Hekkie Budler’s Tokyo Upset Added a Second Division to His
Hekkie “The Hexecutioner” Budler defeated Ryoichi Taguchi by unanimous decision in Tokyo on May 20, 2018, winning the WBA Super and IBF light flyweight championships. The South African had already held world championship recognition at minimumweight.
Career highlights
Budler won the WBA interim minimumweight title against Hugo Hernán Verchelli in November 2013. The WBA elevated him to full champion on February 27, 2014, after Ryō Miyazaki relinquished the title. His first-round knockout of Karluis Díaz that March was a successful defense.
Against Taguchi, Budler survived a final-round knockdown and won on three identical cards of 114–113. The narrow decision gave him another world-title breakthrough on an opponent’s home ground.
The later light flyweight challenges
Hiroto Kyoguchi defeated Budler in December 2018, ending his WBA light flyweight reign. Budler returned to challenge Kenshiro Teraji on September 18, 2023, in Japan. Teraji won by ninth-round technical knockout, leaving Budler with a record of 35 wins, five losses and eleven knockout victories.
The Taguchi contest took place at Ota-City General Gymnasium. Budler combined defensive movement with a high work rate to offset the champion’s aggression. The final-round knockdown was initially ruled a slip, then changed after review confirmed that Taguchi’s left hook had connected. That revision tightened every scorecard but did not overturn the South African challenger’s narrow victory.
Sources
- World Boxing Association: official resolution recording Budler’s elevation to champion
- World Boxing Association: Budler’s first defense against Díaz
- World Boxing Association: Budler defeats Taguchi
- Matchroom Boxing: Kyoguchi’s championship victory over Budler
- World Boxing Association: Teraji–Budler result
- World Boxing Association: official Teraji–Budler date and result
