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No Limit Boxing’s George Rose: ‘Sam Goodman Is The Real Deal And Australia’s Next World Champion’

Originally posted on Fights Around The World
By Abraham Gonzalez | Last updated Aug 7, 2025 6:54 PM ET

On one of the only significant cards in August, WBA featherweight champion Nick Ball (22-0-1, 13 KOs) will be defending his title against the undefeated Sam Goodman (20-0, 8 KOs), who’s making his featherweight debut. Although Goodman was not able to make it to fight night with the undisputed super bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue (30-0, 27 KOs), he is now getting a title shot at a new weight class while being fully supported by his promoter and CEO of No Limit Boxing, George Rose.

Things haven’t gone the way Goodman would have liked the past nine months, as he first had a scheduled fight with Inoue for December 24, 2024, and just weeks before, suffered a cut over his left eye during training camp, forcing the fight to be rescheduled a month later. Then, in January, in training camp, Goodman reopened the cut he suffered a month prior, leading to Inoue facing Ye Joon Kim instead.

Although Goodman and his team attempted to get the Inoue fight again, they were unsuccessful, so No Limit Boxing’s Rose brought him back in May as he had been out of the ring for 10 months. That night, Goodman scored a ten-round unanimous decision over Cesar Vaca Espinoza, which helped gain confidence that the cut that had plagued him months before was finally healed and battle-tested.

Since Goodman missed the Inoue boat, he has now moved up to featherweight, and his first fight there is a title shot against the champion Ball. Missing that opportunity against Inoue would have devastated most fighters, but Rose feels the contrary when it comes to Goodman.

“You can’t forget what Sam has been through already. Losing the Inoue fight twice in one month would have finished most fighters. Mentally, financially, and emotionally. But not Sam. He never stopped working. He never stopped believing. That is why he deserves this more than anyone.”

Knowing that his fighter is walking in as the B-side in the fight, Rose acknowledges the situation but doesn’t allow that to affect how he feels about his fighter’s chances on August 16.

“Sam Goodman is walking straight into the lion’s den,” said Rose. “He is going up in weight, heading into enemy territory, and fighting a guy who can knock your head off. But he would not have it any other way.

“The odds are stacked against him, and that is exactly how he likes it. He thrives in this space. And when he wins that world title, the world will understand what we already know. Sam Goodman is the real deal and Australia’s next world champion.”

Rose also mentioned that Goodman is currently in Dubai, finishing his training camp to ensure he’s fully adjusted to the time zone by fight night. With legacy and Goodman’s future riding on this fight with Ball, Rose had a message for those who may doubt Goodman’s chances of beating Ball in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

“This fight means everything to Sam. Some fighters go overseas chasing a payday. Sam is chasing belts, and more than just this one.”

For a while, Goodman and his team were telling anyone that would listen that they would be the ones to slay “The Monster” Inoue, but he never made it to fight night because of his cuts. Now he has a second chance to prove that he was always ready for the big stage, but instead of Inoue, it will be against Ball at a new weight class. Can Goodman beat Ball and become the new WBA featherweight champion, or will the step up to 126 be too much, too soon? All questions will be answered when they fight on August 16 on DAZN PPV.

This article first appeared on Fights Around The World and was syndicated with permission.

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