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Conlan and Butler could fight for vacant World title

When Jamie Conlan and Paul Butler meet this year the WBO super flyweight title could be on the line, suggests the Liverpool puncher.

The fighters are on a collision course and look set to collide in Ireland around April time and according to former IBF super bantamweight World champion Butler the winner may be crowned WBO World champ.

Knockout artist Naoya Inoue is the current custodian of the title, but there have been suggestions the champion is struggling to make super flyweight and may move up in weight.

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If that does happen both Conlan #5 and Butler #11 are World title eligible and with Frank Warren’s strong relationship with the organisation it is feesible the fight could be for the World strap.

“He’s a top kid but people think there’s bad blood between us,” Butler told iFL TV.

“I’ve got no disrespect towards Jamie and I’m sure he’s got no disrespect to me but this is a business and that potentially is probably one of the biggest money fights for the super fly-weights out for me and him at the moment so it makes sense especially with him having a top WBO ranking.

“I’ll be pushed right up there now with the WBO European title and like Frank said, if Inoue is struggling with the weight and that title becomes vacant maybe me and Jamie can get it on for the world title.”

Belfast’s Conlan has his third successive fight in the National Stadium on February 6 while Butler defends his WBO European title on the undercard of the WBO World lightweight clash between Terry Flanagan and Derry Mathews at the Echo Arena on February 13.

Come through those clashes and a Conlan Butler fight is inevitable be it for a World title or not and the Liverpool fighter believes the clash is brewing nicely.

“The good thing about is that Jamie wants it in Liverpool and I want it in Ireland. We both want to go into each other’s back garden and beat the other person.

“I went over to Ireland for his last fight and he came over here for mine. It’s brewing up nicely between us but I really hope it happens because they keep saying one or two more fights and I’m ready whenever.

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