HE hasn't wasted any time since shifting into the pro ranks and Albion Park fighter Sam Goodman is ready to go up another gear in his sixth outing as a professional next month.
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Currently 5-0, the rising super-bantamweight star will slug it out with tough Indonesian Sunardi Gamboa on the November 16 card headlined by a long-awaited showdown between Jai Opetaia and Mark 'Bam Bam' Flanagan at the Horden Pavilion.
Gamboa has seven wins and just one loss in 10 bouts, six of those victories by stoppage, but Goodman's full of confidence fresh off his own TKO win over Claudevan Sese in July.
"He'll definitely be a step up, he's probably the biggest puncher I've come up against going off his record," Goodman said.
"He's 7-1 with six knockouts so he can obviously whack and he swings pretty hard. I'll have to be on my toes and pretty evasive because he can obviously punch but I'm not looking into it too much.
"I'm just going to go out there as always and do my thing, fight my fight and not let him dictate to me. I'll be out there imposing my style on him."
It'll be his second full preparation on the Central Coast under Joel Keegan, with 21-year-old sparring quality rounds with Aussie bantamweight star Jason Moloney - who many consider the rightful IBF bantamweight champion.
"I've been training sessions with Joel since I was 12 in the PCYC academy so I knew what I was getting out of him and out of the prep," Goodman said.
"It wasn't unfamiliar territory going up there and starting a new camp. I've been sparring Jason Moloney, him and [brother] Andrew are both really good boys.
"It was really tidy, really good competitive sparring. We both got unreal work out of it and it's definitely up there as the best sparring I'm going to get in Australia.
"I was feeling fresh after my last fight and wanted roll around pretty quickly. The fight was initially scheduled for October but, as can happen in boxing, it got pushed back to November but we kept prepping and we'll be ready to go."
His win over Sese at Luna Park came on his first televised card on Fox Sports, with his performance turning all the right heads as he looks to climb the super-bantamweight ranks.
He'll be looking to add another stoppage win to his resume but says the bright lights won't change his typically cerebral approach in the ring.
"I was keen on a stoppage [last fight]," he said.
"I probably feel I should've pushed for a few more stoppages in my earlier fights but I wanted to get through the rounds.
"I think I'm just a bit more comfortable knowing where I am in the rounds and where I can push and close the show. If the opportunity presents itself again I'll a hundred per cent be looking for the stoppage.
"I just go out there, I do what I do and stick to the game plan. The performance will take care of itself if I do that."
Mitch Jennings
Sports writer. Sport is my passion, rugby league my first love.
Sports writer. Sport is my passion, rugby league my first love.
