SAM GOODMAN will be hoping – praying, even – that the scar tissue around both of his eyes remains tightly sealed this Saturday.
It is not as if the unbeaten Aussie has nothing else to worry about, either, as with a charging ‘Wrecking Ball’ just waiting to be let loose, it must be said that the odds are, indeed, heavily stacked against him.
In most other encounters, Goodman’s slick defensive manoeuvres, facilitated by his tidy footwork, would likely represent a greater advantage.
But the fact that he is moving up in weight – albeit four extra pounds – to take on the WBA world champion, in his first assignment outside of Australia, is perhaps a recipe for disaster.
The 26-year-old was, of course, supposed to face Naoya Inoue, an even more formidable opponent, earlier this year.
But despite rescheduling their undisputed super-bantamweight clash – originally set for last December – due to an injury in sparring, Goodman, 20-0 (8 KOs), was then forced to withdraw after the cut over his left eye was reopened.
Devastated, the crafty technician had no choice but to afford himself sufficient time to recover, before eventually entering a tune-up fight in May.
Only, instead of enjoying a straightforward walk in the park – as was expected – Goodman suffered another laceration, this one above his right eye, before claiming a unanimous victory over Cesar Vaca Espinoza.
Even away from his unfortunate cut, the otherwise defensively polished operator was forced to overcome several pockets of adversity against a fighter who, in truth, remains drastically far removed from world level.
Too often, it seemed, Goodman found himself getting pinged with telegraphed shots which, against a fighter as ferocious as Ball, 22-0-1 (13 KOs), could have engineered a vastly different outcome.
Not only is he the more spiteful puncher, but Ball also possesses a fierce level of confidence where, no matter what challenges are placed in front of him, he is always willing to march straight through the fire.
That remarkable degree of tenacity was showcased against both Rey Vargas and Raymond Ford, and while he only emerged victorious against the latter, the two razor-thin contests nonetheless saw the Liverpudlian cement his credentials at world level.
Interestingly enough, Ball has also singled himself out as the only remaining male world champion on British soil, thus giving him another incentive to take care of business against Goodman.
But of course, the stakes were already considerably high, as with Inoue seemingly targeting a fight for December, perhaps Ball will distance himself from the chasing pack and solidify his claim as the pound-for-pound star’s leading dance partner.
Either way, the 28-year-old’s aggression, and indeed Goodman’s less-than-desirable history with cuts, should make for a largely one-sided affair on the undercard of Moses Itauma vs Dillian Whyte.
Nick Ball vs Sam Goodman Fight Prediction
Goodman will likely get off to an encouraging start, putting his feet to great use, before swiftly discovering that the man in front of him remains about as stubborn as a mule.
Ball should then begin to shift the momentum in his favour, swarming the Australian like a pack of bees before latching onto his chest.
Then, almost like a hellish rash, the presence of Ball should prove too relentless for Goodman to deal with, and may even reopen one of his cuts, before an alarming lack of power eventually sees the challenger suffer a late stoppage defeat.
