Sam Goodman has vowed to make amends for the “f*** up” which marred his heartbreaking world title loss against Englishman Nick Ball — while also giving his prediction for the Japanese blockbuster which could decide his future.

Only eight months after losing his WBA featherweight title tilt against Ball, 27-year-old Goodman is suddenly fighting for a second shot at gold on the undercard of Tim Tszyu’s Easter Sunday blockbuster.

As revealed this week, the fighter dubbed ‘Ghost’ will throw down in an IBF super bantamweight eliminator against Argentina’s Rodrigo Fabian Ruiz.

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Should Goodman win on the Tszyu undercard, he then becomes mandatory for the winner of that May superfight between Japanese megaster Naoya Inoue, the undisputed division king, and fellow undefeated sensation Junto Nakatani.

As part of his preparations for his upcoming Easter Sunday bouts — which follows on from a win against Tyler Blizzard in December — Goodman has been sparring extensively with a crew of heavier domestic fighters, including hyped lightweight prospect Ahmad Reda.

Apart from being big for his weight class, Ruiz also has only one loss in 24 fights — with17 coming via KO.

“So the guy looks to be a puncher,” Goodman said this week. “He’s got a decent left hook and presents a tough challenge.

“He also appears to be a decent size for super bantamweight.

“That’s why we’re working with a lot of good guys who are a few weight divisions heavier than me.

“We’re doing a lot of work with Ahmad Reda, who brings the pace in sparring. That’s going to put me in good stead.

“We’re using multiple guys at each session too, so we have multiple looks coming at us.

“This fight is about me imposing my style on him. And doing it from the get go. That’s what we’re training to do.”

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Sam Goodman in action against Tyler Blizzard in December.Source: Getty Images

Elsewhere, Goodman has also been building on those lessons learned from his recent world title loss against Ball.

Despite moving up in weight, and coming into the bout as an outsider, Goodman performed strongly right throughout the championship bout, although was eventually beaten on the scorecards: 113-115, 111-117, 110-118.

“And while I don’t want to be giving too much away,” Goodman continued of what he learned, “I can say that the biggest learning lesson was that, to put it bluntly, I have to take the fight off people.

“In that fight, I let Ball have too many moments.

“I was in control, in control, then — bang — I’d f*** it up and he’d score a point or two. And that would sway a round his way.

“So that’s something I’ve learned from.

“It wasn’t a fight where I took damage.

“But I am making adjustments so that I can impose what I want to do on people. It’s an experience I took plenty from.”

Should Goodman win his upcoming eliminator, he then becomes mandatory for whichever Japanese superstar triumphs in May.

Asked by Fox Sports Australia for a prediction, Goodman suggested Inoue will be too strong for Nakatani, whose first fight at the weight in December was a narrow decision win over Sebastian Hernandez.

“So I think it’s Inoue,” he said. “I think he will be too strong.

“And when you look at Nakatani’s most recent fight, the biggest takeaway was how he didn’t look too physically strong at the weight.

“But he can punch, obviously. So who knows?

“Having now had that fight at the weight, he’ll be better for it … so we’ll see.”

Already, Goodman has twice been in line to fight Inoue, and twice ruled out after suffering cuts in sparring.

However the Aussie said he wasn’t sure if he would get a third shot at ‘The Monster’, or if the division king would vacate, and move up again, should his undefeated reign continue against Nakatani.

Japan’s Naoya Inoue in action against South Korea’s Kim Ye-joon in January.Source: AFP

“But that’s all out of my control anyway,” he shrugged. “Which is why I can’t worry about it.

“I’ve got to worry about the fighter in front of me.

“That’s how I get myself back into world title contention.

“Then whatever opportunity presents itself from there will.

“So if I start worrying about things I can’t have an impact on, it’s wasted time and energy.

“So we’ll roll with the punches.

“I just need to win, put myself back at the top of the division … then we worry about who is there when we get to it.”

Speaking with media last week, Inoue suggested he will need to be at his destructive best against Nakatani when they square off inside the famed Tokyo Dome on May 2.

Both fighters are unbeaten, with Inoue looking to make a seventh successful defence of his undisputed crown.

“May 2 will be a historic day for boxing,” Inoue said at a press event to announce the fight. “But in terms of my boxing career, I have to think of it as just a point on the way. “I will prepare for the fight with that mindset.”

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Inoue will be returning to the Tokyo Dome for the first time since 2024, when he recovered from being sensationally dropped early to eventually KO Mexico’s Luis Nery.

While Monster was downed by a heavy left hook in round one – the first knockdown of his career – he then quickly recovered, dropping Nery twice himself before finishing things in the sixth.

Nakatani, meanwhile, is undefeated in 32 fights, including 24 knockouts.

Said Inoue of the challenge: “I have to raise the level of every aspect of my boxing, otherwise I can’t bring out the best version of myself. First of all I have to make sure this is the best fight I’ve ever had.”