Jonas Sultan vs Paul Butler Preview April 22nd, 2022
WBO Bantamweight Champion John Riel Casimero of the Philippines has been forbidden to make his mandatory defence against England’s Paul Butler in Liverpool this Friday, April 22nd and fellow countryman Jonas Sultan has stepped in to meet Butler instead. The 12-rounder will reportedly be aired live in the UK on Euro Sport 1 and is currently listed as being for the interim WBO title. It’s been reported that Euro Sport may dump the fight though and fans can see it free on probellum.com. The bout may be changed to a full title fight or the winner could later be named champion depending what the WBO decides to do with Casimero after he broke British Boxing Board of Control rules by trying to lose weight in a sauna a couple of days before the contest. The Casimero vs Butler tilt was originally scheduled to take place back in December but Casimero pulled out due to illness. Butler last fought in June when he beat Willibaldo Garcia via a 10-round split decision while Jonas last saw action in October when he beat Carlos Caraballo by a close 10-round unanimous decision for the vacant WBO Inter-Continental Bantamweight Belt. Caraballo was down in the second, third, sixth and ninth rounds while Sultan was dropped in the third and ended up winning 94-93 on all three scorecards.
Sultan vs Butler Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Paul Butler +300
- Jonas Sultan -400
My Pick
The 33-year-old Butler climbs through the ropes with a record of 33-2 with 15 Kos and has boxed 242 rounds since making his pro debut in 2010. He enjoyed a fine amateur career before that and was the 2010 English ABA National Championship Elite Champion. His height and reach are both unlisted so we don’t really know how he stacks up size-wise against Sultan. He has average power in his fists though with a current knockout ratio of 42.9 per cent.
Butler’s first loss came at the hands of Zolani Tete when he was stopped in the eighth round in 2015 in a shot at the IBF Super Flyweight Title and was beaten again in 2018 when he dropped a unanimous decision to Emmanuel Rodriguez in a shot at the vacant IBF Bantamweight Crown. He was decked twice in the first round but also blew his chance at winning the belt by coming into the fight over weight.
Since turning pro, Butler has captured the BBBoC British, Commonwealth Boxing Council, WBO Inter-Continental, WBA Inter-Continental, and WBO International Super Flyweight Titles as well as the WBA Inter-Continental, WBO International, and WBA Continental Bantamweight Belts. Butler is 1-2 in world title fights as he beat Stuart Hall by split decision in 2014 for the IBF Bantamweight Title. He’s also beaten Miguel Gonzalez, Ruben Montoya and Yoan Boyeaux.
Sultan is 31 years old and climbs through the ropes with a record of 18-5 with 11 Kos. He turned pro in 2013 and has boxed 159 rounds after a short amateur career which saw him go 8-4. Sultan has also won few regional and minor titles since turning pro which were the Philippines Games & Amusements Board Super Flyweight Title and the IBF Inter-Continental Super Flyweight Title. Sultan stands 5-feet-4-inches tall with a 67-inch reach.
Sultan’s got average power with a current knockout ratio of 47.8 and he’s not really known as a knockout artist by any stretch of the imagination. He’s already been beaten five times as he dropped a 12-round unanimous decision to Athenkosi Dumezweniat in 2019 in a shot at the vacant WBC Silver Super Flyweight Title and lost a unanimous decision to fellow Filipino Jerwin Ancajas in a shot at his IBF World Super Flyweight Title in 2018.
Before that, he lost by the hands of Go Onaga by a 10-round unanimous decision in 2015, a six-round split decision to Jonathan Francisco in 2014 and a six-round split decision to Rolando Servania in 2013. Sultan owns a good chin though as he’s never been stopped. His biggest wins have been against former world champion Sonny Boy Jaro and he also beat John Riel Casimero by a 12-round unanimous decision in 2017.
Prediction…
Casimero has really made a mess of things lately as he’s had several proposed fights cancelled. The interesting thing here is that Sultan was the last man to beat him, which he did pretty handily five years ago. It would be somewhat logical to assume that if Sultan was good enough to beat Casimero and Casimero was favoured to beat Butler then Sultan should have no problem handling Butler. But of course we all know that boxing isn’t a logical sport. Sultan is a late replacement here and that means he could fall flat or put in the performance of his life. As for Butler, he never really reached the elite level even though he’s enjoyed a fine domestic and European career. I’m not sure who’s going to be judging this fight but British scorecards have been atrocious over the past few years and that’s another obstacle Sultan may have to deal with. Although Sultan is up against the hometown hero here though, I feel he’s the better boxer and if he’s at his best on Friday he should emerge with a win.
Sultan’s aggressive style and chin should be the difference.
Play Sultan -400 @ BetOnline.ag
Check out my recent boxing betting picks to see my current form.
Jonas Sultan betting • Paul Butler betting