WeeklySA_AdminNO TIME TO REST: Budler wants to add big punch to his boxing run
By Pule Mokhine
South Africa’s most accomplished boxer Hekkie “ Hexecutioner” Budler has made an undertaking to his fans by winning the World Boxing Council (WBC) title in the new year and put a big spark in a distinguished boxing career.
The WBC is regarded as being the ultimate and most coveted championship of all sanctioning boxing bodies in the world, and winning its crown gives any boxer a sense of pride and the right to be regarded as being the real deal in the pugilism sport globally.
Three other global crowns that follow the WBC in the order of significance worldwide are the World Boxing Association (WBA); International Boxing Federation (IBF); World Boxing Organization (WBO) and the International Boxing Organization (IBO) .
But Budler has already so far proved his mettle by being a two-weight world champion.
He held the unified WBA super, IBF and Ring Magazine light flyweight title which he annexed in 2018. His conquest came about by beating Japanese Ryoichi Tagachi in front of a partisan crowd in Japan. But he surrendered his WBA and Ring crowns after being knocked out by Japanese Hiroto Kyogushi in Macao in China.
Before then, he had captured the IBO and WBA minimum weight diadems between 2011 and 2016.
This year saw the lightning-fast orthodox capture the WBA super silver light flyweight title after defeating Filipino Jonathan Almacen by an emphatic unanimous points decision at Booysens Hall, Johannesburg in May.
It is now six months since the 32-year-old Butler has not thrown any single punch competitively in the ring. But the Hexeutioner does not despair since he has been inactive.
He is keeping himself in good shape to compete for what he believes might be for the WBC crown which will be the biggest break of his fighting career.
“ It has been pretty too long since I last fought, but I’m hard at training at the moment preparing for what might be my biggest break of challenging for the WBC title in the new year,” said Butler whose net worth last year was $1.5 million (about R22 497 000 ) at the age of 31, according to Forbes Mgazine.
Butler who is ranked second in contention for the WBC crown, says he is still at the peak of his boxing career despite having not fought for a long time. He is respected worldwide as among the best boxers pound- for – pound in the world in the small division.
“Having held titles of different sanctioning bodies is simply great, but winning the WBC championship will actually be the cherry on top of my boxing career,” says Budler who lifted the IBO crown in 2017 after stopping Joey Canoy of the Philippines in eight rounds at Emperors Palace.
Butler’s glory on home soil has not gone unnoticed as was the case when beating homeboy Siyabonga Siyo by a unanimous decision to annex ethe WBA Pan Pan African championship at Emperors Palace in October 2016. That feat occurred seven months after surrendering the WBA and IBO titles at the hands of Byron Rojas at the Emperors Palace.
But Hexectioner who is ranked second by the WBC is hopeful his fans will see a WBC champion crowned in the form of himself early in the new year.
Budler’s ever optimistic trainer Collin “ Nomakanjani” Nathan says his charge will make history by winning the WBC crown.
“ At the moment he is rated second by the WBC and our plan is to get him a crack the title next year. Having won numerous titles in his career is great and adding a WBC belt will be a big bonus,” said Nathan, who is himself one of the country’s top trainers himself.
With an impressive ring record of 33 wins and four defeats in 37 professional bouts, no one can ever doubt Hexecutioner’s pedigree to enable him to bring home the bacon.
