WBO want answers from Sam Goodman regarding his injury

Sam Goodman has lost his title shot at undisputed junior featherweight champion Naoya Inoue due to injury, and now he’s under the gun to retain his place as a top-ranked contender.

WBO President Gustavo Olivieri told BoxingScene Wednesday that Goodman is being sent an interim medical certification notice to explain his recovery time from the training camp injury that caused him to be cut over his left eyelid and withdraw from his January 24 bout against Inoue in Tokyo.

Olivieri said Australia’s Goodman, 19-0 (8 KOs), has 10 days to respond, providing detailed information over the injury, his prognosis and a physician’s note indicating whether he’ll be cleared to return to fighting within six months.

If Goodman or his doctor assess that he won’t be able to fight again within the six-month window, Goodman will be demoted from his No. 1 spot in the WBO rankings and lose his mandatory status.

“If he’ll be ready within the six-month window, there’s no issues at all,” Olivieri said. “But we need to keep the division active.”

Goodman, after first forcing a postponement of a planned Christmas Eve fight with Inoue with an earlier cut over the left eye, re-opened the wound upon resuming training and bowed out, leaving Inoue, 28-0 (25 KOs), to fight replacement foe Ye Joon Kim, 21-2-2 (13 KOs), of South Korea on January 24.

Goodman remains the IBF’s No. 1 mandatory contender for now.

Meanwhile, Inoue’s avoidance of his first-in-line mandatory, No. 1-ranked WBA fighter and former unified champion Murodjon “M.J.” Akhmadaliev drew a complaint by Akhmadaliev’s attorney, Pat English.

In a letter to WBA President Gilberto Mendoza Jnr, English wrote this:

“Dear Gilberto: We see that Mr. Goodman is injured yet again. We also read that Mr Inoue is seeking a replacement. Your WBA interim champion is ready, willing and able to fight, but Mr. Inoue is once again avoiding him. Will the WBA stand up for Mr. Akhmadliev?” Pat English.

Mendoza told BoxingScene last month he won’t accept Inoue fighting a planned spring bout without stripping him of the WBA belt, but Inoue promoter Bob Arum said there’s a scenario where Inoue would first fight Alan Picasso in the spring in the U.S., and then turn to Akhmadaliev in a fight after that, perhaps in Saudi Arabia.

In a social media post Tuesday, Saudi Arabia power broker Turki Alalshikh said he’s in advanced negotiations with several fighters, including Inoue, for fights this year.