Naoya ‘’The Monster’’ Inoue of Ohashi Boxing Gym, who will face World Boxing Organization bantamweight champion Paul Butler of Britain on Dec. 13 at Tokyo’s Ariake Arena in an attempt to capture the world titles of all the four major world sanctioning bodies, would up a brief training camp to beef up his stamina in Nagano Prefecture’s Karuizawa, according to the gym.

The 29-year-old Inoue did 10-kilometer roadwork (about 6.2 miles) in the morning together with his younger brother Takuma (former World Boxing Council bantamweight interim champion) and his cousin Koki (former World Boxing Organization Asia-Pacific super lightweight champion) and training to strengthen lower body by well utilizing a cart for three days starting Oct. 31, the gym said.

Inoue, who currently holds the World Boxing Association ‘’super,’’ International Boxing Federation and WBC bantamweight titles simultaneously, will become the first Asian boxer to achieve the feat of capturing the world titles of all the four major world sanctioning bodies if he beats Butler. Takuma will also have a 10-round undercard bout on Dec. 13.

The following are the question-and-answer sessions compiled by the gym:

Question: What is the main purpose of the training camp?
Answer: Since there are a month and a half until the fight, the main theme is to strengthen my stamina and enhance my mental aspect.

Q: What kind of training menu did you have by consulting with the gym’s trainer (Akira) Yaegashi?
A: I asked Mr. Yaegashi to compile a training menu so that we can further strengthen our lower body and back.

Q: Was there any particular menu specialized for your fight with Butler?
A: No, we did not have a special menu specialized in my fight with Butler per se. But I was able to beef up my stamina to fight for 12 rounds and develop my mental side.

Q: Were you able to reap a harvest, if you will?
A: We have some 40 days left until the fight, and it was a physically taxing camp, which means it was a fulfilling camp.

Q: Do you have any stiff region in your body now?
A: I feel stiff in my whole body. While the menu was mainly aimed at strengthening our stamina and instantaneous force, we had to use our entire body anyway. That’s way I feel stiff in my entire body right now.

Q: When are you planning to resume your training at the gym?
A: I am planning to resume training after the weekend or next Monday (Nov. 7).
Photo by Ohashi Boxing Gym