On December 13, Paul Butler will enter the ring against Naoya Inoue, knowing that most fans and experts give him about as much chance of victory as a hamster has against a snake. The pair clash at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo in an undisputed bantamweight championship fight that will be streamed live by ESPN+.
Inoue, 29, is a three-weight world champion and one of the finest fighters in the world today. The Japanese star’s incredible blend of speed, power, and technique has resulted in 23 straight wins with 20 knockouts. There’s no signature move with Inoue; no one weapon that an opponent needs to fear – he can hurt his man with any punch he cares to throw.
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Only once has “The Monster” been tested. On November 7, 2019, four-weight world champion and future Hall of Famer Nonito Donaire faced his friendly rival in the bantamweight final of the World Boxing Super Series. Inoue won a 12-round unanimous decision, but he was shaken up, cut, and suffered a broken orbital bone – courtesy of a jolting left hook in round two.
Inoue blasted through Donaire in the second round of a rematch in June, but no fighter is more qualified to break down this intimidating champion’s qualities than “The Filipino Flash.”
“You need to look out for Inoue’s position,” Donaire, who has claimed world titles from flyweight to junior-featherweight, told The Sporting News. “He tends to position himself well, and if you don’t look out for his positioning that’s when he generates all that power to the max. And that’s when people get hurt, like I did [in the rematch]. If you’re wary of his positioning, then you can work out what he’s going to do.
“In the first fight, I positioned myself well enough to not be in line with his punches, and that’s why my punches landed more. I was at points where I had every advantage because I positioned myself better than him. If I’d have stuck to my game plan [to box in the rematch], I think there would have been a big difference in the fight.”
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Donaire is always surveying the boxing landscape and is well-aware of Butler’s qualities. In April, he looked on as the Englishman boxed beautifully to win a 12-round unanimous decision over Jonas Sultan and lay claim to the WBO interim title (later upgraded to full championship status).
“If Paul can stick with the jab, stick with the lateral movement, it will be very difficult for him to get caught [by Inoue],” Donaire offered. “He’s constantly moving, like when he fought Sultan, I thought he did a terrific job. That [style] will probably give him a better chance because he was very disciplined in jabbing and moving. That’s what it all comes down to: how disciplined he is.
“If Inoue somehow looks past him, then he’ll just force his way [to the inside]. I don’t think he’s going to respect Butler compared to me because Butler doesn’t have that power. If Inoue’s trying to force his way in, then he’s going to reach, and when you reach, it’s easy for an opponent to counter. Despite being a fast fighter, Inoue does have those stiff legs, and when he’s punching, he sticks to a point until he’s done punching before coming forward or [going] backward. Ultimately, there is that lag between his punches that will allow Butler to get off or move around. If he does that masterfully, there’s a good chance the judges could be swayed by that.”
MORE: All you need to know about Naoya Inoue vs. Paul Butler
However, despite any upside, Donaire still felt compelled to pick Inoue to win this fight by knockout.
“We know Butler is not a guy who has a chin that can withstand power like this,” Donaire stated ominously. “If he does get hit with those big punches from Inoue, those are very powerful punches. Again, if he can match Inoue’s positioning, the power will be halved, and he has a better chance of surviving then.”
Should Japan’s warrior hero prevail, he will become the first undisputed bantamweight champion from that nation since the legendary Fighting Harada, who reigned from May 1965 to February 1968.
