Sam Goodman will have to prove he is fit to fight if he wants to maintain his top ranking with at least one sanctioning body.

A ‘Show Cause’ notice was issued to The Ring’s No. 3 junior featherweight contender by the WBO to determine when he will be able to return to the ring. The ruling was prompted after No Limit Boxing, Goodman’s reporter, filed a request for its client to remain the mandatory challenger despite suffering back-to-back injuries in a span of just three weeks.

Goodman (19-0, 8 KOs) was due to face Ring/undisputed junior featherweight champion Naoya Inoue (28-0, 25 KOs), first on Dec. 24 and then rescheduled for Jan. 24 at Ariake Arena in Tokyo. Plans for both dates were torched when Goodman suffered a cut over his left eye last month and then reopened the wound on Jan. 11 (locally; Jan. 10 in the U.S.).

“On January 11, 2025, WBO President Gustavo Olivieri, Esq., received an email communication regarding the subject fighter reporting an injury sustained during training,” WBO Championship Committee chairman Luis-Batista Salas stated in a ruling obtained by The Ring. “The injury, affecting his left eye, [prevented] him from participating in the scheduled bout against Naoya Inoue on January [24], 2025, in Tokyo, Japan.

“According to your email, Mr. Goodman is prohibited from engaging in any physical contact until April 11, 2025. His availability to compete is projected for either May or June 2025. Consequently, on behalf of Team Goodman, you are requesting that his WBO Mandatory Challenger status be upheld. Having considered the foregoing, Team Goodman is HEREBY ORDERED to submit to the WBO, within the next 10 days from the issuance of this notice, a detailed explanation of his injury, including medical findings, recovery prognosis, and a statement from his licensed physician specifying when he will be physically and medically cleared to return to active competition.”

Inoue has since moved on to South Korea’s Ye Joon Kim (21-2-2, 13 KOs) as the replacement opponent. Kim was on standby for the occasion, a scenario that was not in place when they were forced to postpone the Dec. 24 event by a full month.

Goodman is presently the mandatory challenger with both the WBO and the IBF. The motivation by No Limit Boxing is clear, as the company wants to ensure its boxer doesn’t lose his place in line.

That said, Inoue is already eyeing a springtime showdown with WBC mandatory challenger Alan David Picasso (31-0-1, 17 KOs), The Ring’s No. 5 junior featherweight contender. Also in queue is former unified titlist Murdojon ‘MJ’ Akhmadaliev (13-1, 10 KOs), The Ring’s No. 2 contender and the current interim WBA titlist.

Needless to say, the burden of proof is now on Goodman that he won’t hold up the line any longer should the WBO allow him to remain at the top of its ratings.

“Failure to comply with this order will result in the Committee's intervention to enforce the WBO Regulations of World Championship Contests,” noted the WBO. “Mr. Goodman will forfeit all rights under these regulations without further notice or hearing.”