Paul Butler | Photo from Probellum
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The reigning World Boxing Organization (WBO) world bantamweight champion Paul “Baby Faced Assassin” Butler of the United Kingdom is collecting all the receipts from boxing fans who said Naoya Inoue would “murder” him if they would fight in the future.
The 33-year-old Butler said that he had read different kinds of predictions and comments from boxing fans who believe Inoue could beat him easily when they would fight.
Inoue became the WBC, WBA super, and IBF world bantamweight champion on Tuesday evening when he brutally knocked out four-division world champion Nonito Donaire Jr. in their rematch at the Saitama Super Arena in Tokyo, Japan.
Butler and Inoue’s paths will likely cross in the near future as the latter aims to become the undisputed bantamweight king.
“I’ve read all sorts of comments and predictions about the fight, already: ‘Butler has a death-wish’, ‘Inoue to win by murder’ and agreeing to the fight would be like ‘Signing someone’s death warrant’,” Butler said in an interview with Probellum.
However, ‘Baby Faced Assassin’ Butler is adamant and laughed off the talk of him having a ‘death-wish’.
Although Butler hasn’t tested his mettle yet against the top three names in the bantamweight division in Inoue, Donaire Jr., and erstwhile WBO world bantamweight champion, Johnriel Casimero, he is ready to prove to everyone that he is the real deal.
Butler unseated Casimero as the reigning WBO champion after the latter botched their mandatory world title bout for the second time. The two boxers were scheduled to fight last April in Liverpool, England, but it was eventually called off a few days before fight night.
This was after Casimero was caught violating the British Boxing Board of Control’s medical policy by using the sauna to shed off excess weight within the fight week. Their first scheduled bout last December in Dubai, UAE was also cancelled after Casimero suffered viral gastritis on the eve of the weigh-in.
‘Baby Faced Assassin’ Butler then fought last-minute replacement Jonas Sultan in Liverpool and won by an easy unanimous decision to cement his world champion status, while Casimero was downgraded to a mandatory challenger.
Inoue already announced that Butler is the “missing piece of the jigsaw,” to become the undisputed world bantamweight king.
“He hits very hard but what’s the worst that can happen? He knocks me out. I’ve been stopped before and let me make it clear, I will be going into that fight believing I can win. I will be walking to the ring believing, as I always do, that I can win the fight and become the undisputed bantamweight champion of the world,” said Butler.
He added that he can fight Inoue anywhere, even in the latter’s own backyard in Japan.
“I want the fight in Japan, I would be silly not to,” he said.
“If the fight could be made over here, fine, but if I get extra for fighting in Japan, then that’s what I’ll do.
“Hopefully contact can continue between both teams. Before the Donaire fight, Inoue’s team had put the feelers out, asking if I would take the fight and, if so, where would I want it? I’ve told them I want it and I want it in Japan. Hopefully we can get this big fight.”
Butler has yet to return to the gym with coach Joe Gallagher to prepare his training camp for a possible bout with Inoue.
“From now, I would need 12 weeks, at least.I’ve not been back in the gym since the Sultan fight, but I could be ready by the start of October,” said Butler.
“I was nervous going into the Inoue vs Donaire fight because I was hoping Inoue would win as I know how big a fight with him would be. I was starting to get itchy knuckles throughout the build-up and did my first punching session, since winning the world title, on Monday night. I’ll continue to put in one or two sessions a day now until we get the green light and it’s all systems go.”
Butler and Donaire are both fighting under the banner of Probellum.
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