LAST Wednesday Liverpoolโs Paul Butler received some unexpected but welcome news. In bed at the time, he was woken by the screams of his girlfriend, who then delighted in telling him that John Riel Casimero had been stripped of his WBO bantamweight belt, meaning Butler, for so long linked with Casimero, was now its new owner.
โMy girlfriend came running in saying โGuess what? Guess what?โ and I thought somebody had died,โ Butler told Boxing News. โI asked her what had happened and she said I had been elevated to full champ. My dad then rang me and Joe [Gallagher, trainer] rang me. Iโm just buzzing.โ
Twice now Butler has been scheduled to fight Casimero for the WBO bantamweight belt and both times the Filipino has been unable to show up, with weight-making issues seemingly the root of his problem. This has twice left Butler in limbo, the first time not fighting at all, and the second time learning of his replacement opponent only on the day of the event.
โIn the back of my head, I was thinking, Will they, or wonโt they? Will they make me fight him next?โ he said. โBut itโs twice now. The first time could be a mistake but when it happens again you have to think heโs taking the mick a bit. I thought they would strip him because of that but you just never know in boxing, so I could never be sure.
โTowards the end of the last training camp I was hearing rumours and by fight week I was just sick of hearing about him, to be honest. I just couldnโt wait to finish hearing his name. After the first time, I sort of felt sorry for him, but then he did what he did in Liverpool and I just think, Good riddance to you. Heโs no good for the sport. Heโs just horrible. Heโs got no respect for the sport or his belt. His whole team are cowboys.โ
The last time Butler was supposed to fight Casimero was on April 22 in Liverpool. But, alas, that fight would have to be scrapped when Casimero, contrary to British Boxing Board of Control rules, used a sauna in order to lose weight when arriving in Liverpool, losing a reported 10 pounds in just three days. He was then at the 11th hour replaced by Jonas Sultan, another Filipino, whom Butler went on to outpoint over 12 rounds.
โWe put all our eggs in one basket and concentrated on Casimero,โ said Butler. โWe knew how unprofessional he was and knew anything could go wrong at any time, but we trained literally just for him. We expected him to make weight this time and didnโt entertain the prospect of there being other opponents. The only time I got to watch Sultan was the morning of the fight.
โI was really happy with my performance, though. Considering we had only 15 minutes to run over a game plan, I thought we nailed it. We spoke on the phone, me and Joe, about how weโd go about it, but we only actually had 15 minutes in the changing room to work things out before the fight.
โI know it was a few years ago he beat Casimero [in 2017], but Sultanโs still a top operator. He could bang, definitely, but I knew I could take one or two shots pretty clean and not feel it. If he put three, four or five together and caught me clean, thatโs when I would have struggled. But I was fine with one punch. There was no stage where I was buzzed. You could see him desperate to let his hands go but I just nullified him.โ
Now, with Casimero a name Butler will never again have to say, the 33-year-old can look forward to other opponents and opportunities, the biggest of which might reveal itself on June 7, when Japanese star Naoya โMonsterโ Inoue rematches Nonito Donaire in Saitama.
โMy main target is the winner of Inoue vs Donaire,โ Butler confirmed. โIโd be silly not to look at the winner of that. If that could get made soon, thatโs even better for me. It would be for the undisputed title and Iโd be daft not to want to be involved in a fight like that.
โEither one of them, youโre in with a legend of the sport. More than likely it will be Inoue, even though Donaire caused him a lot of problems last time. I just think Inoue comes out on top in the rematch.โ
Butler, 34-2 (15), added: โIf I fight Inoue next, Iโm stepping in with an absolute legend. Heโs someone who is going to go on and win many, many more world titles at numerous weights. Heโs magnificent.
โI watched him live at The Hydro [Glasgow] against [Emmanuel] Rodrรญguez and thought Rodrรญguez had a really good first round. I was expecting it to be a competitive fight, but then Inoue came out for the second and as soon as he caught Rodrรญguez clean that was pretty much it. Heโs just so destructive. Heโs a very smart fighter, too. Heโs someone I enjoy watching as a fan even though heโs in my weight category.โ
Best of all, should Butler fight Inoue later this year he will be able to replace the fear of an opponent not showing up with, in boxing terms, a far more natural and productive fear.
โIf you donโt have that fear factor, thereโs no point being in the ring,โ he said. โIโve had loads of fights where Iโve gone into the ring with no fear at all. My first few fights after losing against Rodrรญguez [in 2018] I was thinking, Iโm going to win this anyway. You donโt have fear in training and you donโt diet properly as a result. Youโve got to have that fear and Inoue certainly gives you that.โ