PAUL Butler takes his first steps on the road towards a world title on Friday night – but says he needs at least three fights before getting there.
The 24-year-old from Great Sutton takes on Nicaragua’s Arnoldo Solano at Liverpool’s Olympia with the vacant WBO International belt on the line.
Victory will start moving Butler up the world rankings and edge him closer to the major international honours he craves.
But the British and Commonwealth champion, who holds a 15-0 record, has warned that he needs to build the relevant experience before taking on the planet’s best super-flyweight fighters.
“I reckon I’ll need at least another three fights before I fight for the world title,” Butler said. “If you look at all the champions and the lads at title level, they‘ve all had around 30 fights and got good experience.
“They are all around 27-years -old as well so it would be nice to get myself in with some top opposition first, in with lads who are on the verge of world titles so I can see how I deal with them.”
Should Butler come through Friday’s contest victorious then he will return to the ring on July 20 in London.
It is understood that the former ABA champion will challenge for the vacant IBF Intercontinental belt that night, in a further move to boost his world ranking.
Butler has revealed that he only discovered that Solano would be his opponent late last week. He and trainer Arnie Farnell had been preparing to face France’s Thomas Masson but Butler remains unperturbed by the late change.
“Getting a few opponents changed in the build-up to this fight hasn't helped because I was sparring for Thomas Masson,” added the former Vauxhall Motors ABC man.
“Arnoldo Solano is a switch hitter who likes to move a bit. So my sparring has been different to what my opponent will be but I have got to be good enough to adapt and beat these lads.
“I’d been sparring lads who are in your face all the time. But the change doesn’t bother me, I’ll just get in there and have a look at him in the first round.”
