Paul Butler Doesn’t Care That Critics Favor Naoya Inoue
Paul “Baby Face Assassin” Butler is less than two months from the biggest fight of his career. On December 13, the 33-year-old puts the WBO bantamweight strap on the line against unified champ Naoya “Monster” Inoue (23-0, 20 KOs) at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan for the undisputed bantamweight title.
SOLVING THE “MONSTER” PUZZLE
Becoming a unified champion has always been a goal for Butler. During an interview with the UK source, Boxing Social, the resident of Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, England has said that training has been going fantastic. When asked about the key to winning, the WBO champ said it first begins with film study.
“We’re working over the stuff at the moment; what he does well. So, we’re sitting down and watching him. The certain shots that he throws well, and we’re gonna try and stop that, and then we’re going to try to work off what he can do and what we do well
[…] We’ve got to keep fainting with him. We’ve got to offset him, offset him, and I think my timing’s good, as well. I think my feet are good. I like to get people to work at my pace.”
Inoue will be a daunting task. Ranked third in the 3Kings Boxing Top Ten fighter rankings, the Japanese superstar is a three-division champion. He is equal parts a skilled technician and a devastating puncher.
CAN CARE LESS WHAT IS SAID ABOUT HIM
On a pound for pound scale, “Monster” is one of the more feared fighters in the world. Many pundits have him as a prohibitive favorite. But Butler says he doesn’t give a damn about others’ viewpoints.
“Fuck them mate, does not bother me at all. Five, six years ago, I would have been replying to every single one of them. I would have been arguing all day, all night with them. Now, I just look at them and say fuck you’s.
It’s me that’s getting in there, not you. Luckily enough, it’s not them. Half of them are just couch potatoes […] I’m in the gym every day grafting. I’ve been doing this since I was a ten-year-old boy, so I deserve this shot […] I like going into the lion’s den.”
One can understand his standoff-ish attitude. After all, Butler is himself a two-division champion. He won the WBO Interim championship with a decision win over Jonas Sultan in April 2022. He was eventually elevated to full-time champ after the sanctioning body stripped then-champion John Riel Casimero in May 2022.
Butler is determined to block out all the negativity. The focus for the upcoming scrap with Inoue is clear – do what’s necessary to pull off the victory. If successful, he will be the first British fighter to become an undisputed champion since Lennox Lewis became undisputed heavyweight champion in November 1999 following a rematch win over Evander Holyfield.
By: Michael Wilson Jr.
