Paul Butler will fulfil a prophecy dating back 14 years if he wins the IBF world bantamweight title on Saturday night.

Back in 2000, an 11-year-old Butler travelled to New York City with Vauxhall Motors ABC and had  only his fourth contest since taking up boxing.

He was on the wrong end of a controversial decision, leaving him in tears outside the venue.

While his father Paul Butler Snr consoled him, former WBC world featherweight champion Juan Laporte, who had been watching from ringside,  approached them.

He tapped the crying schoolboy from Ellesmere Port on the shoulder and made a prediction father and son have never forgotten.

Butler Snr recalls: “Paul was very upset and we’d gone out to the car park.

“We felt this tap and Juan Laporte was standing there. I knew who he was because he’d fought Barry McGuigan who was one of my idols.

“Juan asked Paul if he knew who he was and he said ‘you’re Juan Laporte’.

“Juan told Paul he had no doubt he’d won the fight and then he pointed down to Paul’s feet and said to him ‘I’ve not seen feet like that in 20 years’.

“He told Paul he’d come back to ‘The Garden’ – meaning Madison Square Garden – as a world champion.

“Juan said ‘You’re going to be a world champion, you believe this and remember Juan Laporte told you this’.”

Fast forward 14 years and the now 25-year-old Butler has the chance to turn that prediction into a reality this weekend when he faces Stuart Hall.

Darlington-based Hall, 34, has experience, height, reach and size on his side but Butler Snr believes his son can upset the champion.

Chester-born Butler, who has won all 16 of his fights a professional, will have the edge on speed, skill and the backing of almost 500 travelling fans.

Butler Snr said: “The support we will have is phenomenal and it’s going to be some night.

“Paul is so mentally tough. It doesn’t matter how much talent you have if you don’t believe in yourself or have mental strength.

“We know Stuart Hall can’t move like Paul and we know he’s not as tough as Paul.”

Butler has stepped up from super-flyweight in his bid to win a world belt  and trains with Anthony ‘Arnie’ Farnell in Manchester and at No Limits Strength and Conditioning centre in Liverpool.

Butler Snr said: “I went to see Paul training at the weekend and I couldn’t believe what he was doing. The trainer said he was like a machine.

“He works so hard and I’m so proud and I know he can go onto even bigger and better things after this.”