Cape Town - South African boxing fans will have a rare opportunity to double world champion Hekkie Budler in action on home soil this weekend.
Budler, the only SA boxer to be rated No 1 in the world by the authoritative Ring Magazine in 61 years, will defend his WBA and IBO titles at Emperors Palace, on the outskirts of OR Tambo Airport, in Johannesburg, on Saturday evening.
Since June 2014 Budler’s fights, all world title defences, have taken place in Monte Carlo, Monaco.
The challenger is the No 4 WBA-ranked Simphiwe Khonco, who is on a nine-bout winning streak, after his last defeat came in April 2010.
Budler’s long-awaited appearance in Johannesburg has again brought into focus his claims as South Africa’s best-ever boxer, given that Ring’s ratings are renowned and respected around the world.
Budler, ring named ‘The Hexecutioner’, is rated the world No 1 in the strawweight division by Ring Magazine.
The only other time a South African boxer was accorded that accolade was back in March 1954 when the late Jake Tuli was rated the world’s top flyweight. Tuli held that No 1 slot in the flyweight division from August 1952 to March 1954. Tuli died in Soweto in November 1998 at the age of 67 years.
Budler’s claim may alarm many South African fight fans because names like Vic Toweel, Brian Mitchell, Vuyani Bungu, Willie Toweel, Gerrie Coetzee, Baby Jake Matlala and Dingaan Thobela readily spring to mind when such a contentious matter is debated.
What makes the Ring accolade so remarkable is that the magazine is the most respected voice of world boxing. In the boxing industry the magazine is affectionately referred to as ‘The Bible of Boxing’ and the ratings are compiled by the Ratings Chairman, the Editorial Board, and the Ratings Panel consisting of the most knowledgeable boxing journalists from around the world.
The group is guided by results, performance and track record. They look at how a fighter performs in a victory or defeat and a fighter’s accomplishments in the recent past and the quality of opposition.
Consequently, a host of South African boxers who have won world titles did not get the Ring’s No 1 nod, except for Budler and Tuli.
Ring-named ‘Young Jake’, Tuli fought in the 1950s and ’60s, both in the bantam featherweight divisions. He lived during Apartheid when boxing was segregated and all his SA titles were declared Non-White titles.
In 1952, Tuli had a brilliant year. In February of that year, he won the Transvaal flyweight title and the following month he won the SA bantamweight crown. In May, he won the SA flyweight title and defended his bantamweight title. In September, he became the first black South African to win a Commonwealth title when he defeated Teddy Gardner in the United Kingdom for the flyweight belt.
It was also the first time that Tuli fought abroad, although he fought once previously in Mozambique.
For the next year or so, Tuli fight fought mainly in the UK, and suffered his first defeat in December 1953, in a non-title bout in what was his 25th pro fight. The match report in the Ring magazine said Tuli was floored six times, and the opponent once.
From that point onwards, Tuli suffered mixed fortunes as he turned out some incredible performances as well as suffering a string of defeats.
Sadly he never had a chance to fight for a world title but many writers at the time said that world champions did their best to stay clear of Tuli, who eventually signed off with a 47-fight record of 31 wins, 14 defeats and 2 draws.
Budler’s track record is vastly different since he has racked up three world titles after only 24 bouts in the paid ranks.
In February 2010, Budler claimed the IBO light flyweight title and a year later he won the IBO minimumweight title.
In March last year, he won the prized WBA belt in the minimumweight division. By that time he had convinced the Ring’s experts that he was presently the best on the planet in the minimumweight division.
Over the past few years, Budler grew in stature and it was evident that he had worked a great deal on his strength and consequently stopped three opponents inside the distance in his last five fights. During this KO streak, Budler collectively fought 13 rounds of the scheduled 36.
Budler’s fistic fortunes are groomed by Colin Nathan, who has left no stone unturned to make sure he can match his charge’s rise to fame by improving his own credentials at some of the world’s leading boxing gymnasiums in United States.
Nathan has also enjoyed time at the Wild Card Gym of Freddie Roach, one of the world’s leading boxing trainers.
Nathan feels that Budler has yet to reach his peak and he’s encouraged with the champion’s approach. “The hunger to learn more and consistently know that there is always room for improvement is what keeps Budler going,” Nathan told the African News Agency.
“Staying humble and working hard has been key too.”
ANA