Boxing

Naoya Inoue vs. Paul Butler: The Search for an Undisputed Bantamweight Champion | Betting Preview

Naoya Inoue vs. Paul Butler: The Search for an Undisputed Bantamweight Champion | Betting Preview

This Tuesday night, bantamweight boxing will crown a new undisputed champion. The Ariake Arena in Tokyo will play host to a clash between two of the best bantamweights in the business with Japan’s Naoya Inoue will square off against England’s Paul Butler.

Naoya will step into the ring as the overwhelming favourite with both the crowd and the bookies. But can Butler pull off an upset for the ages and spoil the party in Tokyo? With the WBA, IBF, the Ring Magazine and WBO bantamweight belts all on the line, we break down all of the latest betting odds and give our predictions ahead of this undisputed bantamweight title fight.

Naoya Inoue vs. Paul Butler Betting Tips

While it’s almost a given that Inoue will win this match, and the odds of 1/10 (1.10) are barely worth betting, a wager on the method of victory is likely to be more lucrative.

Perhaps the most lucrative punt to take would be on Paul Butler lasting the distance here. Though Inoue is a chronic finisher, Butler is not slouch himself. The man has only be knocked out once in 35 fights, and there’s a good chance he’ll come into this one fighting for pride knowing that lasting the distance against Inoue is as good as a win in the eyes of some.

With odds of 9/1 (10.00) for Inoue to win by decision, this is a bit of a gamble, but would return an excellent reward if Butler is able to knuckle in and last the distance here.

Naoya Inoue vs. Paul Butler Odds

Looking at the latest betting odds for this match up, here’s how the majority of bookmakers have the fight standing ahead of Tuesday night:

  • Naoya Inoue to win @ 1/10 (1.10)
  • Paul Butler to win @ 14/1 (15.00)

Clearly, England’s Paul Butler is the immense underdog in this match up. With Butler on 14/1 against Inoue’s 1/10, this is about as one-sided as it gets in boxing. While such disproportionate odds are uncommon in boxing, read on and we’ll see why they are justified in this clash.

Naoya Inoue vs. Paul Butler Betting Preview

Here’s a look at each fighter’s path to this fight, and current form ahead of Tuesday night’s bout:Inoue vs. Butler

Naoya Inoue: A Decade of Dominance

Naoya Inoue debuted as a professional in 2013, and since then, he’s yet to lose a fight. The 29-year-old has been utterly dominant across his career, scoring 23 wins to maintain an unblemished record across the last decade. In fact, across his 23 fights, only three men have been able to go the distance with Inoue, with the other 20 matches ending in knockouts. The last man to do so was Nonito Donaire three years ago, who lost in a unanimous decision to Inoue. Recently, however, Inoue got revenge over Donaire, fighting him in June 2022 and downing the Filipino with a combination in the second round.

Paul Butler: Seasoned Veteran Hunting for Big Win

Butler, on the other hand, has a less convincing record. Though he once held the IBF Bantamweight Title in 2014, and currently holds the WBO Bantamweight belt, he has suffered several losses as well. The last of these came in 2018 against Emmanuel Rodriguez, where he lost a unanimous decision to the Puerto Rican. Since then, however, Butler has accrued an eight-fight win streak, taking his overall record to 34-2-0. While Butler has more experience than Inoue, this is negligible at this level, and the real factor is the fact that Butler is closing in on the twilight of his career at 34 years old.


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