HE'S as slick as boxers get but Albion Park slugger Sam Goodman isn't afraid of a brawl after battering tough lightweight Daniel Carr en route to a six-round unanimous decision victory last weekend.
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The decision was a shut-out on all three judges cards, but it was Goodman's willingness to bang away at close range that turned heads given he leapt up three divisions for the bout.
"He was tough and I like to fight with that relentless style when I'm going forward," Goodman said.
"I knew it was six rounds and I'd get through comfortably at a really high pace. I went out to stamp my authority on the fight early and picked him off from long and mid-range and I think he thought 'I can't let this [smaller] guy back me up'.
"He was just trying to come at me with high hands and make a fight of it. I used a bit of boxing and finesse in the first two rounds but, in the end, I thought 'bugger it, if you want to stay on my chest I'll give you the fight inside'.
"We've been working on my in-fighting a lot and it was a good chance to showcase it. "
A COVID-enforced hiatus also played a part in the approach, having kept him out of action for more than a year, by far the longest stretch out of the ring since he first laced up the gloves as an amateur.
"I was chewing at the bit to get in the ring and I was hungry for a fight. It probably showed in the way I fought," Goodman said.
"In most of my fights I've been able to show my skill and footwork is superior but this time I got to show, if it goes in close or to a different part of the ring, I can also bite down and fight."
He also used the televised card to issue another challenge, calling on his own division to step up as he looks to make up for lost time.
"Anyone at super-bantamweight I know I'll beat," he said.
"Realistically I want to get back down in weight and start campaigning for some belts. With COVID restrictions on travel, regional [world] titles are hard to come by but I'm hoping someone will put their hand up.
"I've been patient enough, I'm eight fights in [to my career], and I've got no doubts getting in the ring with anyone in this country."