Hekkie Budler's big dream of unified world title edges closer

Budler is hoping not only to cause an upset but also make history, with his biggest motivation being the possibility of also going further to unify the world titles in this division.

READ: Hekkie Budler's blockbuster world title deal announced

Another attraction for the diminutive 35-year-old, who previously held the WBA and IBF world titles in the strawweight division, is the coveted Ring Championship belt on offer.

"God-willing I can unify and unify again, because I haven't won a WBC or WBO, and I want those two bouts," Budler told SABC Sport.

"After this fight I'm going to be a WBC champ, and God-willing I can get the shot to the WBO champion as well, and we can then have all the belts here at the Hotbox Gym.

"God-willing I can become the first South African to win it twice – that's the plan, that's what I want in this fight. That's why I'm happy I'm fighting the best guy in the world in my division – he's the ring champ and the top dog.

"So, like I say, God-willing I can pull this off. I believe in myself, I believe I can, he must just be ready for me on the night, on the 18th [of September]."

Known as the “Amazing Boy” back home in Japan, Kenshiro is a dangerous boxer with an impressive record, with this set to be his 14th world title fight, but Budler’s trainer Colin “Nomakanjani” Nathan is an astute planner too.

"Styles make fights, and I know 'Shiro's probably going to be a little over-confident going into this, based on the fact that we lost to [Hiroto] Kyoguchi – fairly, I stopped the fight, and he [Teraji] absolutely destroyed Kyoguchi," added Nathan.

"But what I've also noticed, when he became champion and he was on the rise, he was a great amateur star and he was coming up, when he won the world title on a majority decision, he looked a bit dodgie and then he got better and better as a world champion.

"He really developed, and he's been impressive, but his last three or four fights, he's been taking a lot of shots, and if you look at Hekkie, who had some really hard fights early in his career and then kind of tapered off and had some hard fights again, and then he had a long break through Covid.

"I believe that break has done him the world of good, and I'm just basing it on that. I think Hekkie is 35, Kenshiro is 31, but Hekkie might be the fresher of the two going into this fight."