By Elliot Foster

Despite rumours, Paul Butler has said that a fight with Jamie Conlan isn't close to being made.


Butler has wanted a clash with the Belfast super flyweight for some time and was over in Dublin last weekend as Conlan (15-0, 9 KOs) maintained his undefeated record at the National Stadium.

Firstly for the Ellesmere Port fighter, he must negotiate Romanian-born Spaniard Silvio Olteanu in a clash for the vacant WBO European title on December 19 at Manchester Arena, but all talk is focused on a potential WBO world title eliminator showdown with ‘The Mexican’.

“I was over in Ireland for Conlan’s last fight [W TKO4 vs. Adrian Dimas Garzon] and I spoke to him and his team about a fight between us,” Butler told Boxing Scene.

“At first, I was told it was being looked at for February, but I spoke to a couple of the MGM [Marbella] management [team] and Daniel [Kinahan] said that it was a fight that would happen –– but only after Jamie has had one or two more [fights].

“I only saw bits of Jamie’s performance although I was ringside,” Butler continued, “because I was watching the [British lightweight title fight between] Scott Cardle and Sean Dodd [fight] on my phone.”

Speaking of Conlan’s performance, Butler said: “It was just an alright performance, a decent showing, but the kid was a pudding. He should be getting rid of him well quicker than what he did.

“I said afterwards that I’d be in and out the shower by now after the first round. I’d have punched a hole through him.”

Despite the fact that Butler believes the Conlan fight isn’t going to happen anytime soon, it doesn’t appear to be at the forefront of his mind.

“I think it’s just the public, the fans that are hyping the fight up. I don’t think it’ll be close at all, when it does eventually happen,” he said.

“For now, I’m just focused on giving my all for training for [former two-time European flyweight champion Silvio] Olteanu and will start thinking about Conlan when the time eventually comes.

”I know Olteanu, but I’ve not seen too much of him. I know he lost to Thomas Masson, who I don’t rate at all and was supposed to box in my seventh fight, in his last fight, but he’s a flyweight.

“He’s coming up from flyweight to eight-stone three [pounds] and I know that, however long it takes me to do it, I’m going to knock him out.

“I needed an opponent like this, someone who’s been there and done in, instead of my last two, who were just easy wins and I’ve always said that the better the opposition, the better I am."

Should Butler get past Olteanu to add the aforementioned fringe Boxing Organisation belt to his collection next month, he will look to get out in the early part of the New Year if the Conlan fight doesn’t materialise for the first quarter of 2016.

“I don’t think the Conlan fight will happen in February,” said Butler, who revealed that he has been invited to fight in Ireland in the new year as the showdown is built up to a massive summer event.

“I know there’s a big bill in Liverpool in February, with Derry [Mathews] and [Terry] Flanagan, and they’re looking at getting [Liam] Smith on against Shane Mosley, so I wouldn’t say no to boxing on that, providing I beat Olteanu, but they [MGM Promotions] want me to fight on one of his undercards in February and then fight him in the summer, but although I’d get better money to go over there to box on one of his undercards, I don’t really want to miss the potential bill with two world title fights on.”

And finally, regarding the fight with Conlan, which he says will happen next year without any shadow of a doubt, Butler said: “I sold the Olympia [in Liverpool] out in my ninth fight for the British title [against John Donnelly] three years ago and I don’t think Jamie and I would sell out the Echo [Arena], so I’d gladly go over there to box him at the start of the summer, providing the money was right and there was a decent title on the line for us to fight for."
 
Elliot Foster is part of Boxing Scene's UK team. Follow him on Twitter @FreelanceFoz