Sports | Oct 14

Inoue to fight Butler for undisputed bantamweight crown in December

Oct 14 (Japan Today) - Japan's Naoya Inoue announced Thursday that he will fight Britain's Paul Butler in December when all four bantamweight world championship belts will be at stake.

The 29-year-old Inoue, nicknamed "Monster", holds the WBC, WBA and IBF bantamweight belts and is aiming to become undisputed world champion by capturing Butler's WBO title on December 13 in Tokyo.

"I want my name to go down in international boxing history, and to change Japan's boxing history," the unbeaten star said at a press conference to announce the showdown.

"Paul Butler is an extremely well-rounded fighter, with no obvious weak points," Inoue said. "In the fight, I want to weaken him little by little with my boxing, before taking him down. I will demonstrate the overwhelming difference in strength between us, and unify the four organizations."

A victory would make Inoue the first undisputed world champion from Asia and only the ninth since the four-belt era began in 2004. ...continue reading


MORE Sports NEWS

The site of the former Tsukiji Market is set for a major transformation, including a stadium with a capacity of 50,000 people and a launch pad for flying cars.

Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani has surpassed Hideki Matsui to become the Japanese player with the most home runs in Major League Baseball, hitting his 176th homer.

Japanese baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani, famed for his dual role as a pitcher and hitter, has embarked on a personal project that marries his love for nature with luxury: building a winter home in Hawaii.

POPULAR NEWS

Tokyo's Shinagawa district welcomes a new landmark with the grand opening of the Gotanda JP Building on Friday, April 26, featuring a dog-friendly hotel by Hoshino Resort, co-working spaces, and a vibrant culinary scene.

Starting this Saturday, 'SusHi Tech Tokyo 2024' begins a month-long showcase of Japan's advanced technologies, featuring attractions such as self-driving carts styled as futuristic floats and projection mapping installations, all available to the public for free.

Japanese company Smile-Up, the former talent agency known as Johnny & Associates, says it has sent a letter of protest to Britain's public broadcaster BBC over its program on sexual abuse by its late founder. (NHK)

A private organization has revealed that approximately 40% of the national municipalities, totaling 744, could potentially disappear by 2050 due to declining populations.

Youngsters in Japan are enthusiastically embracing the world of cosmetics, with a recent survey reporting some 60% of elementary students own some form of makeup.

FOLLOW US