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

[Sammy Scaff]

Butler never been a big seller anyway so a nice road trip, decent payday and good looking name on dance card is a good day at the office for him not to mention the fact that he was able to walk out rather than be carried out

Back to being a mid carder or headlining shows at 1k venues I think.

[smiling assassin]

That must be the most negative approach to a unification fight on record

[keithmoonhangover]

Being relentlessly stalked by generational talent with ferocious punching power will do that to a man. If Sunny thinks it's so easy, then maybe he should put on half a stone and give it a try.

[Boxerbeetle]

It’s hard to criticise Butler really, I usually hate negative tactics but realistically what other choice did he have? Stand and trade ffs?

[handsofstone]

A domination from Inoue as expected, only surprised Butler lasted 11 rounds, he took a trimming though, battered to head and body constantly, pressured all night he offered precious little in way of anything offensively, anything he did do had no belief in it, Inoue is a beast, power and precision, every shot that lands upstairs must buzz and every shot downstairs must crease, a bona fide Monster and great to see him undisputed because he really is arguably the best boxer out there


Excellent finish for the KO in the 11th ,folded Butler like a cheap deckchair with that left to the gut

[TheLeprechaun]

It’s hard to criticise Butler really, I usually hate negative tactics but realistically what other choice did he have? Stand and trade ffs?

Agreed. It was a very tame effort but he was never going to have a prayer if he did anything differently. Inoue looked to have much faster hands and was hitting with power. He was always ready to counter too. Butler could have done more and got ko'd quicker doing that so what can you do? Sometimes you are just outclassed. He was just trying to go the distance.

[ShadrachSimmo]

It’s hard to criticise Butler really, I usually hate negative tactics but realistically what other choice did he have? Stand and trade ffs?

He was on a hiding to nothing I suppose. But it’s a four belt fight. Why give all the talk of believing you can win then not try? Not an enviable choice trading with The Monster though

[chinarich]

I would imagine that whatever thoughts he entertained about having a chance were quickly dispelled in the opening round or two. No shame in being outclassed by an opponent several levels above and opting instead for survival, disappointing that he couldn't make it to the final bell.

[Ruthless-RKO]

CompuBox Stats

[JackSprocket]

Even though Inoue dominated the shit out of Butler I don't know whether this fight meant anything regarding his status as a p4p king, since I haven't seen Butler before. Is he any good at all? How did he get to be world champ? Usyk number one for me at the moment but Inoue is very very close.

[DrDuke]

I expected Inoue to destroy Butler much faster and more brutally.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Even though Inoue dominated the shit out of Butler I don't know whether this fight meant anything regarding his status as a p4p king, since I haven't seen Butler before. Is he any good at all? How did he get to be world champ? Usyk number one for me at the moment but Inoue is very very close.

This fight was all about undisputed.

[JackSprocket]

Even though Inoue dominated the shit out of Butler I don't know whether this fight meant anything regarding his status as a p4p king, since I haven't seen Butler before. Is he any good at all? How did he get to be world champ? Usyk number one for me at the moment but Inoue is very very close.

This fight was all about undisputed.

Yes, but does it really mean anything in this case?

[Ruthless-RKO]

Full fight

[JackSprocket]

I mean Butler seemed like a total bum. Coasting to an easy LOSS. Whats up with that!

[smiling assassin]

I mean Butler seemed like a total bum. Coasting to an easy LOSS. Whats up with that!

He’s far from a bum

[JackSprocket]

I mean Butler seemed like a total bum. Coasting to an easy LOSS. Whats up with that!

He’s far from a bum

I believe you. Like I said I just hadn't seen him before, or even looked him up as a matter of fact

[Shirow]

I think what really pisses everyone off is the gameplan from the first round was clearly just survival. If he had looked like he had a strategy to win, it didn't work and so after a few rounds gave up and just tried to make it to the final bell it wouldn't have looked so cynical.

At least Inoue got plenty of rounds in, got to practice his Roy Jones impression and some experience of using different tactics to chase down a totally negative opponent. So good for him.

[SticknMove]

Inoue is an exceptional fighter. Just needs bigger challenges. Possibly at higher weights.

Well done Paul Butler....did as well as he could against an absolute Monster.

[Boxing Prospect]

Pathetic from Butler. He's a 2 time world champion, with a Ring Magazine trainer of the year, and their gameplab was cover up, run away, survive in the biggest fight of his life.

It's all well and going saying what could he have done, but he could have at least had a swing when Inoue was offering his chin, or attempted to counter the single jabs. When Aren Dipean puts up a more valiant effort than a 2 time world champion, you really need to be fair and criticise.

If a guy comes over here and puts up no effort we don't go "Oh well, what could they have done", and that shouldn't change because its the Brit. We saw the same with Smith fought Canelo and was happy to just go on the defensive. Eurgh.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Pathetic from Butler. He's a 2 time world champion, with a Ring Magazine trainer of the year, and their gameplab was cover up, run away, survive in the biggest fight of his life.

It's all well and going saying what could he have done, but he could have at least had a swing when Inoue was offering his chin, or attempted to counter the single jabs. When Aren Dipean puts up a more valiant effort than a 2 time world champion, you really need to be fair and criticise.

If a guy comes over here and puts up no effort we don't go "Oh well, what could they have done", and that shouldn't change because its the Brit. We saw the same with Smith fought Canelo and was happy to just go on the defensive. Eurgh.

Callum Smith couldn’t do anything because Canelo targeted his arms.

Smith couldn’t even lift them by the midway point.

[Coco]

Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face

[THEBUTCH]

Haha Very true !

On the one hand i was amazed that Butler still managed to fiddle his way into the 11th round, but on the other hand....it was a horribly negative performance in the biggest fight of his life. Undisputed world championships don't come around very often and i would have reasonably expected more effort being made to win and not merely survive & bag the pay day.

I don't expect everyone to share my view, but I have more respect for doomed efforts like when Paul Lloyd got in the ring with Marco Antonio Barrera and got shellacked.....but at least he tried to win and showed real courage, rather than skit around the perimeter of the ring for the entire duration of the fight.

It's a shame because Butler could have earned a lot of respect had he at least attempted to win. I'll say this for Anthony Yarde....he may get crushed a lot quicker in his upcoming challenge to Artur Beterbiev, but i fully expect him to try and win.

[tigermoth87]

Piss poor from Butler. Had no intention of winning. He was just a walking punching bag.

[keithmoonhangover]

I mean Butler seemed like a total bum. Coasting to an easy LOSS. Whats up with that!

Unless you're the reincarnation of Sugar Ray Robinson, using the word bum is extremely disrespectful IMO.