PAUL Butler will be aiming to preserve his unbeaten pro record when he steps into the ring for two big fights in the space of a month.
The 22-year-old super flyweight from Great Sutton takes on veteran Delroy Spencer at the Liverpool Olympia this Saturday before renewing his rivalry with Phil Smith at the city’s Echo Arena next month.
The latter clash is already being billed as a ‘Wirral v Liverpool’ derby, but first Butler – unbeaten in his first three fights as a professional – must take on 43-year-old Spencer.
Butler’s rising reputation meant it became difficult to find a tough enough opponent for Saturday’s clash. And while 43-year-old Spencer’s record of 14 wins out of 137 bouts is less than impressive, Butler’s dad – Paul Butler senior – is under no illusions to his son’s opponent’s strengths.
He said: “Spencer is a well-known figure in boxing circles and very experienced. He never gets stopped and our job is to stop him.
“Paul is really at the top of his game at the moment and we have got a bigger fight in just five weeks’ time.
“Paul beat Phil Smith the last time they met and Smith was not too happy about that.
“It’s going to be a Wirral vs Liverpool derby match and for me personally it’s going to be an absolute cracker. There is a feeling from some over in Liverpool that we aren’t bred as tough over the other side of the Mersey and Paul is going to shatter that myth.”
The Echo Arena fight, scheduled for October 15, will take place on the same billing as the showdown between WBO world light-heavyweight champion Nathan Cleverly and challenger Tony Bellew, plus a fight featuring former British champion James DeGale.
Butler senior added: “It’s going to be brilliant.
“You can’t beat the atmosphere with that kind of show and Paul alone attracts 200 people every time.”
English flyweight title holder Ashley Sexton has seen what Butler, nicknamed the Baby-Faced Assassin, is capable of as the duo have been sparring together at Arnie’s gym in Manchester, where Butler trains daily.
Butler, a former amateur star with Vauxhall Motors ABC who is now part of promoter Frank Warren’s stable, said: “I met Sexton last week and did a little sparring with him. I gave him something to think about as he came away from it.”
To buy tickets for Saturday’s Liverpool Olympia bout, priced between £30 and £60, visit www.liverpoololympia.com or call 0151 263 6633.
