Paul Butler wants to tempt WBA super-flyweight champion Kohei Kono into fighting outside Japan for the first time.

Undefeated Butler returns to the ring at the ECHO Arena on October 25 and the Ellesmere Port man hopes to be fighting for a world title in Liverpool.

Kono won the WBA belt at the third time of asking in March, stopping Thai fighter Denkaosan Kaovichit inside eight rounds.

He has 30 wins from 38 contests but has never fought outside Japan, although Butler reckons he can be cajoled into leaving his homeland if the price is right.

“We’re looking at the Japanese kid and hopefully we can get him over here if he wants to travel for the right money,” said the 25-year-old.

“I think at the moment he’s asking for silly money but he’s a super flyweight and he’s not that popular in Japan so I’d hope something can be sorted out.”

In June, Butler outpointed champion Stuart Hall in Newcastle to become IBF world bantamweight champion.

But he relinquished the belt less than a month later, dropping back to super-fly where he had been British, Commonwealth and WBO Intercontinental champion.

Butler had targeted WBO champ Omar Andres Narvaez for his return to the lower weight but the 39-year-old Argentinian has another opponent lined up.

“I’d love to fight him because he’s the number one, but he’s fighting in August so he’s out of the equation,” said Butler.

Promoter Frank Warren will now attempt to thrash out a deal with Kono’s representatives.

Butler said: “I’ll fight anyone, anywhere and if that means I have to travel then that’s fine.

“But after winning a world title in Newcastle, it would be brilliant to get a shot in front of a home crowd.”

While he waits for news on his next opponent, the former Vauxhall Motors ABC amateur has been keeping himself fit on the football pitch.

He helped Chester and District Football League side Whitby Athletic claim an impressive 2-1 win over Vauxhall Motors at the weekend.

“It was a great result for us because they had a top side out,” said Butler, who plays for Property Solutions in the Ellesmere Port and District Sunday Senior League too.

“When we turned up the Vauxhall coach Steve Foulkes said to me ‘you’re in deep water here Paul because we’ve got some mean lads’.

“But we all fancied our chances of doing a job on them and we turned them over .”