Linda Ximba
South Africa’s Hekkie Budler will battle Elwin Soto for the World Boxing Council (WBC) world junior flyweight title eliminator at the Palenque del FEX on Saturday.
Budler is ranked at number one while his Mexican foe is listed at number three.
Both boxers have previously held world championship belts at junior flyweight, with the 25-year-old Soto (19-2; 13) having had his last fight on 16 October last year. In that bout, he lost the WBO light flyweight belt to Puerto Rican Jonathan Gonzalez (24-3-1) on a split decision.
Budler (33-4; 10), who turned 34 on 18 May, is South Africa’s most decorated fighter. His list of titles is long: the International Boxing Organization’s (IBO) All-Africa, IBO junior flyweight and IBO strawweight belts, WBA interim minimumweight, WBA minimumweight, WBA “super” minimumweight, WBA Pan African junior flyweight, IBO light flyweight and WBC silver light flyweight belts.
He has also been awarded The Ring championship belt and is the only the second South African to have been honoured with this belt, with Vic Toweel, South Africa’s only universal world champion, receiving the belt in 1950.
All the odds are stacked against Budler with inactivity, age and fighting in Soto’s home country all going against his favour.
Budler, who is trained by Colin Nathan, last fought in May in Johannesburg and won the WBC silver light flyweight belt with a unanimous decision over Jonathan Almacen.
The ginger-haired boxer from Johannesburg said ahead of the epic fight:
“I am going against a great fighter, very strong, but I’ve come a long way away because I am convinced that I’m going to win and I’m going to ruin the party. I am a warrior in the ring and I come with excellent preparation because I want to earn the right to compete for the WBC world championship.
“Soto is a very strong, brave fighter, but we know what we have to do to overcome him. I fully trust the judges commissioned by the World Boxing Council for this fight, and I know that in the end I will win.”
