The show will go on for Naoya Inoue.

The Ring has confirmed that a new opponent is in place to challenge for Inoue’s Ring/undisputed junior featherweight championship. The emergency need arose when Australia’s Sam Goodman was forced to withdraw for a second time after reopening a previously suffered cut.

“No Limit Boxing regrets to announce that Sam Goodman has been forced to withdraw fron his scheduled bout against Naoya Inoue on January 24 due to a recurrence of his eye injury,” No Limit revealed in a press statement. “We wish Sam a full and speedy recovery and will provide updates on the event in due course.”

Multiple sources informed The Ring that Ohashi Promotions will hold a press conference Saturday afternoon in Japan (Friday evening U.S. time) to reveal the new challenger. Inoue (28-0, 25 KOs) will attempt the third defense as The Ring and undisputed championship on Jan. 24 from Ariake Arena in Tokyo.

The rumored opponent to replace Goodman (19-0, 8 KOs), The Ring No. 3 junior featherweight contender, is South Korea's Ye Joon Kim (21-2-2, 13 KOs).

Goodman was originally due to challenge Inoue on Dec. 24 but suffered a cut during his final sparring session. At the time, it was deemed bad enough to postpone but not to where he was all the way out of the running.

That is no longer the case as the unbeaten 26-year old from Albion Park, New South Wales will now undergo plastic surgery which will leave him out until at least early summer.

“It reopened [Saturday] morning,” No Limit’s Tim Ashworth confirmed to The Ring. “He needs plastic surgery this time. He’s inconsolable, understandably.”

Goodman was due to enter his first world title challenge. He has served as the IBF mandatory challenger since a June 2023 decision win over Ra’eese Aleem in their title eliminator between unbeaten contenders.

The delay in getting a title shot prompted Goodman to remain active. No Limit lined up for stay-busy fights in the interim, though he endured a scare in his last bout. Goodman suffered a hand injury in a twelve-round points win over Thachtana Lunagphon (25-0-1) last July 10 in Wollongong, Australia.

Inoue has held major titles at junior flyweight, junior bantamweight, bantamweight and junior featherweight. He is Japan’s only-ever two-division The Ring and undisputed championship, having collected all the belts at 118- and 122-pounds.