Sport

Budler top SA boxer in ring world rankings

Date: Feb 3, 2015

Nuggety WBA and IBO strawweight champion Hekkie Budler continues to head the list of South Africans in Ring Magazine's authoritative world rankings.

The number of South Africans ranked among the top 10 in Ring's various weight divisions had slipped from six to five, with junior featherweight Jeffrey Mathebula losing his place in the top echelon after previously occupying a place as sixth challenger.

Mathebula had been inactive for the past year and since his gruelling defeat against tough-as-teak Nonito Donaire two years ago, his future as a top-ranked fighter appeared to be hanging in the balance.

Budler, in contrast, had cemented his widely-accepted status as the leading straw weight fighter in the world with a convincing points victory over China's former WBC champion Xion Zhao Zhong in Monte Carlo.

He remained Ring's number one contender for their vacant title in boxing's lightest weight division.

The tear away Gauteng-based fighter, who trains at Colin Nathan's Hot Box Gym in Johannesburg, had the opportunity of taking another step towards his objective of uniting the straw weight division when  he comes up against leading WBA challenger Jesus Silvestre at the Salle des Etoiles Arena in Monte Carlo in two weeks’ time.

Ring demoted IBF champion Zolani Tete as the number four junior bantamweight to fifth position, while Moruti Mthalane (flyweight) remained in sixth position.

Featherweight Simpiwe Vetyeka was rated as the number seven contender in his category and Thabiso Mchunu number eight in the competitive cruiserweight division.

--Sapa--

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