Wikipedia

Paul Butler (boxer)

Paul Butler (born 11 November 1988) is an English professional boxer and two-time bantamweight world champion, having held the International Boxing Federation (IBF) title in 2014 and the World Boxing Organisation (WBO) title in 2022. He also held multiple regional titles, including the British and Commonwealth super-flyweight titles in 2012 and 2013, respectively.

Paul Butler
Born (1988-11-11) 11 November 1988 (age 36)
Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, England
Other namesBaby Faced Assassin
Statistics
Weight(s)
Height5 ft 6 in (168 cm)[1]
Reach65 in (165 cm)[1]
StanceOrthodox
Boxing record
Total fights39
Wins36
Wins by KO17
Losses3
Medal record
Men's amateur boxing
English National Championships
Silver medal – second place 2007 London Light-flyweight
Gold medal – first place 2010 London Flyweight

Amateur career

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Butler won the 2010 Amateur Boxing Association British flyweight title, when boxing out of the Vauxhall Motors ABC.[2]

Professional career

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Early career

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Butler made his professional debut against Anwar Alfadi on 11 December 2010. He won the fight on points, after four rounds were contested. Butler amassed an 8–0 record during the next 23 months, with three of those victories coming by way of stoppage.[3]

Butler faced John Donnelly for the vacant British super-flyweight title on 9 November 2012 at the Liverpool Olympia in Liverpool, England.[4] Butler won the BoxNation broadcast bout by a first–round knockout. He floored Donnelly with a strike to the ribs after just 59 seconds, which left Donnelly unable to rise in time for the ten–count.[5] During the post–fight drug test, Donnelly tested positive for benzoylecgonine.[6]

Following a fourth–round technical knockout of Anwar Alfadi on 21 March 2013, Butler challenged Yaqub Kareem for the Commonwealth super-flyweight title on 20 April 2013, at the Wembley Arena in London, England. He won the fight by a fifth–round technical–knockout.[citation needed] Butler made his first and only Commonwealth title defense against Najah Ali on 28 June 2013. He won the fight by a fourth–round knockout.[7]

Butler faced Miguel González for the vacant WBO Inter-Continental super-flyweight title on 21 September 2013.[8] He won the fight by a dominant unanimous decision, with scores of 117–112, 119–110 and 120–108. Butler made the first defense of his secondary title defense against Ruben Montoya on 7 December 2013, with the vacant WBA Inter-Continental super-flyweight title being on the line as well.[9] He once again won by unanimous decision, with scores of 120–108, 120–109 and 118–110.

Butler moved up to bantamweight for his next bout against Oreste Bernabe Nieva, which took place on 8 March 2014, with the vacant WBA Inter-Continental bantamweight title being on the line. He won the fight by a fourth–round knockout.[10]

IBF bantamweight champion

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Butler was scheduled to challenge the reigning IBF bantamweight champion Stuart Hall, in the latter's second title defense. The bout was scheduled for 7 June 2014, and took place at the Utilita Arena Newcastle in Newcastle, England, the champion's hometown. The bout was broadcast by BoxNation.[11] Butler won the fight by split decision. Two judges scored the fight 117–111 and 115–113 for Butler, while the third judge scored it 115–113 for Hall. Butler had a slow start to fight, but appeared to take over as the fight progressed.[12]

Butler faced Ismael Garnica in a non–title bout on 25 October 2014, at the Echo Arena in Liverpool, England. He dominated the fight from start to finish, and won by unanimous decision, with all three judges awarding him every single round of the bout.[13] Following his victory against Garnica, Butler relinquished the IBF bantamweight title, in order to compete against fighters with whom he had size parity, stating "...I'm a natural 115 pounder".[14]

Post championship career

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Return to super-flyweight

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After vacating the IBF bantamweight title, Butler moved back down to super–flyweight in order to challenge the reigning IBF super-flyweight champion Zolani Tete. The title bout was scheduled as the main event of a BoxNation broadcast card, which was held on 6 March 2015.[15] Tete won the fight by an eight–round knockout. He floored Butler with two consecutive left uppercuts, which left the challenger unable to rise from the canvas in time to beat the ten count.[16]

After suffering the first loss of his professional career, Butler jumped up in weight to super-bantamweight, in order to face Gustavo Molina on 11 July 2015. He won the fight by a fifth-round technical knockout.[17] After successfully bouncing back from his loss to Tete, Butler returned to super-flyweight to face Hector Rolando Gusman on 3 October 2015. He won the fight by a first-round knockout, stopping Gusman with a body shot just thirty seconds into the bout.[18]

Butler faced Silviu Olteanu for the vacant WBO European super-flyweight title on 19 December 2015.[19] He won the fight by an eight-round technical knockout, stopping the Romanian with a well place hook to the body.[20] Butler next faced Sebastian Sanchez for the vacant WBO International super-flyweight title on 12 March 2016. He won the fight by a ninth-round knockout.[21]

Return to bantamweight

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Butler vs. Ruiz

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Butler faced Alexis Ruiz on 22 October 2016, in his return to bantamweight. He won the fight on points.[22]

Butler vs. Cazares

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Butler faced Alexander Cazares on 3 December 2016, and once again won the fight on points.[citation needed]

Butler vs. Ruiz

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Butler notched his second ever stoppage victory at bantamweight against Ruben Dario Ruiz on 8 April 2017, as he knocked Ruiz out in the fourth round.[23]

Butler vs. Hall

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Butler faced Stuart Hall for the vacant WBA Continental bantamweight title on 17 September 2017.[24] He won the fight by unanimous decision, with scores of 118-110, 118-110 and 117-111.[25]

Butler vs. Rodriguez

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Butler was scheduled face the undefeated Emmanuel Rodríguez for the vacant IBF bantamweight title on 5 May 2018, at The O2 Arena, on the undercard of the Tony Bellew and David Haye cruiserweight rematch. Rodriguez was ranked #3 by the IBF at bantamweight at the time.[26] Butler missed weight prior to the bout, which left him ineligible to win the vacant belt. He weighed in at 121.5 pounds, 3.5 pounds over the championship limit. Butler furthermore refused to weigh himself in a second attempt.[27] Rodríguez won the fight by a dominant unanimous decision, with scores of 118-108, 120-106, 120-106. Butler was knocked down twice in the final minute of the first round, and failed to achieve much headway during the remaining eleven rounds.[28]

Butler vs. Boyeaux

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Butler returned to action six months later, on 3 November 2018, to face Yoan Boyeaux. He won the fight on points.[29]

Butler vs. Majiha

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Butler faced Fadhili Majiha on 30 March 2019, and again won the fight on points.[30]

Butler vs. Sanchez

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Butler notched his first bantamweight stoppage victory in two years on 18 May 2019, knocking Salvador Hernandez Sanchez out in the sixth-round.[31]

Butler vs. Reyes

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Butler faced the journeyman Joseafat Reyes on 22 September 2019, and won the fight on points.[32]

Butler vs. Walker

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Butler's sole fight of 2020 came on 18 October, against Ryan Walker, whom he beat on points.[33]

Butler vs. Garcia

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Butler was expected to face Joseph Agbeko for the vacant WBO International bantamweight title on 25 June 2021. Agbeko was forced to withdraw from the bout due to visa issues, and was replaced by Willibaldo Garcia.[34] Butler won the fight by split decision, with scores of 96-94, 97-92 and 94-95.[35]

Second bantamweight title reign

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Butler vs. Sultan

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Butler was booked to fight Jonas Sultan on 22 April 2022, at the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool, England for the vacant WBO interim bantamweight title. Butler was originally scheduled to challenge WBO bantamweight champion John Riel Casimero on 11 December 2021 and 22 April 2022, before Casimero withdrew before the weigh-ins due to gastritis, and not being permitted by British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) due to medical guidelines violation, respectively.[36][37] Sultan was ranked #10 by The Ring, #4 by the WBA, #4 by the WBO and #12 by the IBF at bantamweight.[38] Butler captured the vacant title by unanimous decision, with scores of 116–112, 117–111 and 117–111, utilizing out-fighting tactics to control the fight for the majority of the bout.[39] On 4 May, the WBO officially stripped Casimero of the full title and elevated Butler from interim to full champion.[40]

Butler vs. Inoue

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Main article: Naoya Inoue vs. Paul Butler

On 25 August 2022, it was announced that Butler would face undefeated WBA (Super), WBC, IBF, and The Ring bantamweight champion Naoya Inoue in a title unification bout. It took place on 13 December 2022, at the Ariake Arena in Tokyo, Japan, and was broadcast by Amazon Prime domestically and by ESPN+ in the United States.[41] It was Butler's first fight outside of the United Kingdom. He lost the fight by 11th round KO.[42]

Professional boxing record

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39 fights 36 wins 3 losses
By knockout 17 2
By decision 19 1
No. Result Record Opponent Type Round, time Date Location Notes
39 Win 36–3 Nabil Ahmed KO 2 (6), 1:45 8 Dec 2023 The Fuse, Partington, Manchester, England
38 Win 35–3 Jeison Cervantes TKO 1 (8), 2:42 16 Jun 2023 Humo Arena, Tashkent, Uzbekistan
37 Loss 34–3 Naoya Inoue KO 11 (12), 1:09 13 Dec 2022 Ariake Arena, Tokyo, Japan Lost WBO bantamweight title;
For WBA (Super), WBC, IBF, and The Ring bantamweight titles
36 Win 34–2 Jonas Sultan UD 12 22 Apr 2022 M&S Bank Arena, Liverpool, England Won vacant WBO interim bantamweight title
35 Win 33–2 Willibaldo Garcia SD 10 25 Jun 2021 Whites Hotel, Bolton, England Won vacant WBO International bantamweight title
34 Win 32–2 Ryan Walker PTS 8 18 Oct 2020 Production Park Studios, South Kirkby, England
33 Win 31–2 Jose Aguilar PTS 6 14 Dec 2019 Knowsley Leisure & Culture Park, Huyton, England
32 Win 30–2 Joseafat Reyes PTS 6 22 Sep 2019 Woodhouse Park Lifestyle Centre, Manchester, England
31 Win 29–2 Salvador Hernandez Sanchez KO 6 (8) 18 May 2019 SSE Hydro, Glasgow, Scotland
30 Win 28–2 Fadhili Majiha PTS 6 30 Mar 2019 Echo Arena, Liverpool, England
29 Win 27–2 Yoan Boyeaux PTS 10 3 Nov 2018 SSE Hydro, Glasgow, Scotland
28 Loss 26–2 Emmanuel Rodríguez UD 12 5 May 2018 The O2 Arena, London, England For vacant IBF bantamweight title
27 Win 26–1 Jefferson Vargas TKO 8 (8), 2:02 3 Feb 2018 The O2 Arena, London, England
26 Win 25–1 Stuart Hall UD 12 17 Sep 2017 Echo Arena, Liverpool, England Won vacant WBA Continental bantamweight title
25 Win 24–1 Ruben Dario Ruiz TKO 4 (6) 8 Apr 2017 Manchester Arena, Manchester, England
24 Win 23–1 Alexander Cazares PTS 10 3 Dec 2016 Lagoon Leisure Centre, Paisley, Scotland
23 Win 22–1 Alexis Ruiz PTS 10 22 Oct 2016 Whites Hotel, Bolton, England
22 Win 21–1 Sebastian Sanchez KO 9 (12) 12 Mar 2016 Echo Arena, Liverpool, England Won vacant WBO International super-flyweight title
21 Win 20–1 Silviu Olteanu TKO 6 (10), 2:45 19 Dec 2015 Manchester Arena, Manchester, England Won vacant WBO European super-flyweight title
20 Win 19–1 Hector Rolando Guzman KO 1 (10), 0:30 3 Oct 2015 Civic Hall, Wolverhampton, England
19 Win 18–1 Gustavo Molina TKO 5 (10), 2:53 11 Jul 2015 Manchester Velodrome, Manchester, England
18 Loss 17–1 Zolani Tete TKO 8 (12), 1:34 6 Mar 2015 Echo Arena, Liverpool, England For IBF super-flyweight title
17 Win 17–0 Ismael Garnica PTS 10 25 Oct 2014 Echo Arena, Liverpool, England
16 Win 16–0 Stuart Hall SD 12 7 Jun 2014 Metro Radio Arena, Newcastle, England Won IBF bantamweight title
15 Win 15–0 Oreste Bernabe Nieva KO 4 (12), 1:25 8 Mar 2014 Aintree Equestrian Centre, Liverpool, England Won vacant WBA Inter-Continental bantamweight title
14 Win 14–0 Ruben Montoya UD 12 7 Dec 2013 Echo Arena, Liverpool, England Retained WBO Inter-Continental super-flyweight title;
Won vacant WBA Inter-Continental super-flyweight title
13 Win 13–0 Miguel González UD 12 21 Sep 2013 Copper Box Arena, London, England Won vacant WBO Inter-Continental super-flyweight title
12 Win 12–0 Najah Ali KO 4 (12), 2:04 28 Jun 2013 Liverpool Olympia, Liverpool, England Retained Commonwealth super-flyweight title
11 Win 11–0 Yaqub Kareem TKO 5 (12), 0:24 20 Apr 2013 Wembley Arena, London, England Won Commonwealth super-flyweight title
10 Win 10–0 Anwar Alfadi TKO 4 (4), 2:46 21 Mar 2013 York Hall, London, England
9 Win 9–0 John Donnelly KO 1 (12), 1:09 9 Nov 2012 Liverpool Olympia, Liverpool, England Won vacant British super-flyweight title
8 Win 8–0 Ashley Sexton PTS 10 5 Jul 2012 York Hall, London, England
7 Win 7–0 Hyusein Hyuseinov TKO 3 (6), 1:52 18 May 2012 Bowlers Exhibition Centre, Manchester, England
6 Win 6–0 Michael Ramabeletsa PTS 8 20 Jan 2012 Liverpool Olympia, Liverpool, England
5 Win 5–0 David Kanalas KO 1 (6), 2:39 15 Oct 2011 Echo Arena, Liverpool, England
4 Win 4–0 Delroy Spencer PTS 6 17 Sep 2011 Liverpool Olympia, Liverpool, England
3 Win 3–0 Anwar Alfadi PTS 4 16 Jul 2011 Echo Arena, Liverpool, England
2 Win 2–0 Francis Croes TKO 5 (6), 0:36 2 Apr 2011 Liverpool Olympia, Liverpool, England
1 Win 1–0 Anwar Alfadi PTS 4 11 Dec 2010 Echo Arena, Liverpool, England

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Top Rank tale of the tape prior to the Naoya Inoue fight.
  2. ^ "Roll of Honour". England Boxing. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
  3. ^ Liverpool Echo (8 November 2012). "Paul Butler and John Donnelly take different paths towards same goal of becoming British super-flyweight champion". liverpoolecho.co.uk. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  4. ^ Random Hits (28 September 2012). "Butler-Donnelly, Paul and Liam Smith on November 9". boxingscene.com. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  5. ^ Cheshire Live (15 November 2012). "Boxing: Paul Butler savours first British title after John Donnelly demolition". cheshire-live.co.uk. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  6. ^ Eurosport (5 March 2013). "Donnelly banned for failed drug test". eurosport.com. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  7. ^ Kirkbride, Phil (29 June 2013). "Paul Butler blows away challenger Najah Ali". liverpoolecho.co.uk. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  8. ^ Kirkbride, Phil (18 September 2013). "Butler aims for perfect tribute to matchmaker". cheshire-live.co.uk. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  9. ^ Cheshire Live (6 November 2013). "Rival spices up Butler battle". cheshire-live.co.uk. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  10. ^ Kirkbride, Phil (10 March 2014). "Paul Butler gunning for world champ after vicious victory over Oreste Nieva". liverpoolecho.co.uk. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  11. ^ Anderson, David (22 April 2014). "Stuart Hall set for second IBF bantamweight defence against Paul Butler in June". mirror.co.uk. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  12. ^ "Paul Butler defeats Stuart Hall to win IBF world bantamweight title". bbc.com. 7 June 2014. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  13. ^ ESPN staff. "Butler impresses in against gritty Garnica". espn.co.uk. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  14. ^ BN Staff BoxingNewsED (July 2014). "Paul Butler relinquishes IBF bantamweight title to return to super-flyweight". boxingnewsonline.net. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  15. ^ Satterfield, Lem (October 2014). "Zolani Tete on Paul Butler: 'I want to punish this young boy'". ringtv.com. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  16. ^ Gray, Tom (6 March 2015). "Zolani Tete trashes predictions, knocks out Paul Butler in eight". ringtv.com. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  17. ^ Mazique, Brian (11 July 2015). "Paul Butler vs. Gustavo Molina: Winner, Recap and Reaction". bleacherreport.com. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  18. ^ Cheshire Live (7 October 2015). "Paul Butler floors Hector Rolando Guzman - in just 30 seconds". cheshire-live.co.uk. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  19. ^ McKenna, Michael (4 November 2015). "Paul Butler faces former two-time European Champion Silvio Olteanu in December". liverpoolecho.co.uk. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  20. ^ McKenna, Michael (21 December 2015). "Paul Butler lands WBO European title with sixth round stoppage of Silvio Olteanu". cheshire-live.co.uk. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  21. ^ Loop, Nate (12 March 2016). "Paul Butler vs. Sebastian Sanchez: Winner, Recap and Reaction". bleacherreport.com. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  22. ^ Wheelock, Paul (22 October 2016). "Paul Butler wants crack at Lee Haskins after comeback win". cheshire-live.co.uk. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  23. ^ Dennen, John (11 November 2017). "Boxing results: Liam Smith settles score with Liam Williams". boxingnewsonline.net. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  24. ^ Rafael, Dan (24 July 2017). "Paul Butler, Stuart Hall to square off in bantamweight world title eliminator". espn.co.uk. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  25. ^ Horran, Matt (3 October 2017). "Butler vs Hall: Paul Butler impressively beats Stuart Hall to move towards a world title shot". skysports.com. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  26. ^ "Butler vs Rodriguez - News, Tape, Ringwalk, TV, Streaming & Tickets". Box.Live. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
  27. ^ Gaztambide, Fernando (4 May 2018). "Rodriguez: Extra Weight Will Hurt Butler, I'm Not Worried". boxingscene.com. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  28. ^ BoxingScene Staff (5 May 2018). "Emmanuel Rodriguez Drops, Dominates Paul Butler For IBF Title". boxingscene.com. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  29. ^ Foster, Elliot (5 November 2018). "Paul Butler gets back to winning ways and hopes for a quick return". liverpoolecho.co.uk. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  30. ^ Foster, Elliot (20 May 2019). "Butler back with victory over Majiha". liverpoolecho.co.uk. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  31. ^ Donovan, Jake (18 May 2019). "Paul Butler Breaks Down, Stops Salvador Hernandez in Six". boxingscene.com. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  32. ^ Foster, Elliot (25 September 2019). "Paul Butler gets routine win in Wythenshawe". liverpoolecho.co.uk. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  33. ^ "IBF #3 bantam Paul Butler victorious". fightnews.com. 19 October 2020. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  34. ^ "Paul Butler now meets Willibaldo Garcia in Bolton, England on Friday". boxen247.com. 22 June 2021. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  35. ^ Lewis, Ron (25 June 2021). "Paul Butler Drops Willibaldo Garcia Early, Settles For Split Decision Win". boxingscene.com. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  36. ^ Stumberg, Patrick K. (28 January 2022). "John Riel Casimero vs Paul Butler rescheduled for April 23rd in Liverpool". badlefthook.com. Retrieved 6 April 2022.
  37. ^ Donovan, Jake (19 April 2022). "Paul Butler-Jonas Sultan: WBO Approves Interim Title Fight; Casimero Title Status Under Review". boxingscene.com. Retrieved 20 April 2022.
  38. ^ "Butler vs Sultan - News, Tape, Ringwalk, TV, Streaming & Tickets". Box.Live. Retrieved 9 August 2022.
  39. ^ Lewis, Ron (22 April 2022). "Paul Butler Boxes Past Jonas Sultan To Capture WBO Interim-Title". boxingscene.com. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
  40. ^ Donovan, Jake (4 May 2022). "John Riel Casimero Stripped Of WBO Bantamweight Title; Paul Butler Elevated From 'Interim' To 'Full' Champ". boxingscene.com. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
  41. ^ Donovan, Jake (25 August 2022). "Naoya Inoue-Paul Butler Undisputed Bantamweight Championship Set, December 13 In Japan". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
  42. ^ Gray, Tom (25 August 2022). "Trainer Joe Gallagher speaks out on Naoya Inoue-Paul Butler undisputed title clash". The Ring. Retrieved 24 September 2022.
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Sporting positions
Amateur boxing titles
Previous:
Gamal Yafai 		ABA Flyweight champion
2010 		Next:
Jason Cunningham
Regional boxing titles
Vacant
Title last held by
Lee Haskins 		British
super-flyweight champion
9 November 2012 – 2015
Vacated 		Vacant
Title next held by
Kal Yafai
Preceded by Commonwealth
super-flyweight champion
20 April 2013 – 2014
Vacated 		Vacant
Title next held by
Kal Yafai
Vacant
Title last held by
Kakhramon Orzikulov 		WBO Inter-Continental
super-flyweight champion
21 September 2013 – February 2014
Vacated 		Vacant
Title next held by
Jamie Conlan
Vacant
Title last held by
Ricardo Núñez 		WBA Inter-Continental
super-flyweight champion
7 December 2013 – February 2014
Vacated 		Vacant
Title next held by
Kal Yafai
Vacant
Title last held by
Lee Haskins 		WBA Inter-Continental
bantamweight champion
8 March 2014 – May 2014
Vacated 		Vacant
Title next held by
Nordine Oubaali
Vacant
Title last held by
Omar Narváez 		WBO International
super-flyweight champion
12 March 2016 – September 2016
Vacated 		Vacant
Title next held by
Rex Tso
New title WBA Continental
bantamweight champion
30 September 2017 – 2018
Vacated 		Vacant
Title next held by
Thomas Essomba
Vacant
Title last held by
Jose Velasquez 		WBO International
bantamweight champion
25 June 2021 – 23 April 2022
Vacated 		Vacant
Title next held by
Jason Moloney
World boxing titles
Preceded by IBF bantamweight champion
7 June 2014 – 2 July 2014
Vacated 		Vacant
Title next held by
Randy Caballero
Vacant
Title last held by
John Riel Casimero 		WBO bantamweight champion
Interim title
22 April 2022 - 3 May 2022
Promoted to full champion 		Vacant
Preceded by
John Riel Casimero
Stripped
 WBO bantamweight champion
3 May 2022 – 13 December 2022 		Succeeded by
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