June 9: Connor Butler defends Commonwealth flyweight title to Matt Windle
Fight fans get a double dose of title action on June 9th with major belts on the line at Liverpool’s Olympia, and with all the action broadcast LIVE AND FREE ON FIGHTZONE, and on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport app and website.
Headlining on the night will be local man Connor Butler defending his Commonwealth Flyweight crown against Matt Windle, with the vacant European Title also up for grabs.
Chief support slot is an all-Liverpudlian affair with Ryan Farrag and Marcel Braithwaite battling for local bragging rights as well as the vacant Commonwealth Super Flyweight Title.
Undefeated in 11, with one draw, and on home turf – Butler will head into this huge night of boxing as slight favourite. The 25-year-old is rated by fight insiders as a prospect who could go all the way, and he showed his quality last time out in February when he negotiated the challenge of tough Yorkshireman Craig Derbyshire to win the Commonwealth belt he’ll be defending.
Windle will be another extremely tough fight for ‘Top Dog’ Butler. The battling Brummie, 32, is always in an exciting scrap, often in fight-of-the-year contenders, and in the form of his life. With just four defeats from 12 bouts – which includes two contentious reverses for the Midlands Flyweight belt in 2019 – the ‘MatMan’ stopped South African Siphelele Myeza in his last fight in October 2022 to claim the Commonwealth Light Flyweight belt and won’t be daunted fighting away-from-home.
Ryan Farrag is one of those fighters that seem to have been around forever! Making his pro debut way back in 2010, the 35-year-old has plenty of experience and believes he still has more to achieve in the fight game. A former English and European bantamweight champion, Ryan has won 21 of 25 contests and been in with some of the UK’s best little men – including losses to former world bantamweight champ Ryan Burnett and current world flyweight king Sunny Edwards. If he is to move onto bigger things then he must come out on top against fellow Scouser Braithwaite.
Marcel ‘The Chosen One’ Braithwaite will be getting a second bite of the cherry when he competes for the Commonwealth Super Flyweight Title, having faced Ijaz Ahmed in March for the same belt – when a split decision draw meant neither man could take home the vacant crown. The 29-year-old has also previously been in with quality opposition – albeit on the losing end of decisions – including against Sunny Edwards, and the recently newly-crowned British Flyweight Champion, Jay Harris. Similar to Farrag, Marcel won’t have many options left if he comes up second-best at the Olympia, which guarantees an exciting fight for Fightzone and BBC viewers.
“These are two fantastic fights,” said Fight Academy boss, Dennis Hobson. “We really rate Connor, but Matt is a tough test for anyone and is on a real roll, it’ll be interesting to see how this one goes. And with the European Title at stake too, it’s going to be a barnstormer.
“Whenever you get two local fighters matched together, you can expect fireworks and Farrag versus Braithwaite will be no exception. The Commonwealth belt is a really meaningful title that can open all sorts of doors, so I’m expecting another proper tough battle, and an exciting fight for the viewers.”
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