PAUL Butler says he won't feel the burden of added pressure the next time he steps in to the ring in his bid to become a ‘boxing legend’.
Butler, 25, made the step up in weight and claimed the IBF world bantamweight title in spectacular fashion last month, beating favourite Stuart Hall in his own backyard at the Metro Arena in Newcastle, becoming Ellesmere Port’s first ever boxing world champion in the process.
But Chester-born Butler took the decision to relinquish his newly acquired title earlier this month and drop back down to super-flyweight in a bid to become a two-weight world champion.
A December world title fight at the ECHO Arena in Liverpool against Argentinean Omar Andrés Narváez could well be on the cards for Butler, but he says he can fight without pressure, whoever the opponent.
“The win in Newcastle was amazing but that’s done now, I made the decision to drop back down to super-flyweight and I just want to get back in the ring again,” said Butler, who is hoping to have a warm-up fight in the next two months to shake off the ring rust.
“I don’t feel there’s any extra pressure on me after becoming world champion, I’ll just approach every fight the same way that I always do. I don’t worry about pressure at all and I won’t be thinking about it when I’m going for a title in December.
“Hopefully we can get everything sorted out and get a title fight at the ECHO against Narváez, but a few things have to be sorted out first.
“He’s a top fighter and he has only been beaten once in 40-odd fights, and that was against Nonito Donaire at Madison Square Garden in New York.
“He doesn’t like fighting outside of Argentina and he has a title defence of his own to come through first, but Frank Warren (Butler’s promoter) thinks that we can get a deal done.”
Butler reaffirmed his desire to become the first British boxer since Bob Fitzsimmons over a century ago to become a two-weight world champion in reverse.
“The plan was and is to become a two-weight world champ and I knew when I took the fight on against Hall that I was going to be relinquishing the belt,” said Butler.
“Some people thought what I was doing in giving up the belt was tough, which it was, but I want to be a boxing legend and it was all part of the plan.”
After claiming a world title in the North East on his opponent’s turf, Butler is now looking forward to the chance to shine closer to home.
He added: “We took hundreds of fans up to Newcastle and it was an amazing atmosphere, but if I could win a title in Liverpool and a bit closer to home, that would be amazing.
“To win a world title at a packed-out ECHO in front of home fans would be unbelievable.”
