Hekkie Budler has cracked the top 10 pound-for-pound list of prominent boxing writer Dan Ambrose.
Writing for boxingnews24.com, Ambrose slotted Budler in at number nine.
The full list is as follows:
- Gennady Golovkin
- Sergey Kovalev
- Viktor Postol
- Takashi Uchiyama
- Vasyl Lomachenko
- Guillermo Rigondeaux
- Nayoya Inoue
- Donnie Nietes
- Hekkie Budler
- Jermall Charlo
“I’m pretty disappointed when I look at Ring Magazine’s pound-for-pound list,” writes Ambrose. “I don’t see much in the way of quality on that list, and I don’t agree at all with their pick of WBC flyweight champion Roman Gonzalez as the No 1 p-4-p fighter.
“That’s why I’ve decided to come up with my own pound-for-pound list without bias or favoritism. My list is filled with talent that deserves to be in the list rather than a bunch of guys that I feel don’t rate.”
Budler’s ascension is long overdue. Beaten just once in the past 10 years, he has been a champion since 2011, repeatedly turning back top challengers.
Budler is clearly a case of out of sight out of mind for compilers of such lists, who don’t bother to do their homework.
Happily, Ambrose is a rare exception.
“This is fantastic to see,” said Rodney Berman, Budler’s promoter. “I’ve long thought Hekkie is one of the world’s most underrated boxers. But he belongs in this sort of company.”
