WBC, WBA and IBF bantamweight champion Naoya ‘The Monster’ Inoue 23-0 (20) will stake his three world titles against WBO 118-pound champion Paul ‘The Baby Faced Assassin’ Butler 34-2 (15) at Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan on December 13.
The 29-year-old Inoue has emerged as one of the top boxers in the world with his speed, timing and power erning him world championships at junior flyweight, super flyweight and bantamweight. Eighteen of his 23 pro bouts have been world title fights with all but two ending in knockouts.
The Ring magazine ranks him as the number two pound-for-pound boxer in the world behind only unified heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk 20-0 (13). The Transnational Boxing Rankings Board ranks him number one.
Inoue says he has much more to achieve in the sport and it all starts with Butler. If successful against Butler, he is expected to move up in weight again to chase a world title in his fourth weight class.
“I want to etch my name in the history of boxing and change the history of the Japanese boxing world,” Inoue said.
“For the next two months, I want to do what I can and get in the ring. [Butler] is a very well-rounded fighter with no holes. The perception is that I will weaken him little by little with my own boxing and knock him out.
“I want to overwhelm him with my power to unify the four titles.”
Beating Inoue is a big ask for Butler, who won a wolrd title on his third attempt. But the 33-year-old from the United Kingdom is confident he’s up for the job.
“I’ve been boxing for over 20 years and all the successes and set-backs have led me here, to the biggest fight of my career, with the biggest prize in the sport on offer,” Butler said.
“I am under no illusion as to the size of the task that faces me, but I have been going to bed dreaming of becoming the undisputed bantamweight champion of the world.
“Inoue is a phenomenal fighter but not one person should be underestimating me, my skills or my resolve. I am going to Japan to write my name into the history of our sport.”
Butler’s promoter Richard Schaefer is bullish about his charge’s chances despite the fact he will enter the bout as a substantial underdog.
“It does not get any bigger than this, but Paul Butler is ready to carve out history, cause a seismic upset and return home as the undisputed world bantamweight champion,” the president of Probellum said.
“We appreciate how good Naoya Inoue is, we have seen it repeatedly, but the people who know Paul, know what he is made of and the greater the challenge, the greater his performance will be.”
