforms including Apple News.

Read Phil Jay’s full bio and latest stories.