By: Sean Crose
Monsters attack again. Naoya Inoue is now the undisputed bantamweight champion of the world thanks to Paul Butler’s 11th round knockout in Tokyo on Tuesday. Although he entered the ring as the favorite, Inoue 23-0 had to carry out the skirmish on his own, as Butler 34-2 employed a poorly executed defensive strategy. Defensive combat can be a beautiful thing – as long as it works. Butler’s strategy was only effective in keeping him. At least that was the case until the penultimate round. As for Inoue – he looks like Inoue, someone whose abilities are almost easy to execute.
However, the champion of the Hall of Fame decided to finish off his man as soon as he got the chance. Punching position is possibly the strongest skill Inoue possesses and he unleashed a series of consecutive hits on careless Butler in the eleventh minute after deftly slicing off the Englishman’s ring. Sharp, powerful punches to both the head and body eventually sent Butler to the floor, being beaten. The referee didn’t even bother to count because the match was clearly over. Inoue, who entered the ring with the WBA, WBC and IBF bantamweight belts, was able to safely leave the ring with Foster’s WBO belt in his possession.
However, Inoue has made it clear that his reign as the undisputed bantamweight champion may be short-lived. Looks like he can move up to 122.
