Paul Butler v Reymart Gaballo WBO Title Fight Possible
The bantamweight division is about to get a serious overhaul as undisputed champion Naoya “Monster” Inoue (24-0, 21KO) has vacated the titles. This creates an opportunity for Reymart “Assassin” Gaballo (25-1, 21KO) and former world champion Paul “Baby Faced Assassin” Butler (34-3, 15KO) to fight for the vacant WBO title.
RELATED: Naoya Inoue: “I’m Returning My Belts And Going To Take On Super Bantamweight”
3Kings Boxing reported that Inoue has officially announced his move up to super bantamweight and relinquished all the belts. It will be a mad scramble by the organizations to order fights and crown new champions.
THE BREAKDOWN
Here is where things get interesting when looking at the sanctioning bodies. The WBC could order Jason Moloney to face Nonito Donaire, as they both hold top spots. Next, Takuma Inoue could face Melvin Lopez for the WBA title.
The IBF’s top two contenders, Vincent Astrolabio and Emmanuel Rodrigues, have a good chance of battling for the IBF title. All the names mentioned are ranked in the top five of the WBO, which clears a path for Gaballo and Butler to fight.
Fans may remember Gaballo as the WBC Interim titlist. He lost a title fight to then-WBC champion Donaire by stoppage in the fourth round in 2021. The Assassin has since picked up a win against a below-average opponent in Ricardo Sueno on October 29, 2022.
Butler was the last victim of Inoue in their the undisputed bout. He won the WBO interim title before getting elevated to full champion after the organization stripped John Riel Casimero for using a sauna to cut weight. The Baby Face Assassin would like nothing more than another shot at a championship.
3Kings Boxing will continue to monitor the situation as things start to unfold in the division.
By: Bo Bland
Be the first to comment