Naoya Inoue is back in the boxing ring, and yes, he’s a massive betting favorite to win again. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t betting opportunities for “The Monster’s” forthcoming fight against Sam Goodman. Keep reading and we’ll give you our best bets to make!
The first place to start our preview of Inoue vs. Goodman is the betting odds. These are available at the best boxing betting sites and no one is going to be surprised that Inoue is the favorite, and a staggering one at that. Here’s the latest Inoue-Goodman moneyline odds:
The upcoming bout marks Inoue’s fourth in a 12-month period. Yes, he’s that active of a champion. Inoue finished all those bouts, bringing his record to a sterling 28-0 with 25 KO’s. This next bout will be for Inoue’s undisputed junior featherweight championship, which he just successfully defended against TJ Doheny in September. Doheny was finished in the seventh by Inoue that night.
The win brought up Inoue’s pound-for-pound ranking to No. 3 in most places — though he’s No. 2 in select sources. It really seems no one is in Inoue’s league, maybe perhaps fellow countryman Junto Nakatani. That all-Japanese showdown is being thought of for 2025, but Inoue plays the waiting game til then.
Goodman is the fill-in for now, but that might be selling him short. See, Goodman is the mandatory challenger for Inoue’s undisputed titles. This fight was supposed to happen over the summertime actually but Inoue elected for the optional defense against Doheny. So Goodman very much earned this bout, which is why his betting odds aren’t as bad as Doheny’s were (Inoue was a -6500 favorite at that time).
Goodman is straight out of Australia with an 19-0 mark (only 8 KO’s). If you’ve never heard of him, well, it’s because he’s never once fought outside of his home country. You have to think that plays a factor in this one — traveling to Japan and being in hostile territory if you will (even though Japanese culture is enough to keep things respectful).
Let’s move on to the good stuff — our Inoue-Goodman betting picks. We have two of ’em next!
We won’t be picking the the Inoue-Goodman moneyline. In betting terms, it’s practically worthless unless you think Goodman is winning. Spoiler alert: we do not think so! However, there is betting value to be had elsewhere. We’ve plunked out two boxing betting odds more worthwhile for this bout:
This bet is exactly as it sounds: how does the fight end exactly? That means who wins and how. For such a thing, there are only six outcomes, which are as follows:
| Outcome |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inoue by KO | -600 | -600 | -600 |
| Inoue by Decision | +600 | +600 | +600 |
| Draw | +2500 | +2500 | +2500 |
| Goodman by KO | +1400 | +1400 | +1400 |
| Goodman by Decision | +2500 | +2500 | +2500 |
When it comes to Inoue fights, you have to take what you get. Until he throws down with a Tank Davis or Nakatani, he’s going to be a heavy favorite to win every bout. So getting a winning line at -600, well, that’s sort of value. That’s what we have here with Inoue by KO getting that betting line.
We won’t mince words, we’re slamming money on that exact outcome. Inoue is the real deal, hence why he’s become undisputed champion in two classes. He’s 31 years old and has routinely moved up weight classes yet hasn’t slipped skills-wise. Not once. He’s seemingly faster and more powerful than ever. A winner of nine straight bouts by KO, our money is going on a 10th here.
Want to get value out of this fight? You’ll have to go further down the risk curve then. That’s exactly what this prop bet is. The goal is to pick which range of rounds the bet ends. We’re not even going to list the outcomes for a Goodman win cause it’s that unlikely, but here are the grouped rounds for Inoue:
| Outcome | | | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inoue to win in round 1-3 | +550 | +550 | +550 |
| Inoue to win in round 4-6 | +240 | +240 | +240 |
| Inoue to win in round 7-9 | +210 | +210 | +210 |
| Inoue to win in round 10-12 | +350 | +350 | +350 |
| Draw | +2500 | +2500 | +2500 |
We’ve gone this far without talking much about Goodman’s skill set. Well, Goodman is at a disadvantage against Inoue except in two areas: size for sure, and perhaps defensive technique. It’s not that Inoue can’t defend, he just chooses not to. Inoue is a showman and actively tries to get opponents out early. Will he do the same against Goodman?
We’re certainly betting so. The skill disparity is too big. The home-ring advantage is too big. Goodman is getting out there somewhere in the middle of the fight — his size (and toughness that Aussires fight with) is enough to keep him in the fight til at least round 5. Taking Inoue in rounds 7 through 9 makes all the sense in the world to us. Take that bet to the bank!
One more thing before you go: you’ll need a reliable sportsbook to bet on Inoue vs. Goodman. Welp, we know a few (or five). Below is our list of favorite sportsbooks out there — each with the full gamut of boxing odds available on this bout (plus others in the future). Getting started and using a deposit method can be done in minutes so you’re a few clicks away from locking in your Inoue-Goodman wagers.
