YOKOHAMA, Japan (AFP) — Japan’s Naoya Inoue announced Thursday that he will fight Britain’s Paul Butler in December when all four bantamweight world championship belts will be at stake.
The 29-year-old Inoue, nicknamed “Monster,” holds the World Boxing Council, World Boxing Association and International Boxing Federation bantamweight belts and is aiming to become undisputed world champion by capturing Butler’s World Boxing Organization title on 13 December in Tokyo.
“I want my name to go down in international boxing history, and to change Japan’s boxing history,” the unbeaten star said at a press conference to announce the showdown.
“Paul Butler is an extremely well-rounded fighter, with no obvious weak points,” Inoue said.
“In the fight, I want to weaken him little by little with my boxing, before taking him down.”