Japanese boxing sensation and triple world title-holder Inoue Naoya is fighting Paul Butler of Britain on December 13, aiming for the undisputed world bantamweight title.
The 29-year-old Japanese holds the IBF, WBA and WBC belts. A win against the 33-year-old WBO champion would allow him to clean up the bantamweight division.
The upcoming match between Inoue and Butler is to be held at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo.
Speaking at a news conference on Thursday, Inoue said it is going to be the first time in his career to fight with three champion belts on, and he will take up the challenge with his utmost motivation.
Inoue said he wants to demonstrate his overwhelming power to his opponent to unify the four different bantamweight world titles.
Inoue added that he sees the upcoming match as the final chapter in his bantamweight carrier before moving up to the super-bantamweight.
Asked about Paul Butler, Inoue commented that he is a highly skilled, all-round boxer with hardly any flaws.
Ohashi Hideyuki, the chairman of a boxing gym which Inoue belongs to, told reporters that if Inoue beats Butler with a knockout, he will have pulled off something unprecedented, which is winning all four bantamweight champion titles with a knockout.
Ohashi said it will be an exciting match to watch for sure.
Inoue said he has already started sparring practices in preparation for his match with Butler in December.
The 29-year-old Japanese holds the IBF, WBA and WBC belts. A win against the 33-year-old WBO champion would allow him to clean up the bantamweight division.
The upcoming match between Inoue and Butler is to be held at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo.
Speaking at a news conference on Thursday, Inoue said it is going to be the first time in his career to fight with three champion belts on, and he will take up the challenge with his utmost motivation.
Inoue said he wants to demonstrate his overwhelming power to his opponent to unify the four different bantamweight world titles.
Inoue added that he sees the upcoming match as the final chapter in his bantamweight carrier before moving up to the super-bantamweight.
Asked about Paul Butler, Inoue commented that he is a highly skilled, all-round boxer with hardly any flaws.
Ohashi Hideyuki, the chairman of a boxing gym which Inoue belongs to, told reporters that if Inoue beats Butler with a knockout, he will have pulled off something unprecedented, which is winning all four bantamweight champion titles with a knockout.
Ohashi said it will be an exciting match to watch for sure.
Inoue said he has already started sparring practices in preparation for his match with Butler in December.
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Summary
Japanese boxer Inoue Naoya, a triple world champion holding IBF, WBA and WBC belts, will fight Paul Butler for the undisputed bantamweight title on December 13 in Tokyo's Ariake Arena. Inoue aims to unify all four bantamweight titles by defeating Butler. Both boxers have started their
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ID: 1ed04639-0d52-4674-9bb7-08e5761dd293
Category ID: nhk
URL: https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20221013_36/
Date: Oct. 13, 2022
Created: 2022/10/13 20:33
Updated: 2025/12/09 12:46
Last Read: 2022/10/14 19:50