Naoya Inoue produced another brutal knockout blow to end Paul Butler's hopes of becoming boxing's first undisputed bantamweight champion in 50 years.
Butler had earned plenty of plaudits ahead of the fight for agreeing to travel to Inoue's backyard just seven months after being upgraded to WBO champion. The 34-year-old became a world champion for the second time in his career in May when he was elevated from interim to full WBO champion status after former title holder John Riel Casimero was stripped of the belt
Nicknamed the 'Monster', Inoue, who held the WBA, WBC and IBF titles ahead of the fight, came into the contest at the Ariake Arena as the significant favourite, and he dominated from the first bell, with Butler unable to land any significant blows. Inoue backed up Butler for the first-half of the contest, mixing up his offence with spiteful hooks to the body and straight shots to the head.
READ MORE: James Metcalf eyes 2023 world title showdown after stopping Courtney Pennington
READ MORE: Anfield could get huge boxing first if megafight rematch comes to fruition
