Yahoo News Inoue vs Butler LIVE! Boxing result, fight stream, latest updates and reaction after undisputed title fight
Inoue vs Butler LIVE!
Japan’s Naoya Inoue is celebrating becoming the first undisputed men’s bantamweight world champion of the four-belt era in Tokyo this morning. One of the best and most feared boxers on the planet made history after a late stoppage victory over Britain’s Paul Butler that saw him add the WBO belt at 118lbs to his WBA, WBC and IBF collection at Ariake Arena.
Undefeated pound-for-pound phenom Inoue is a fearsome knockout artist who now boasts 21 stoppages in a 24-fight career that has already brought world titles in three different weight classes. Butler was a massive underdog who managed to frustrate his superstar opponent for long spells with defensive tactics, only for his utter dominance to win out in a spiteful 11th-round finish.
The ‘Baby Faced Assassin’ was in his second world title reign after being promoted to full champion earlier this year after John Riel Casimero was stripped, having initially won the interim gold after against Jonas Sultan in April. Takuma Inoue, Yoshiki Takei and Satoshi Shimizu all notched up wins on the undercard, along with 2020 Olympian Peter McGrail and Andy Hiraoka. Follow today’s boxing reaction from Japan with Standard Sport’s LIVE blog below!
Inoue vs Butler latest news
Inoue stops Butler to become undisputed bantamweight king
Inoue targets move up to 122lbs division in 2023
Hiraoka defends title with stoppage in co-main event
British Olympian McGrail wins on undercard
Inoue to move up to super-bantamweight in 2023
12:06 , George Flood
Inoue hails the best achievement of his career in his post-fight interview, before announcing his intention to move up to super-bantamweight in the New Year.
The 122lbs division is currently ruled by America’s undefeated WBC and WBO champion Stephen Fulton, while Uzbek Murodjon Akhmadaliev - an Olympic bronze medalist in 2016 - is the current WBA and IBF title-holder.
Inoue stops Butler in round 11
11:47 , George Flood
Round 11
Inoue steps on the gas at the start of the penultimate round, desperate to keep his knockout streak intact.
BUTLER DOWN IN THE 11TH AFTER A BRUTAL BODY SHOT FOLLOWED BY A FLURRY OF BLOWS UPSTAIRS!
THAT’S BADLY HURT HIM AND HE WON’T GET UP! HE’S COUNTED OUT!
NAOYA INOUE IS THE FIRST UNDISPUTED MEN’S BANTAMWEIGHT CHAMPION OF THE FOUR-BELT ERA!
A superb achievement for arguably the pound-for-pound best.
It took some time, but he got there in the end!
Inoue vs Butler
11:45 , George Flood
Round 10
One or two signs that Butler might get more adventurous here as he does let his hands go a couple of times, attacking to the body and trying to drain Inoue’s energy.
But it’s otherwise usual service...
Inoue vs Butler
11:43 , George Flood
Round 9
I’m running out of ways to describe these near-identical rounds now, to be honest.
It’s still completely one-way traffic from Inoue, who’s showing great speed, footwork and variety as always, but Butler’s apparent gameplan to avoid the knockout at all costs means he can’t find those finishing shots.
Good durability from Butler on display though as he eats a big shot straight down the middle.
Inoue could yet end this in a flash, but at the moment it looks like he might well be going the full distance for only the fourth time in his pro career.
Inoue vs Butler
11:39 , George Flood
Round 8
The eighth follows a similar pattern, with Inoue going back to his box of tricks and throwing so much at Butler to try and get him out of there.
If nothing else, Butler is clearly getting under Inoue’s skin here with his refusal to change tactics.
Inoue channels Roy Jones by putting his hands down by his sides and goading Butler, who again won’t be deterred from this completely defensive approach.
Inoue’s best work being done when he slips inside, rattling off some thudding blows to the body in particular.
Butler does throw a little bit in that round, firing in some body shots that do find their mark.
Inoue vs Butler
11:35 , George Flood
Round 7
More of the same as a frustrated Inoue continues to absolutely dominate the contest, but can’t get the finish with Butler entirely defensive and unwilling to engage.
There’s an Ali shuffle, more switching of stances and huge volumes of punches being thrown by the unified champion, but he cannot find the knockout blow.
At one point Inoue even throws his hands up to ask Butler to at least make a fight of this.
The Briton doesn’t take the bait, however. If he can avoid the stoppage here, he will no doubt take that as a moral victory.
He’s probably also hoping that Inoue - who has his hands down by his sides most of the time - gets too overconfident in his bid to get the knockout and leaves himself vulnerable.
But even then, Butler surely doesn’t possess the power to knock him out. He’s 7-0 down on the cards and just surviving.
Inoue vs Butler
11:28 , George Flood
Round 6
Inoue wants Butler to open up and come onto him here so he can find the space to rattle in those huge knockout blows.
He’s absolutely dominating in a glorified sparring session, but the compact Butler’s evasive tactics and high guard are proving frustrating as he continues in understandable survival mode.
Inoue playing to the crowd a bit as he then switches to southpaw in a bid to destroy that tight Butler guard.
Inoue vs Butler
11:25 , George Flood
Round 5
A bit of a slower approach from Inoue earlier in the fifth, more measured as he waits for Butler to open up so he can counter to devastating effect.
Inoue still throwing punches in bunches but most of them are hitting the gloves.
But ‘The Monster’ can close the gap in an instant and glide inside, throwing nastily to the body when he gets there.
Butler is understandably trying to avoid him at all costs for the most part.
It’s a valiant effort from the Briton, you just can’t see any possible way he can win.
Though he did say he backed himself if this went longer than three rounds...
Inoue vs Butler
11:21 , George Flood
Round 4
Trainer Joe Gallagher shouts from the corner for Butler to “try and have some swagger about him”. Easier said than done against Inoue!
Inoue is still stalking Butler down all the time, completely controlling the one-sided contest and rattling in those punishing blows with both hands.
Butler is hanging in there still to his credit despite being dominated, closing up and keeping a high guard in the hope of avoiding a knockout blow.
But he’s trapped over in the corner again and takes more heavy punishment as Inoue lets fly with the spiteful flurries once more.
Inoue vs Butler
11:16 , George Flood
Round 3
Butler is trapped in the corner at the start of the third and Inoue batters him with another barrage of thundering blows, including some vicious right hands.
The Briton cannot let that happen under any circumstance if he wants to have any sort of a chance of avoiding the stoppage here.
However, trying to negate Inoue’s speed, power and awesome footwork is no mean feat.
The sound on every shot he throws is fearsome, even when it’s deflected by the gloves.
A couple of brighter moments from Butler in the third as he tries to let his own hands fly, but doing so comes at a significant risk.
Another strong finish from the round from Inoue, who is obviously up 3-0 on the cards.
Inoue vs Butler
11:12 , George Flood
Round 2
Very ominous for Butler as Inoue continues to stalk his opponent and strike to the body, twice backing him up against the ropes and letting his hands go in a blur of violent blows.
Butler did manage to land his own shot inside on the first occasion, but he’s struggling to mount any sort of offence amid the onslaughts.
Inoue is so accomplished at cutting off the space, trapping his opponents and then detonating measured, stinging attacks to both head and body, bypassing the high guard.
Butler needs to stay away from the ropes at all costs, but he can’t keep Inoue off him as The Monster unleashes another furious combination before the bell in the second.
Inoue vs Butler
11:09 , George Flood
Round 1
The early tone is set as Inoue immediately goes on the front foot and makes his power felt to both head and body, showing his variety and jabbing nicely.
Butler quickly on the defensive as you might expect, but he’s already eaten some thudding shots including a left hook upstairs and a spearing left to the body near the ropes.
However, he has managed to deflect a lot of the bigger punches off the gloves.
Inoue jabbing to the body a lot early doors to open up the head.
Inoue vs Butler
11:05 , George Flood
Here we go! The main event is underway in Tokyo.
Will this be another fearsome Inoue stoppage, or can Butler pull off an enormous upset?
Time to find out...
10:59 , George Flood
Just time for the final introductions before we are underway in today’s feature event.
Jimmy Lennon Jr on the mic, with his Japanese intros warmly received by the home crowd.
10:57 , George Flood
Time for the national anthems!
‘God Save the King’ up first, followed by Japan’s ‘Kimigayo’.
A no-doubt nervous Butler is pacing and jumping up and down inside the ring.
Inoue, meanwhile, stands perfectly still, looking serene and if he’s about to merely take a stroll to the park.
10:54 , George Flood
Butler all in white as he makes his way slowly out to the middle, Survivor giving way to a more mellow acoustic tune.
Now Inoue’s name stands out in big black letters against a blood-red background, while Battle Without Honor or Humanity by Japan’s Tomoyasu Hotei plays over the sound system.
A song most notably popularised by Quentin Tarantino in Kill Bill, where it was used as O-Ren’s theme entering the House Of Blue Leaves.
10:50 , George Flood
Time for the ring walks!
Butler coming first, Eye of the Tiger by Survivor blaring out as he goes for the Rocky theme.
He’s not quite as big an underdog here as Sly Stallone was against Apollo Creed, but some would have you believe it’s not too far off!
10:42 , George Flood
Inoue - no longer sporting that bleached hair - looks ready to put on a show as he stalks menacingly around his dressing room backstage in Tokyo, working the pads with his father and trainer.
Ring walks for the main event are now imminent at Ariake Arena, where an expectant crowd want to see ‘The Monster’ make history as Asia’s first ever four-belt world champion.
He would become only the 11th undisputed champion in boxing history.
10:31 , George Flood
Inoue, lest anyone forget, is an incredible 18-0 in world title fights - with that formidable run including 16 knockouts.
He is 23-0 overall as a professional with 20 knockouts and is the enormous favourite to continue that sequence early on here, becoming the first men’s undisputed bantamweight champion of the world in the four-belt era in the process.
Three-division world champion Inoue is arguably the best boxer on the planet at the moment, though there are obvious arguments for the likes of Terence Crawford, Oleksandr Usyk, Errol Spence, Tyson Fury and Canelo Alvarez.
It is a gargantuan challenge awaiting Cheshire’s experienced two-time world champion Butler, who does not seem overrawed by the size of the task and believes he can win if the fight goes beyond six rounds.
If he did pull it off, it would be one of the biggest shocks seen in boxing for many years.
Inoue vs Butler next
10:24 , George Flood
Just the main event to come now in Toyko!
Don’t go anywhere - Naoya Inoue vs Paul Butler for the undisputed bantamweight championship of the world is NEXT.
Hiraoka stops Jung in round eight
10:21 , George Flood
There we go!
That’s the Hiraoka we were expecting as he floors Jung with a wicked left uppercut early in the eighth.
Jung gets back to his feet but looks very unsteady and Hiraoka senses the finish, getting close and nailing him with a right uppercut before swinging round the left as the finishing blow.
Actually looked like that left did not land flush, but it was enough to put this contest away. Explosive stuff.
Hiraoka moves to 22-0 as a pro with his 17th career knockout. Does a third trip to the US beckon?
Hiraoka vs Jung
10:17 , George Flood
Round 7
Better variety from Hiraoka, who is able to better disguise his attacks on a couple of occasions up close, to good success.
Something has hurt Jung and he looks like he’s rather had the wind taken out of him.
Hiraoka vs Jung
10:14 , George Flood
Round 6
A bit more urgency from Jung in the sixth, he’s trying to pour forward and utilise his obvious speed when he can.
Hiraoka is in control and well ahead on the cards but needs to up the tempo a bit and start progressing through the gears.
Still throwing too many single shots.
A man with 16 knockouts should surely be able to inflict more damage on an opponent who lurches forward as riskily as Jung.
He is so open to being hit hard on the counter, though his speed makes him dangerous and hard to work out at times.
Hiraoka vs Jung
10:09 , George Flood
An accidental low blow hurts Jung early in the sixth.
We’ve also had a couple of near misses in terms of head collisions when both men lunge forward at the same time, narrowly avoiding a painful clash.
Jung takes a few seconds to recover from being hit below the belt and is now ready to continue.
Hiraoka vs Jung
10:07 , George Flood
Round 5
The best round of the fight by far for Hiraoka.
He landed a lead left hand almost instantly after the first bell in the fifth and then quickly walked Jung right onto a stinging left counter.
As forecasted, he’s vulnerable to walk straight onto those shots with the risky way he attacks.
Hiraoka has a lot of success with the left throughout the round, starting to piece together some good combinations.
Hiraoka vs Jung
10:04 , George Flood
Round 4
Hiraoka is very much the aggressor and mostly controlling the bout off the jab, but again in the fourth Jung does show his potential prowess with some fast lunges forward as he looks to plant that right.
He throws out the lead left and then immediately comes swinging over with the big right hand, but leaves himself very open indeed to counters in the process.
It’s an untidy approach, that’s for sure.
Hiraoka vs Jung
10:00 , George Flood
Round 3
Hiraoka on top here, coming forward, controlling the tempo and jabbing nicely with the right hand but still not willing to follow it up with the left.
He is still just a bit cautious, looks like he does respect the obvious power that Jung carries with his right.
Jung is a bit unorthodox and swings a bit crazily, but he lurches forward in a flash and could hurt Hiraoka if he lands that right flush.
Hiraoka vs Jung
09:56 , George Flood
Round 2
Flashes of intent from both fighters in the second, but ultimately it’s another quiet and cautious round that does little to capture the imagination.
This crowd will be expecting better of Hiraoka, one of Japan’s best young boxers.
He just needs to settle and find his range and distance.
Hiraoka having success with single long looping jabs with the right, but he’s failing to double up on it so far.
Hiraoka vs Jung
09:52 , George Flood
Round 1
A very cautious opening round, with both men playing it safe early on and trying to settle and work behind the jab.
The more eye-catching forays forward have come from the speedy Jung in the white and red shorts with blue gloves.
Nothing much yet from Hiraoka, who is in purple shorts with the red gloves.
09:49 , George Flood
Underway in Hiraoka vs Jung, which is actually tonight’s co-main event.
It looks like we aren’t the only ones who got our timings slightly wrong today!
To bring you up to speed with the earlier portion of today’s undercard, Liverpool’s 2020 Olympian and Commonwealth Games gold medalist Peter McGrail chalked up his sixth professional win with a stylish second-round knockout of Hironori Miyake.
Landy Cris Leon also retired in the second round of his meeting with Satoshi Shimizu.
09:45 , George Flood
Challenger Jung is fighting outside of his native Korea for only the second time, having also battled Daishi Nagata in Japan in 2019.
He has put together a run of three straight wins since being outpointed by Yong In Jo in Seoul, outlasting Hwang Kook Je before stoppage wins over Doo Hyup Kim and Poramin Saengpak in Hwaseong.
He is likely to have his work cut out tonight against Hiraoka.
Hiraoka vs Jung
09:41 , George Flood
This is Yokohama native Hiraoka’s fourth fight of the year.
You might remember his knockout of Shun Akaiwa on the Inoue-Donaire 2 undercard over the summer, while he has also stopped Alvin Lagumbay and Cristiano Aoqui in 2022.
16 of his 21 career victories to date have come via stoppage.
Hiraoka vs Jung next
09:39 , George Flood
Andy Hiraoka defends his WBO Asia Pacific super-lightweight belt next at Tokyo’s Ariake Arena.
Popular southpaw ‘Da Blade’ will look to extend his unbeaten record to 22-0 against Min Ho Jung of South Korea, who is 13-3-2 and competing in his first 12-rounder.
09:27 , George Flood
It was a cut over Tarimo’s right eye that forced the late 11th-round stoppage by Yoshiki Takei, who was also carrying a nasty cut of his own throughout.
That’s twice already today that the ringside doctor has called a halt to proceedings on the undercard.
Butler: Inoue is ‘ignorant’ with power... I can exploit gaps
09:21 , George Flood
Butler seems to be basing a lot of his hopes for tonight on the first Inoue-Donaire fight, by far the toughest battle of ‘The Monster’s’ career - a bloody 12-round war back in November 2019.
Though Inoue took a unanimous decision in the end, it was only the third time he had ever been taken the distance in his professional career.
Butler insists he saw weaknesses to exploit both in that fight and Inoue’s October 2020 knockout of Australian Jason Moloney.
He believes Inoue is perhaps too reliant on that fearsome knockout power at times, lacking a clear back-up plan on the rare occasions that he is unable to land at full force.
“There is gaps in his boxing. You only need to look at a couple of his fights, and there’s gaps there,” he told Ring TV. “I’ve picked up a few things off the Moloney fight, quite a lot off the first Donaire fight.
“His hand positioning when he throws certain shots … I’m not going to stand here and tell you the whole game plan, but the positioning of his hands isn’t great when he’s throwing.
“He’s a bit ignorant in his power; he does rely on that a lot, and if he doesn’t get it off … I’m not going to say he doesn’t have a plan B, because you only need to look at some of his fights where he’s adapted and changed the whole fight within 10 seconds. We have been working on exploiting gaps.”
Takei stops Tarimo in 11th round to retain title
09:07 , George Flood
A gruelling battle between Yoshiki Takei and Bruno Tarimo is over.
It looked as if we might be going the distance, only for Takei to step up and force a hard-earned stoppage in the 11th round.
He retains his OPBF super-bantamweight title and moves to 6-0, all of those wins via stoppage.
All of Takei’s first four boxing matches had ended inside two rounds, until he was taken five by Pete Apolinar in August.
So that was definitely his toughest test to date tonight.
Inoue: I’ll decide strategy in the ring
09:01 , George Flood
Inoue is always tight on the bantamweight limit and was narrowly over when he first stepped on the scales at yesterday’s weigh-in.
He initially clocked in at 118.1lbs before tipping the scales at 117 3/4 lbs at the second attempt.
Butler, meanwhile, made 118lbs at the first time of asking.
Afterwards, Inoue insisted he had no set plan for how to win today’s contest, insisting he would decide on the best strategy once they were squared up in the ring.
“I have lots of different strategies and I’ll get into the ring and then I’ll decide how to play it on instinct,” he told AFP.
“Butler’s tactics are by and large quite fixed, but nothing is pre-decided with my boxing. I’ll decide how to attack after I face up to him.”
Confident Butler brushes off ‘ring rust’
08:53 , George Flood
Butler’s April points win over Filipino Jonas Sultan to collect the interim WBO title was his only fight since last June, while Inoue also stopped Aran Dipaen last December before that rematch demolition of Donaire.
But the Briton has dismissed any suggestions that ring rust could potentially be a key factor in today’s undisputed clash.
“I don’t get ring rust. I don’t believe in ring rust. I never have and I never will,” he told the Liverpool Echo. “If you are ready and you are sharp and you have had the right training and right sparring, I don’t believe in ring rust. I never have and I never will. I think it is a s**t excuse to be fair.
“There is absolutely no pressure on me at all. No one believes I am going to win. I am happy here just getting on with my job and doing my little thing.
“Listen, I am quietly confident. I know it is a big task and I know I have got to be switched on for 36 minutes. If I switch for five or 10 seconds it will be lights out. Games over. But listen, I have signed up for this and I wouldn’t want to be in any place.”
Takei vs Tarimo
08:47 , George Flood
An explosive opening between Takei and Tarimo, with no shortage of early fireworks.
Takei was cut in the first round pretty badly by an unfortunate clash of heads.
Tarimo certainly not willing to be pushed around here.
Takei vs Tarimo
08:42 , George Flood
The undercard is progressing in Tokyo, with Yoshiki Takei now in the ring for the second bout of the day.
The undefeated ex-kickboxer, currently 5-0, is defending his OPBF super-bantamweight title against former IBF International and IBO Inter-Continental super-featherweight champion Bruno Tarimo, the Tanzanian who fights out of Australia.
UK fight fans will best know Tarimo for being outpointed by Zelfa Barrett in Manchester in his last fight 12 months ago.
Fearless Butler not afraid of Inoue challenge
08:34 , George Flood
Butler isn’t being given a glimmer of hope by anyone in today’s main event as at least a 25/1 underdog, with good reason given Inoue’s status as among the very best boxers on the planet and one of the sport’s hardest hitters.
However, the fearless WBO champion insists he will not be intimidated by the reputation, insisting he can win the fight if it goes beyond the sixth round after completing the best training camp of his long career.
Butler does not want to afford Inoue too much respect and has even made comparisons to Buster Douglas’ incredible shock win over then undefeated and undisputed heavyweight champion Mike Tyson - the greatest upset in boxing history that took place in Tokyo 32 years ago.
“He’s a man - he’s a man with two arms and legs,” Butler told AFP.
“What he does in the ring is what he does, but I fear no one. It’s a thing I’m looking forward to, getting in there and challenging myself.
“It’s a massive achievement so it would mean a lot.
“It would mean a lot to do it in front of my fans who have all travelled to Japan. It would be a great accomplishment.”
Takuma Inoue stops Bornea in eighth round
08:18 , George Flood
Bornea’s brave resistance finally ends in the eighth after he takes a spiteful left hook to the body.
A complete mismatch from the outset and a dominant display from Takuma, who moves to 17-1.
A perfect start to what is likely to be a historic night for the Inoue family.
Inoue vs Bornea
08:12 , George Flood
Takuma Inoue is absolutely dominating Bornea still through seven rounds in today’s opening bout.
Bornea’s face is bloodied and bruised and he’s taken so much punishment, but he refuses to give up.
Undercard action underway
08:06 , George Flood
We are underway in this morning’s undercard, and so far it’s been a devastating performance from Naoya’s younger brother Takuma Inoue.
He is blasting through the completely overwhelmed Jake Bornea, dealing out some enormous punishment in their featherweight battle.
Takuma is a former WBC interim bantamweight champion who challenged unsuccessfully for the full title against France’s Nordine Oubaali back in 2019.
He has held plenty of lower belts at super-fly, bantam and super-bantam, meanwhile.
Fight card in full
07:59 , George Flood
Naoya Inoue vs Paul Butler
Peter McGrail vs Hironori Miyake
Yoshiki Takei vs Bruno Tarimo
Andy Hiraoka vs Min Ho Jung
Satoshi Shimizu vs Landy Cris Leon
Takuma Inoue vs Jake Bornea
Inoue vs Butler prediction
07:59 , George Flood
Butler deserves a lot of credit for taking this on, as it is frankly a hopeless task that will surely result in an emphatic early knockout defeat.
The man from Ellesmere Port confidently claims if he has not been stopped inside six rounds, then he will go on to win, believing Donaire showed the blueprint for getting at Inoue in their gruelling first battle by showing him zero respect before coming up short on the cards.
But the chances of a one-sided bout advancing that far seem minute at best, with Inoue fully deserving of his fearsome reputation as a brutal knockout king.
Another vicious KO on home soil is surely on the cards here, the only question is how quickly will it come? We’ll go for round three, which might be very generous.
British Olympian McGrail fights on undercard
07:57 , George Flood
Today’s undercard features 2018 Commonwealth Games gold medalist Peter McGrail from Liverpool, who competed in the Tokyo Olympics for Great Britain.
He meets Hironori Miyake in only his sixth professional contest and fourth in 2022, having retired Alexander Espinoza in his home city in October.
Elsewhere, Naoya’s younger brother Takuma, a regular fixture on his sibling’s undercards, is in action against Jake Bornea of the Philippines, while Satoshi Shimizu defends his OPBF featherweight title against ‘Cinderella Man’ Landy Cris Leon.
Andy Hiraoka puts his WBO Asia Pacific super-lightweight title on the line against Min Ho Jung, while Yoshiki Takei will look to retain his OBPF super-bantamweight title against Tanzanian challenger Bruno Tarimo.
How to watch Inoue vs Butler
07:51 , George Flood
In the United States, Inoue vs Butler is being broadcast live on ESPN+, while it is being shown by dTV, Amazon Prime Video and Hikari TV in Japan.
There is sadly no live television coverage scheduled in the UK, while in Australia it is being shown courtesy of subscription service Kayo.
In the UK and Ireland, promoters Top Rank streamed Inoue’s rematch with Donaire in June live and for free online on their official YouTube page, but there has been no such announcement this time.
Inoue vs Butler start time
07:50 , George Flood
It seems like the action is going to start much earlier than originally anticipated this morning.
The undercard will be underway momentarily, with promoters Top Rank predicting that the main event will take place at around 11am GMT.
Welcome to Inoue vs Butler live coverage
07:45 , George Flood
Hello and welcome to Standard Sport’s LIVE coverage of Naoya Inoue vs Paul Butler!
For fight fans in the UK, it’s a midweek morning treat as we seek to crown the first undisputed men’s bantamweight champion of boxing’s four-belt era.
It is a truly mammoth task facing Britain’s Butler at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo today, with few giving him a prayer of competing with an undefeated pound-for-pound knockout artist they call ‘The Monster’.
Inoue - 23-0 with 20 KOs - added the WBC belt to his WBA, IBF and The Ring titles with an emphatic rematch knockout of Nonito Donaire in June, and he now just needs the WBO gold to complete his 118lbs set before no doubt moving on and up to greater challenges.
Butler is currently the man in possession of that belt, having beaten Jonas Sultan in Liverpool in April for the interim title and then been upgraded to full champion after the stripping of John Riel Casimero.
It is a hugely daunting prospect for the experienced fighter from Ellesmere Port, currently in his second title reign, but he does not seem at all daunted by attempts to pull off one of the greatest shocks seen inside a boxing ring anywhere for many years.
Stay tuned to Standard Sport for live updates of today’s card from Japan.
