SYDNEY, Australia – Sam Goodman is fighting Tyler Blizzard with not only a sense of revenge but determined to realise his ambitions after emerging from a damaging period in which he was “financially crippled”.
The one-time amateur rivals and sparring partners have been matched in an all-Australian featherweight contest on the occasion of Goodman’s first fight since his first defeat, in August by the WBA champion Nick Ball.
They fight at Sydney’s TikTok Entertainment Centre on the undercard of Tim Tszyu-Anthony Velazquez on Wednesday, and Goodman can avenge the defeat Blizzard inflicted when they were amateurs that he has ultimately never forgotten.
Since turning professional in 2018 the 27-year-old Goodman has proven himself a world-level fighter.
The date with Ball delivered to him by some distance his biggest purse as a professional but provided for him financial relief not freedom, and he plans on following victory over Blizzard with another run at world honours, aware that after the most “stressful” period of his career he can build the foundations for a successful 2026.
“I think I’m a much better fighter,” he told BoxingScene when asked about his opponent. “But I’ve got to go out there and prove it, and that’s what I’m looking at doing. It’s one I’m excited to get back. I’m not going to say it’s overly personal. Do I like him as a bloke? No. That’s it, really – he’s not my cup of tea. He thinks he’s got one over me, so fuck him – I need it back.
“I remember from my side, going into it, a very, very lacklustre preparation [when we fought as amateurs]. He’s a very negative fighter. He hides behind a high guard and everything’s high guard, try and catch it, and send back a left hook. For him, surviving’s almost a win – getting through it’s a tick for him. Do I think he’s at my level? Absolutely not. I just can’t get dragged into his bullshit.
“I’ve sparred him since that as well. I know what he’s about; what he does. What I can take out of it is the learning experiences; the stuff I learned around the sport, and even turning up and thinking you’re just gonna roll straight through a guy. They’re all there and you’ve gotta beat ‘em. A little bit of arrogance going into that one, with preparation to walking into the ring. Learned a lot of lessons, and I’ve learned plenty more since. I’m definitely the more experienced; I’ve beat better people; I’ve fought at a much higher level than him. I’m looking to show that. I’m gonna show that I’m a better fighter and I can’t get dragged into his stuff.”
“You’d have to say his left hook,” Goodman responded when asked about Blizzard’s strengths. “But it’s because he throws 100 of ‘em to any other punch he throws. He’s got a tight guard that I’m gonna have to find openings through, but he’s very, very negative. He’s a negative guy, in the way he tries to fight and hides behind a tight guard. He tries to look cute. It’s gonna take some real breaking down to make him feel my pace and my pressure, and to get it right and not let him have any success early. I was almost talking there like they are weaknesses – they’re probably a bit of both. The negativity and hiding behind that tight guard makes him a bit more difficult to break down at times, but it also takes away from what you can do as well, because you’re being so negative, so it’s a double-edged sword.
“I don’t think he’s got the character to be at the top of this sport. I just don’t think he’s built for being and operating at the top. I don’t think it’s for many people.”
Goodman revealed that he is still living with the disappointment that followed the defeat by Ball. The money he earned that night went some way to compensating the emotional and financial struggles he endured when a cut suffered in sparring twice cost him – potentially permanently – a lucrative date with the great Naoya Inoue.
Challenging Ball helped him back to his feet as a human and a professional, but the competitive nature of defeat presented him with the chance to evolve as a fighter. It is that that he knows he will need to demonstrate on Wednesday against Blizzard, undefeated and also 27 years old.
“A lot of hard work, from me; from my team as well,” he recalled of challenging Ball. “I really fucking envisioned giving that belt back to my team. It’s something I’ll still do. It’s just a bit of disappointment. That’s sport. You don’t go through it without going through those moments. You’ve sometimes got to appreciate the hard times; that’s going to be a moment where you just have to turn it around.
“It still lingers. Close, but not good enough. That’s what it was. I’ve got to be so much better to really take these belts off these guys. I know I can be, and I will be. It’s what I’m looking forward to showing. It drives me, man. I was doing bits and pieces when I was over in Dubai, and once I got back home it was pretty much ‘Start looking to whatever’s next’. That’s how I deal with things. Life sometimes doesn’t go your way and you’ve got to get back on the horse. That’s what I’ve done – I do what I know best and that’s get back in the gym, start working hard, and figure out what I’m gonna do next.
“[But] the confidence I’ve taken out of that – especially moving up in weight; I do feel very strong at this weight – I’ve seen what Nick Ball’s done in fights and how physical he’s been able to be. I probably thought I had to box a little bit more than I did. I felt strong in there. The confidence I’ve taken from that, and the whole experience – I know I’m world class and I know I’m going to be a world champion. But it’s those little things you take out of fights and look to add to your game, and that’s what we’ve done. I’m just keen to get back on the saddle and get back on the horse. I want to be fighting for world titles as soon as I possibly can again.
“It took a bit of stress from me that I probably got from the start of the year when I thought I had another big fight, with Inoue, and I got cut. It relieved a bit of pressure from myself, of course. It was nice – I’m not going to say it’s not. It is about the money – anyone who says it’s not, you want to be there and you want to be earning as much as you can while you can. I’m no different. But I set out at the start of this to be a world champion, and that still drives me on. That’s the big one. I know, with becoming that, the pay days and all of that stuff’s on the other side.
“The financial stress – I had an opportunity to buy a house at the time and a late settlement date, and when that money doesn’t come in, you’re on your arse. I didn’t miss out but I had to borrow a lot of money off people. I was robbing Peter to pay Paul. That’s what it was for a while. My overheads were big and I hadn’t had a fight in months and months and months. Besides Covid, it was my longest spell out of the ring. It financially crippled me there for a little while.”
