Sports Etc

Hekkie Budler to Challenge for Historic Third World Title in Tokyo

Published

10 months ago

July 19, 2023

Hekkie Budler will make a historic world title bid in Tokyo in September as he challenges unified junior-flyweight champion Kenshiro Teraji. TimesLIVE reports that the Japanese fighter holds the World Boxing Council (WBC) and World Boxing Association (WBA) world junior-flyweight crowns. In contrast, Budler has previously held the same WBA belt, added to the International Boxing Federation (IBF) junior-flyweight title and WBA strawweight crown.

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Only Dingaan Thobela has won three mainstream belts, the World Boxing Organisation (WBO) and WBA mantles at lightweight and the WBC super-middleweight strap.

If 35-year-old Budler were to win, it would mean Nathan’s Hot Box gym in Johannesburg would have three of the four bona fide junior-flyweight belts, with Sivenathi Nontshinga holding the IBF strap.