Adds the undisputed champion to Naoya Inoue’s long list of achievements.
The Japanese knockout prevented fellow 118-pound fellow Paul Butler reluctantly from winning all four major belts on Tuesday at Ariake Arena in Tokyo, becoming the first bantamweight and Japanese boxer. The first in any weight class to do so.
“It was a long journey but… I finally made it. I was able to reach the top by being the undisputed champion,” Inoue said through an interpreter.
Butler (34-3, 15 KOs) didn’t allow Inoue (24-0, 21 KOs) spectacularly until the very last minute, more because he didn’t want to be eliminated than his ability. .
NO DISPUTES.
POUND FOR POUND NO. 1️⃣
Viva @NaoyaInoue_410 🇯🇵👑#InoueManager pic.twitter.com/rPFdeKZy2k
– Top boxing (@trboxing) December 13, 2022
The British use their feet to stay away from dangerous enemies at all costs and hide like a scared tatu whenever he gets close, which makes Inoue’s task difficult.
Inoue tried everything to make Butler open so that he could throw his fatal punches, even at one point putting his hands behind his back.
Butler doesn’t actually bite. He is more concerned with surviving than giving himself a realistic chance of winning the war. So Inoue did what he could, which was to attack Butler wherever he could – his arms, his gloves and sometimes his body round after round when the weaker was most. like doing nothing.
Finally, at the start of Round 10, Inoue seemed fed up. He seems to have decided that he can still stop his prey and fights with the urgency to do so.
He began to deliver punishments with greater speed that round and the next, when Butler, perhaps exhausted, began to show signs of withering.
The brutal ending occurred when Inoue landed with a deadly punch to the body, a left-to-left header and then a somersault that suddenly overwhelmed Butler, having to lock the canvas.
The referee hadn’t even finished counting when he signaled the end of the game. Butler is clearly over.
The official stoppage time is 1:09 of the 11th half.
What’s next for Inoue?
His reign as undisputed champion won’t be long: The three-league champion says he’ll put on 122 pounds in search of more challenges and titles in the division private.
That may not be easy. Double belt holder Stephen Fulton, a brilliant boxer, more experienced and confident than Butler, is seen by some as a legitimate threat to Inoue.
Inoue punches much harder than Fulton, pound-for-pound at least. We’ll have to see if his strength is compromised with weight gain. At the same time, Fulton would probably have the advantage of being a naturally larger man.
However, you can bet that Inoue will be favored to win that fight or any other. Many believe he is the best in the business regardless of weight. He showed us why again on Tuesday.
