WBO bantamweight champion Paul Butler is ready and willing to face Naoya Inoue in an undisputed showdown - and the British boxer could care less where the fight takes place.
On Tuesday in Japan, Inoue unified the WBA, WBC, IBF bantamweight titles when he knocked out Nonito Donaire in the second round of their rematch. Inoue put Donaire down once in the first and close the show with another knockdown in the second.
Butler was elevated to the status of full WBO champion back in April.
He was originally scheduled to face John Riel Casimero, but the contest never happened when the Filipino boxer was prevented from taking part in the bout by the British Boxing Board of Control. It was claimed that Casimero was taking dangerous steps make weight.
Butler would instead face Jonas Sultan for the vacant belt and outboxed him over twelve rounds to capture the belt.
“We’re ready to go. I’d pack my bags tomorrow. He’s the fighter that’s number one in my weight class but that doesn’t mean I’m not a huge fan of his. How couldn’t you be? I’ve been in with a few world class fighters, but Inoue is just something else," Butler told DAZN.
“Talks have been had about an undisputed fight and Inoue’s team want the fight to happen next before he looks on moving up, so that means this year. Undisputed is everything to him and he can’t do that before he fights me. I’m desperate for the fight and I’m going to go over there and give it everything I’ve got because that’s what it’s going to take to beat a fighter like Inoue.”