Inoue vs Butler

Who won Inoue vs Butler?

Naoya Inoue beat Paul Butler by knockout in the 11th round on Tuesday, December 13th, 2022, at Ariake Arena, Koto-Ku, Tokyo.

The fight was scheduled to take place over 12 rounds in the Bantamweight division, which meant the weight limit was 118 pounds (8.4 stone or 53.5 kg).

This contest was for the undisputed bantamweight championship of the world, with the The Ring, WBO, IBF, and WBC belts on the line.

The undercard featured the clash of Takei vs Tarimo.

Inoue vs Butler stats

Back in December 2022, Naoya Inoue stepped into the ring with an undefeated record of 23 wins, zero losses, and 0 draws, 20 of those wins coming by way of knockout.

Paul Butler made his way to the ring with a record of 34 wins, 2 losses and 0 draws, with 15 of those wins by knockout.

The stats suggested Inoue had a massive power advantage over Butler, boasting a 87% knockout percentage compared to Butler's 44%.

Naoya Inoue was the younger man by 5 years, at 30 years old.

Butler had a height advantage of 1 inch over Inoue. Despite this, he had a 3-inch reach advantage.

Both Naoya Inoue and Paul Butler fought out of an orthodox stance.

Inoue was the less experienced professional fighter, having had 13 fewer fights, and made his debut in 2012, 1 year and 9 months later than Butler, whose first professional fight was in 2010. He had fought 99 fewer professional rounds, totaling 169 compared to Butler's 268.

Inoue vs Butler form

Inoue remained undefeated as a professional, stopping 4 of his last 5 opponents.

In his last fight before this contest, he had beaten Nonito Donaire on June 7, 2022, by technical knockout in the 2nd round in their WBC World Bantamweight, WBA Super World Bantamweight and IBF World Bantamweight championship fight at Super Arena, Saitama, Japan.

Prior to that, he had beaten Aran Dipaen on December 14, 2021, by technical knockout in the 8th round in their WBA Super World Bantamweight and IBF World Bantamweight championship fight at Kokugikan, Tokyo.

Going into that contest, he had won against Michael Dasmarinas on June 19, 2021, by knockout in the 3rd round in their WBA Super World Bantamweight and IBF World Bantamweight championship fight at Virgin Hotels, Las Vegas, United States.

Before that, he had beaten Jason Moloney on October 31, 2020, by technical knockout in the 7th round in their WBA Super World Bantamweight, IBF World Bantamweight and The Ring Bantamweight championship fight at The Bubble, MGM Grand, Nevada.

He had defeated Nonito Donaire on November 7, 2019, by unanimous decision in their WBA Super World Bantamweight, IBF World Bantamweight and The Ring Bantamweight championship fight at Super Arena, Saitama, Japan.

Butler had beaten 4 of his last 5 opponents, stopping 1 of them, going the distance 3 times.

In his last fight leading up to this contest, he had won against Jonas Sultan on April 22, 2022, by unanimous decision in their WBO Interim World Bantamweight championship fight at Echo Arena, Merseyside, United Kingdom.

Prior to that, he had won against Willibaldo Garcia Perez on June 25, 2021, by split decision in their 10 round contest at Bolton Whites Hotel (formerly De Vere Whites), Lancashire.

Going into that contest, he had been beaten by Emmanuel Rodriguez on May 5, 2018, by unanimous decision in their IBF World Bantamweight championship fight at The O2 Arena, London.

Before that, he had defeated Stuart Hall on September 30, 2017, by unanimous decision in their 12 round contest at Echo Arena, Liverpool.

He had beaten Sebastian Sanchez on March 12, 2016, by technical knockout in the 9th round at Echo Arena, Liverpool.

Activity check

In terms of activity leading into the fight, Naoya Inoue had been fighting more than Paul Butler.

Going into this contest, Naoya Inoue had last fought 6 months and 6 days ago, while Paul Butler's last outing had been 7 months and 21 days ago.

Inoue's last 5 fights had come over a period of 3 years, 1 month and 6 days, which means he had been fighting approximately every 7 months and 14 days. In those fights, he fought a total of 32 rounds, meaning that they had lasted 6.4 rounds on average.

Butler's last 5 fights had come over a period of 6 years, 9 months and 1 day, meaning he had been fighting on average every 1 year, 4 months and 8 days. In those fights, he fought a total of 55 rounds, meaning that they had lasted 11 rounds on average.

What time did Inoue vs Butler start?

The fighters were expected to ringwalk at around 10:45 AM UTC at Ariake Arena, Koto-Ku, Tokyo, Japan, which was 5:45 AM EST or 2:45 AM PST on the West Coast of America, or 10:45 AM GMT in the UK.

Who broadcast Inoue vs Butler?

The fight was broadcast in the United States by ESPN+.

What were the odds on Inoue vs Butler?

Naoya Inoue was a 1/40 (-5000) favorite going into the contest, while Paul Butler made his way into the ring at 14/1 (+1400) with oddsmakers.