But for a well-documented cut in sparring two years ago, he would have tested his skills against Ring and undisputed junior featherweight king Naoya Inoue.

Their twice-canceled fight led some in Japan to question whether Goodman would arrive in the country, facing Ryosuke Nishida on Sunday at the Toyota Arena in Tokyo.

Their IBF interim 122-pound world title fight will feature preceding Takuma Inoue-Tenshin Nasukawa II, live on Amazon Prime Video in Japan and DAZN across most other worldwide territories.

"That's what we got told," Goodman (22-1, 8 KOs) told The Ring.

"It's crazy but what can you do about opinions of other people? They're going to believe what they want, I don't want to get negative.

"I haven't read too much into it and obviously there's a language barrier, but I've been very well received here. It's good to have my feet on the ground and be here, we're ready to fight."

The two sides battled to secure home court advantage, which Muto Promotions won with a $610,000 bid. The fighters will split that equally, each earning $305,000.

"At the start I got told we were going to go in July on the Tim Tszyu-Errol Spence card, they must not have wanted in Australia. We thought maybe August, but they wanted September in Japan," he explained. "The whole process kept getting prolonged. It's just boxing, I try not to pay too much attention.

"Where and when we fight, it's irrelevant. All I need is a date, venue and we're good to go. I couldn't put too much focus on any of that, because it drains you. Since there were talks about this fight, all I've been thinking is what I've got to do to beat this man. I've had a good, long camp and in real good shape."

However, Team Goodman believe Japan is one of the most fair countries in world boxing and time difference is only one hour from home.

"It's all about giving yourself time to adjust," he said. "We gave ourselves 10 days before the fight. Get settled into a routine, the time difference is next to nothing. Everything is in a good spot at the moment."

This is the second time Goodman has been to Tokyo, having briefly visited for Inoue's sixth-round stoppage win over Luis Nery in May 2024.

The 27-year-old has tried to find a happy balance between staying in his room and sightseeing.

"We've seen a little but not too much," he said. "A bit of walking around, go to a few different suburbs. No real tourist things. Saw some sumo training one morning. Other than that, it's been hotel, boxing gym and walking around. It's been nice getting out and about in the day and have a walk around.

"You don't want to sit down all day; you want to get out and about. You can't sleep all day and night. Being locked away in a hotel room the whole time is a bit much. I like to be around my team, have a laugh and joke, go out to have a coffee as well.

"I'm looking forward to getting a few days after the fight to take it all in."

Goodman is calm about the situation, and his persona doesn't change too much before fights.

"If you sit there and are constantly thinking about one moment, it's sucking energy. There's a time to flip the switch, when I walk into the changing room."

The Australian believes while Nishida is a quality opponent, he will prevail if he performs at his best.

"He's pretty well schooled across the board; a good boxer, fighter, southpaw, technician, not bad on his feet, his back hand is definitely his biggest weapon.

"I definitely think I've fought fighters on this level, we'll see when we get in there. I really believe in what I do and can do, just got to get it right on the night."

A victory here would open up various avenues for Goodman to further pursue at 122 pounds.

"There's a lot of opportunities after winning this fight, but I can't let my head get there yet. I've got a tough guy in front of me and can't take my eye off the ball. I just want to put myself in the best position to make big fights over here, that I'd love."