Quote from: cryptomaniac_xxx on Today at 12:45:50 PM

Quality of opponents, yes, Luis Nery could have a better resume than Sam Goodman. I even saw a video of Bob Arum though, highlighting Inoue and saying that he wanted to face tough opponents.

However, in this case, it's a move backward, there could be fighters like Casimero or Murodjon Akhmadaliev.

The fight with Sam Goodman though is already scheduled and so I doubt that Murodjon Akhmadaliev will have a case here as there are reports that he wanted to go legal so that he can fight Inoue.

Goodman fought 4 times in 2023 against high quality opponents. He might not come anywhere close to having enough skills to beat Inoue but he has earned the right to challenge him for his belts by becoming the mandatory. Akhmadaliev would also be a great opponent but he has lost momentum since the loss to Tapales. He beat some unkown guy and somehow became a mandatory also but he has been inactive for the past 10 months. Like Casimero, he is just sitting on the sidelines waiting to get picked while his career stagnates.

Arum has already hinted that Akhmadaliev might be next for Inoue in April 2025. That would leave Casimero on the outside once again. There are still plenty of good fighters in the division that he could beat and it will elevate his status, but without the backing of a major promoter, I feel like his opportunities are very limited at the moment.