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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Guardian sport

Naoya Inoue becomes first undisputed bantamweight champion in 50 years

Naoya Inoue celebrates with his belts after defeating Paul Butler in Tokyo
Naoya Inoue celebrates with his belts after defeating Paul Butler in Tokyo. Photograph: KYODO/Reuters

Naoya Inoue became the first undisputed bantamweight champion in 50 years when he took the WBO title off Britain’s Paul Butler with a commanding performance in Tokyo.

Butler, 34, was given a lesson by the 29-year-old from Japan, who dominated throughout until he ended the contest with a with a right hand to the body followed by a solid left hook and a barrage of unanswered punches that floored Butler.

It was Inoue’s 21st career knockout and it guaranteed a slice of history, with no bantamweight having held all of the titles in the four-belt era. “This is the greatest moment [of my career],” Inoue said after the fight.

Inoue is likely to move up the weight divisions now, having already won world titles at super-flyweight and light-flyweight. The Japanese boxer was competing in his 19th consecutive world title bout and remains unbeaten in 24 professional fights.

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