Butler targets title showdown

PAUL Butler hopes his all-British showdown with WBA bantamweight champion Jamie McDonnell may happen in March – after Butler defeated Stuart Hall on Saturday.

The Bolton-trained boxer outclassed Hall in the fight at the Echo Arena, winning by unanimous decision after the judges scored it 117-111, 118-110, 118-110.

Butler is now set to face domestic rival McDonnell for his world title, providing that McDonnell wins in his rematch against Liborio Solis in Monaco on November 4.

Former IBF bantamweight champion Butler was pleased with his victory over Hall, and believes he deserves his next crack at world honours.

“I’m most definitely ready to fight for a world title, we want Jamie McDonnell next,” he said.

“It was a very sweet victory against Hall, I knew I had to be smart and box him. I’ve improved massively, I’m a lot more composed, I pretty much neglected everything Hall wanted to do.”

There was also a victory for Butler’s stablemate Natasha Jonas, who won in her second professional fight by defeating Bojana Libiszewska by fourth round stoppage.

Elsewhere on the card, Salfordtrained Rocky Fielding put in the best performance of his career by stopping David Brophy in round one to retain his British belt and win Brophy’s Commonwealth supermiddleweight title.