Paul Butler has told promoter Eddie Hearn to forget all about a fight between him and Kal Yafai.
Great Sutton super-flyweight Butler made a winning return to the ring with a fifth-round stoppage of Mexican Gustavo Molina on Saturday at Manchester Velodrome, four months on from his IBF world title loss to Zolani Tete.
The 26-year-old has now set his sights on securing a world title and says a British title fight against IBF inter-continental champion Yafai isn’t on his radar.
Promoter Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing won the purse for the fight and had pencilled in a October 17 bout at Birmingham’s Barclaycard Arena between the pair, but Butler says there is no chance of it going ahead.
LOOK: Action from Paul Butler v Gustavo Molina
“Eddie Hearn likes to humiliate you and goad you into taking a fight, but it’s not happening, no way,” said Butler, who hasn’t defended his British super-flyweight title since beating John Donnelly to win it back in November 2012.
“I’m not going down that road. I won the British title in 2012, why would I step back down to that level now to fight someone like Yafai for the same amount of money I can get for beating a Mexican guy in five rounds?
“If I fight him it will be for a world title. A fight between me and him would be worth a lot of money at that level. If he wants to fight for a world title, fine, let’s get it on.
“Eddie Hearn tried all this nonsense to try and get a fight between Scott Quigg and Carl Frampton on. It didn’t work then, it hasn’t worked now.
“A few keyboard warriors on the internet have accused me of ducking the fight. That’s not true. I’m happy to fight Yafai, but it won’t be for a British title.”
Chester-born Butler was pleased with his return to action on Saturday in his win over Molina, extending his professional record to 18 wins and one loss.
“After the first couple of rounds I felt good and got into my rhythym and it was like I’d never been away from the ring,” said Butler, who has mooted a possible rematch with Tete in the future and a potential fight with Belfast’s WBO inter-continental super-flyweight champion, Jamie Conlon.
“In rounds three, four and five I really felt I found my range and enjoyed myself out there, it was nice to be back.
“A few people were thinking if I would still be sharp after the Tete fight and I think I showed them I’m back and ready for it.”
