Paul Butler moved another step closer to challenging for a world title and a potential eliminator match-up with Jamie Conlan after a clinical display against Mexican Sebastian Sanchez at the Echo Arena on Saturday night.
The Ellesmere Port fighter took nine rounds to dispose of his reluctant opponent and claim the vacant IBF International Super-flyweight title.
The 27-year-old proved too much for the Mexican and controlled the contest from the first bell, using his dangerous left hook to subdue Sanchez, who offered up little on the offensive side.
But the former Wirral CP boxer had to grit his teeth to get the result after suffered two hand injuries during the one-sided contest.
“I’ve got two bad hands,” said Chester-born Butler.
“The left started going in the fourth and I felt a bit of a pain and the right went in about round six and then round eight I caught him with a jab to the top of the forehead and it went really bad. I went back to the corner and said my hand’s gone.
“I just gritted my teeth in round nine and that was the first left hook I landed to the body. It was the only one I could see so I thought let it go and thankfully it landed.
“I didn’t think it was a great performance on my behalf because he was so negative. He was waiting for me to fall short and then throw two shots.
“He was just coming for the big shot, he didn’t come to try and out-box me or win it on points, he came to win it by knock-out and he was so negative it was hard to get my shots off and I felt I was out of range quite a lot.”
The victory keeps Butler on course for a shot at a world title and insists he wants to step into the ring with Irishman Conlan to earn that shot, but wants the talking to stop for it to become a reality sooner rather than later.
“We want it, they talk about it. There’s a big difference,” said Butler.
“Stop talking about it and want it, there’s a final eliminator there and the winner goes on to fight for a world title so if he believes he can win it let’s get it on.
“He’s a nice lad and he’s got a top team around him but it’s been talked about for long enough now.”
