The championship committee of the World Boxing Organisation (WBO) has ordered bantamweight champion Johnriel Casimero to start negotiations with mandatory challenger Paul Butler.
In a letter dated 22 September, sent to Tom Brown of TGB Promotions, who represents Casimero, and Butler’s representative Lee Eaton of MTK Global, the WBO gave the parties 20 days to conclude negotiations and failure to reach an agreement will result in a purse bid.
Casimero, 32, from the Philippines has defended the WBO belt twice since dethroning Zolani ‘Last Born’ Tete in November 2019. His last fight was a win over Cuban Guillermo Rigondeaux in August.
On the other hand, the 32-year-old Butler is a former International Boxing Federation (IBF) bantamweight champion. Butler from the United Kingdom was stopped by Tete when he challenged the Mdantsane boxer in an IBF junior-bantamweight title fight in March 2015.
