Naoya Inoue vs. Paul Butler | Undisputed - 13 December 2022

[samwbr]

Just hope he gets out relatively unscathed. Inoue is a very dangerous man.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Paul Butler on Naoya Inoue: I'm Under No Illusions on The Size of The Task

Paul Butler goes in search of boxing immortality in December when he faces Naoya Inoue for the undisputed world bantamweight title.

The WBO champion tackles Japanese hero Inoue, at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, on Tuesday, December 13 on a historic night for the sport, promoted by Ohashi Promotion and Teiken Promotions in association with Probellum.

Inoue holds the IBF, WBA and WBC belts and wants to clean up the division before moving up in weight – but two-time world champion Butler holds the missing piece of the puzzle.

And the fighter from Ellesmere Port, in the UK, heads to the Land of the Rising Sun, fully intent on becoming boxing’s first undisputed bantamweight champion in half a century and scoring one of the biggest away wins by a British fighter ever.

Butler said: “I’ve been boxing for over 20 years and all the successes and set-backs have led me here, to the biggest fight of my career, with the biggest prize in the sport on offer.

“I am under no illusions as to the size of the task that faces me, but I have been going to bed dreaming of becoming the undisputed bantamweight champion of the world.

“Inoue is a phenomenal fighter but not one person should be underestimating me, my skills, or my resolve. I am going to Japan to write my name into the history of our sport.”

Richard Schaefer, President of Probellum, said: “It does not get any bigger than this, but Paul Butler is ready to carve out history, cause a seismic upset and return home as the undisputed world bantamweight champion.

“We all appreciate how good Naoya Inoue is, we have seen it repeatedly, but the people who really know Paul, know what he is made of and the greater the challenge, the greater his performance will be.”

[margaret thatcher]

in fact naoya inoue is quite a wee lad

[tigermoth87]

I enjoy a good old fashioned whooping. This is gonna be so one-sided it will be fun.

First round destruction.

[THEBUTCH]

Good grief....still 2 months to go.

[Glass Joe]

Bound to end 1-2 rounds. Butler will know he will get paid the same if he gets up or not

[THEBUTCH]

Well, as at the time & date of this post there are 7 lunatics who think Bulter will win by stoppage and 4 supreme optimists who predict a Butler points win !!

[giacomino]

Well, as at the time & date of this post there are 7 lunatics who think Bulter will win by stoppage and 4 supreme optimists who predict a Butler points win !!

Have to think they are just trolling

[margaret thatcher]

paul butler won 0 rounds out of 19 with tete and manny rodriguez, who are world class but nowhere near inoue and his joltin japanese hands (see manny-inoue). paulie's a euro level fighter who got extremely lucky to win world titles vs stuey hall and jonas sultan. vs a beast like inoue it will be brutal. best case is he gets on his bike and lasts a few rounds.

one of the bigger mismatches to crown an undisputed champ. i suppose the positive for butler is that with expectations so low it'll be easier to overperform than underperform

[Ruthless-RKO]

Press Release | Peter McGrail Lands Spot on Undercard

Peter McGrail will have “unfinished business” on his mind when he fights on the undercard of a monster show in Japan this December.

The gifted super bantamweight has secured a place on the undercard of the undisputed world bantamweight title showdown between Naoya Inoue and Paul Butler in Tokyo.

McGrail returns to Japan on December 13 ready to draw a line under the disappointment of his Olympic exit in the country last year and show the world of boxing why he remains destined for the pinnacle of the sport.

The Liverpool fighter headlined his first show at Probellum Liverpool II on Saturday night, as he broke the spirit of Alexander Espinoza and forced him to retire at the start of round six.

McGrail (5-0, 4 KOs) now turns his attention to an eight-round contest with Hironori Miyake at the Ariake Arena and ending 2022 with a bang in Japan.

“I've got unfinished business in Japan,” McGrail told Probellum.com.

“The last time I was there, I had a belter of a trip with the team, a trip that will be me for the rest of my life, and I'm proud of where I got to, as an amateur and going to the Olympics, but I just feel as though I've got unfinished business.

“And it would be nice to go over there and get the win. I should've got a few wins when I was there last time, but it's a different game now, that was the amateurs, but I've got unfinished business.”

McGrail has made a stunning start to life as a professional and he hopes the return to Tokyo will cap off an excellent year.

“I'm looking forward to going back because when we went, it was during Covid, so I've only seen Japan looking out of buses and looking from balconies,” he said.

“I didn't get to see what it's about and obviously I didn't get the result we wanted. So, we'll be going over there, getting the result we want, and I'll be with my team, making good memories. We were in Dubai at the start of the year, I headlined my first show in Liverpool in my fifth fight, in my first 10 rounder, so things are looking good.”

[Ruthless-RKO]

[Ruthless-RKO]

[wrighty]

I like butler, hope he does it but Inoue is a real monster as his name implies. One of the best to do it.

[Spud]

I am not saying Paul Butler isnt a good fighter, clearly he is, its just inoue is a f*cking animal.

I think the only thing that beats him is if he steps up in weight too far.

Inoue beats Butler by the time the bell goes for the end of the second round

[Ruthless-RKO]

[forcefraser]

Poor old Butler. Going into.a fight knowing with 99% certainty that he is getting stopped, maybe brutally.

Hope he's getting well paid

[Ruthless-RKO]

A lot of people saying “support your own”

Yeh. Well I do wish him the best. But realists if ally he’s gonna get splattered.

A guy on socials is saying Butler will cause Inoue problems earlier on.

He’s got the style.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Where are we watching this in the UK?

I’d have thought Probellum would put it on their website or FITE like their previous card.

Still nothing showing.

[maverick23]

Where are we watching this in the UK?

I’d have thought Probellum would put it on their website or FITE like their previous card.

Still nothing showing.

I don’t think Probellum are involved in the promotion. Usually it’d be on Sky given its Top Rank involved but it’d be unlikely given Butler’s promoted by Probellum.

I’d imagine it’ll be similar to Alimkhanuly/Dignum so could end up on Top Rank’s YouTube or perhaps Fite TV.

[Glass Joe]

Where are we watching this in the UK?

I’d have thought Probellum would put it on their website or FITE like their previous card.

Still nothing showing.

should take up fishing

[Ruthless-RKO]

Where are we watching this in the UK?

I’d have thought Probellum would put it on their website or FITE like their previous card.

Still nothing showing.

should take up fishing

I might just be off this day.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Next Week!!

It's a mid week as are most Japan cards.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Good news..

I have found this.



Unsure if it will be available for UK fans.

We can only hope!!

It mayy not even be the actual event.

Might just be someone doing a live play-by-play.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Joe Gallagher calls on Paul Butler to write his own Rocky story when he faces Naoya Inoue

Joe Gallagher has explained why a 'siege mentality' approach can help Paul Butler write his own Rocky story when he faces Naoya Inoue.

Gallagher, along with Butler and the rest of his team, jetted out to Tokyo earlier this week as preparations for the historic bout continue. Butler, who was elevated from interim to full WBO champion in May, will take on Inoue for the undisputed bantamweight title at the Ariake Arena on Tuesday, 13 December.

Inoue is No. 2 in ESPN's pound-for-pound rankings and will start the fight a big favourite in front of his home fans, but Gallagher sees no reason why Butler can’t cause a major upset.

He said: “We have got a prime Paul Butler here, and he is not one trick pony. He can do front foot, back foot, orthodox, southpaw, he has a lot to his game.

“We are highly motivated. The gym has had a great year this year. We are coming off the back of Natsha Jonas’ fantastic win.

“The gym is on a high and I think there is a momentum sometimes, even in football there is a momentum, it just snowballs and snowballs.

“We are going into this full of confidence of causing one of the biggest upsets there has been in British boxing.”

Gallagher has also criticised the way Butler has been talked about ahead of the bout, saying: “It hurts me and more so when you hear from people in the trade. I’ve said before that’s why we have an FA Cup.

“Pull an Arsenal, Man City or Liverpool in the third round and you are playing a Conference side, no one turns round and says don’t bother playing that match.

“That’s why there is an underdog. That’s why there is boxing and that is why there are upsets. It is why we tune in. It is the what if. It is the same for Paul Butler.

“But what he hurts me, and this isn’t me whinging, Gallagher moaning, that people aren’t acknowledging that there is a kid here, a two-time champion, that is going to take on the number one pound for pound. There has been a lot more given for people in a lot less fights.”

Gallagher’s gym has enjoyed a year to remember with Natasha Jonas claiming three world titles in 10 months being the big highlight.

Speaking to the ECHO following her win against Marie-Eve Dicaire last month, Jonas admitted she used her critics as motivation to succeed.

“It is a siege mentality that is in the gymnasium,” Gallagher replied to the ECHO when asked about Butler using the same mental tactics as Jonas.

“As well as what we do in the gymnasium and the world and British titles we win there is never an appetite to talk about the success of the gymnasium.

“That is very much a Ferguson mentality. You see it with Klopp at Liverpool. It is about us and protecting ourselves.

“You have that siege mentality and you install that into the fighters. If it makes you run that bit harder or punch that bit harder then I am all for it.

“Now and again it comes off and it came off for Natasha. Like I say, you have got to be in the fight and we are in the fight and that is all that matters.”

Before Gallagher continued, saying: “He [Butler] persevered and stayed with it. He boxed on my small hall shows on a Sunday afternoon.

“I was saying to Paul you have got to fight just to keep your ratings there. We knew what we were doing. We kept working at the ratings and then we had an opportunity.

"Dubai didn’t happen and we had to come back and go again and eventually we did it. If at first you don’t succeed, as Rocky says, you have to get up and go again.

"Fair play to Paul he has got that now and it would be one Rocky story if he pulled this off.”

[TheLeprechaun]

I know Butler is getting done early but I hope he at least tries.