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Paul Butler vacates IBF bantamweight title

British fighter Paul Butler decides to vacate the IBF bantamweight title after opting to return to his former weight division.

Paul Butler has revealed that the next target in his career is to win a world title at super-flyweight after deciding to relinquish his IBF bantamweight belt.

The Brit stepped up a weight class to beat Stuart Hall for his world strap last month, but after considering a unification clash with Jamie McDonnell, Butler will drop down a division for his next fight.

The 25-year-old is quoted by World Boxing News as saying: "It's a beautiful belt and hard to relinquish as it's the first world title that I have won, but I knew that it was always going to be the case that if I won, I would have to return it and go back down to super-flyweight.

"When the opportunity came to fight Hall for the title, I knew that it was a fight that I could win so I jumped at it with both hands. To become a world champion in just my 16th fight was a dream come true.

"However, I'm a natural 115-pounder and my aim now is to win a title at super-fly and achieve another dream of mine in becoming a two-weight world champion in reverse."

Butler could try to earn a shot at the IBF super-flyweight title in his next bout.

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Darren Plant
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Commonwealth and IBF Intercontinental Champion Stuart Hall during a press conference on October 29, 2013
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