It\u2019s half an hour after legendary ring announcer Jimmy Lennon Jr confirmed him as Australia\u2019s newest world champion, and Sam Goodman is in his boxers in his dressing room, talking on the phone.<\/p>\n
His sister, Riley, is in tears while some of his closest mates inspect his new world title belt, but Goodman is taking a few quiet moments to speak to his very first boxing coach, Louie Vallesini. <\/p>\n
It\u2019s only fitting that the first man to see his boxing potential is his first phone call after his upset win over Japanese monster, Ryosuke Nishida in Tokyo. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe coached Sammy at Lake Illawarra PCYC,\u201d Goodman\u2019s dad, Steve tells Code Sports. \u201cFirst time he went in, he was 10 and Louie said, \u2018This kid can punch!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Still covered in sweat from his stunning unanimous decision win, Goodman tells Vallesini that he was the man who started the journey. <\/p>\n
One metre away, Goodman\u2019s current coach, Joel Keegan \u2013 the mastermind behind Sunday\u2019s bruising and bloody victory \u2013 sits on a chair with his arms folded across his chest and a contented half smile on his face. <\/p>\n
What Vallesini put in motion 17 years ago, Keegan and chief second Luke Phipps, moulded into the man who upset $4 odds, a taller opponent with longer reach and a jittery referee to lift the red IBF title. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m just the product of who I\u2019m surrounded by,\u201d an emotional Goodman tells Code Sports in the sheds. \u201cThis is everything me and my team and my family have worked for. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been a long journey.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s hard to put into words. I\u2019ve got the best team in the world and the best minds in boxing. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been f***ing tough. It\u2019s been hard, but that\u2019s how we train and live.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wouldn\u2019t have it any other way.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dubbed by Johnny Lewis as the fittest fighter since Jeff Fenech, it was Goodman\u2019s volume and work on the inside that got the job done against the power punching Nishida. <\/p>\n
There was also referee Deon Dwarte, who deducted a point from Goodman and two points from Nishida in one of the greatest fights of 2026. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe referee was a bit nervous,\u201d Goodman says. \u201cJoel called it early, that he was a bit jittery.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe took a point off me and bang, straight away, took two points off him. <\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s why Joel\u2019s the smartest guy in boxing. He picked it before it happened.\u201d<\/p>\n
The team cleans up his dressing room, throwing out a few rice crackers and honey \u2013 \u201cYou\u2019re allowed wagyu now,\u201d says Phipps \u2013 before watching a few rounds of the main event between Takuma Inoue and Tenshin Nasukawa and piling into a jet black Mercedes van for the 20 minute drive back to the hotel. <\/p>\n
Through the Tokyo night, they talk about the ref, the scoring, the crowd, and take a call from another Aussie world champion, and Goodman\u2019s training partner, Kaye Scott. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about Joely Keegan jumping on the ropes after the fight like a WWE superstar,\u201d laughs manager, Peter Mitrevski Jr. <\/p>\n
\u201cHow much does it cost to get a replacement IBF world title,\u201d Mitrevski continues. \u201cYou\u2019re gonna lose that in Vegas.\u201d<\/p>\n
The victory celebrations that began in the van ride back to the hotel, continue to a Tokyo karaoke joint and will carry on in Sin City later this week. <\/p>\n
A punter at heart, Goodman took a gamble on himself weeks before Sunday\u2019s win and booked a suite at a hotel on the Vegas trip. <\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t the only wager he took out on himself. <\/p>\n
The Aussie battler, who was once so broke he had to steal dog food from Coles, made a side bet with Mitrevski Jr as well: Win, and \u2018Baby\u2019 Pete would pay for a business class ticket to Vegas.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s one thing I am, I\u2019m a f***in punter,\u201d says. \u201cI backed myself.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe booked a suite over there, but I didn\u2019t book flights. The flights are on him now. A deal\u2019s a deal.\u201d <\/p>\n
Mitrevski Jr confirms the bet. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ve already been paid for,\u201d he said, showing Code Sports the ticket. \u201cIf he got beat, I was cancelling it though!\u201d<\/p>\n
Goodman\u2019s mates all bet on him too, and will join him in Vegas. <\/p>\n
Known as \u2018The Mad Bunch\u2019, they made a collective killing by backing their mate at $4 odds \u2013 a price that eventually came in to $2.60 on the day of the fight \u2013 and cashing in thousands of dollars. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey all had flights booked back to Sydney,\u201d Mitrevski says. \u201cBut they\u2019ve all cleaned up, taken their winnings from Palmerbet and changed their flights to Vegas.\u201d <\/p>\n
After the couple of years Goodman has been through, he deserves to go large in Sin Cirty. <\/p>\n
Less than two years, ago, he twice missed out on seven figure paydays when cuts ruled him out of fights with another Japanese icon, Naoya Inoue. <\/p>\n
Goodman did his best to hold back tears speaking about the wild journey to this point. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just the journey, man,\u201d he says. \u201cTo be honest, I\u2019m pretty good at getting on with shit.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt will be the same with this. I\u2019ll enjoy tonight and the next couple of days. <\/p>\n
\u201cBut, when we get back home, it\u2019s about what\u2019s next. The show goes on. We move on.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut first, karaoke, wagyu, then Vegas!\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It\u2019s half an hour after legendary ring announcer Jimmy Lennon Jr confirmed him as Australia\u2019s newest world 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