Newly crowned WBA North American Continental champion, Steven Butler avenged the honor of the Tigers on Thursday night at the Casino de Montréal. And that was something he owed to his promoter.
Now with Eye of the Tiger for 12 years, Butler did his promoter a favor by putting an end to the circus surrounding Ramadan Hiseni.
But he was also proudly rewarded. His promoter made sure the fight was sanctioned by the WBA. As a result, Steven Butler should appear among the association’s top boxers in its next rankings.
Now 30 years old, “Bang Bang” calls himself a young veteran. That’s exactly what he is. Despite his relatively young age, his record now includes 44 fights. But since moving up to super middleweight, Butler believes he has started his second career.
So he’s off to quite a strong start for a “prospect” in the division. Butler has had four fights at 168 lbs, and all of them have been victories by knockout.
The question now is: Who’s next?
Photo: Steven Butler vs Ramadan Hiseni
Here are four opponents who would make sense at this stage of the Montrealer’s career.
Edgar Berlanga (23–2, 18 KOs)
At last check, Edgar Berlanga was ranked 11th in the WBA rankings. Butler’s position remains to be confirmed, but by winning the Continental championship belt, he will likely be in the top 15, or at least very close.
Berlanga is a boxer whose career is similar to Steven’s in some ways. He is only 28 years old, but he has already been boxing for 10 years and is known for his punching power.
In his last fight, the Puerto Rican suffered a knockout loss to Hamzah Sheeraz. A fight against someone of Butler’s caliber would therefore make a lot of sense. Both boxers have tested themselves against the world elite but were unable to finish the job. A victory for either one could propel them back toward the top of the division.
A division that Steven Butler hasn’t fully experienced yet.
Photo: Boxing News 24 – Padraig Mccrory vs Edgar Berlanga
Wilkens Mathieu (15–0, 10 KOs)
Next, it’s not the first time he’s been mentioned, but a fight against Wilkens Mathieu could make sense.
And it makes even more sense now that Butler has earned his latest victory.
Both boxers hold respectable rankings with the WBA and the WBC, so the winner would likely be propelled into the division’s top 10.
It would probably be very difficult for Steven. Mathieu is a young, explosive fighter who hasn’t shown many weaknesses in his recent bouts.
Still, Camille Estephan’s objective is very clear for both of his fighters: to bring them to the top so they can become world champions. And at this stage, there will be no easy fights if they want to reach the top of the mountain.
By matching his two fighters against each other, Eye of the Tiger would ensure that at least one of his two protégés continues his path toward the sport’s biggest honors.
Photo: Vincent Ethier – Shakeel Phinn vs Wilkens Mathieu
It remains to be seen whether they share the same opinion.
Patrice Volny (20–2, 13 KOs)
Next, another fight that Montreal fans would probably like to see again is a rematch between Steven Butler and Patrice Volny.
As we remember, their first meeting ended with a Volny victory in the ninth round, but a lot has changed since then. Patrice got his international opportunity against Austin Williams, a competitive fight in which he ultimately had to admit defeat. Since then, he has beaten Mponda Kalunga, but nothing seems to be materializing for what comes next.
Seeing his former opponent string together victories and climb the rankings at 168 lbs, perhaps Volny will also be motivated to move up to super middleweight if the opportunity arises. It would also be a way for him to get a fresh start.
And for Steven, it would be a golden opportunity to get his revenge and at the same time erase the blemish on his record. By beating Patrice Volny, he would show everyone that he has found his new home at super middleweight—and that he’s there to do some serious damage.
Photo: Boxing News 24 – Patrice Volny vs Austin Williams
Jose Armando Resendiz (16–2, 11 KOs)
Finally, we present the fight that everyone at Eye of the Tiger is probably hoping for right now.
After surprising the entire boxing world by defeating Caleb Plant, Resendiz became the WBA interim champion. But Terence Crawford recently retired, and the Mexican was consequently promoted to the status of regular champion.
With his latest victory, Butler captured one of the minor belts from that same organization. After the fight, Camille Estephan confirmed that their goal is indeed to make this fight happen. No negotiations have started yet, but it’s the matchup he would like to see.
If Butler manages to secure this fight, it would be his most realistic opportunity yet to finally become a world champion.
Because even though Jose Armando Resendiz defeated Caleb Plant in his last outing, the other fights on his record are not as impressive. He also lost to Marcos Hernandez in 2021. Butler would therefore have every chance of becoming champion if the fight were to happen.
Photo: Bad Left Hook – Jose Armando Resendiz vs Caleb Plant
