Photo by Reuters
This Friday night, the fight game’s very own Mersey Boys will be out in force on a fascinating evening of boxing taking place on the banks of the Mersey River. The cracking card in Liverpool’s Echo Arena includes Liverpudlians Liam Smith, Jazza Dickens and Kevin Satchell, all searching for home wins.
However, spearheading Friday’s action is former IBF Bantamweight Champion, Paul Butler (17-0, 8 KOs), who takes on South Africa’s tough IBF Super Flyweight king, Zolani Tete (19-3, 16 KOs) in a rescheduled showdown that certainly has the boxing taste buds tingling.
If Butler is to prevail this weekend, history will be made, as the 26 year old will become the first British boxer in over 100 years to win a second world title at a lower weight class. On the other hand, with a lot of pressure on the young Britain’s shoulders, will Tete rewrite the script, sinking the highly touted Butler’s yellow submarine?
The supremely talented lad from Ellesmere Port is quite the fighter indeed. Operating at the Super Flyweight limit, Butler has cruised to 17 straight wins with relative simplicity, further establishing himself as not only a genuine threat at 115 pounds, but also arguably one of the best British fighters in the country.
Still, when a world title opportunity at Bantamweight against fellow Brit Stuart Hall fell on to Butler’s lap back in 2014, a level of scepticism followed, as many thought it was simply too early for the move up in weight and possessed too much of an unnecessary risk . In the end, the decision proved to be a risk worth taking, as Butler outpointed the seasoned Hall to become the IBF Bantamweight champion, which he later vacated for a shot at Tete.
Unfortunately, after Tete suffered a hand injury, the highly anticipated battle that was destined for a big show in Liverpool back in October was cancelled, leaving Butler instead to fight a late replacement in Ismael Garnica.
Now though, after months of waiting, Butler finally has his chance. Will he be ready for the rugged IBF king or will he underestimate the very capable Tete?
The South African hard man is no slouch himself; as a staggering 16 KOs in his 19 professional wins clearly verifies he packs a serious punch. Tete has three defeats on his resume, yet, the awkward southpaw without doubt presents a major threat to Butler’s precious undefeated record.
Tete’s last visit to the ring was in July, when he challenged undefeated Teiru Kinoshita for the vacant IBF title. The 26-year-old Tete demonstrated just how much of a serious competitor he is at 115 pounds, displaying his extremely accurate counter punching ability, smooth footwork and solid combinations that completely bewildered Kinoshita.
Needless to say, Tete won the IBF strap by a landslide, but it was the skills he illustrated that evening, which would have most definitely grabbed the attention of the man from Elsmere Port.
The reigning Super Flyweight champion holds the edge in both height and reach, therefore it is uncertain whether Butler will have what it takes to neutralize the champion’s clear assets on Friday night.
Undeniably, a very close encounter is almost guaranteed this weekend. Those who have already written off Zolani Tete as a travelling challenger with purely nothing to gain, do so at their peril because the reigning IBF champion is exceedingly dangerous.
In spite of this though, I stand by the fact that when I first caught a glimpse of a young Baby Faced Assassin, I was sure he would be a supersonic talent, which he has repaid me with countless flawless performances.
Perhaps I am ruling with my heart, not my head, when I predict a history making victory for Butler. However, if so, then I will amicably hold my hands up and quote the most famous of all Liverpudlians, the Beatles. “I should have known better.” But, there is something about “This Boy.”
