MANILA, Philippines – Handed another chance to fulfill his dream, Jonas Sultan vowed to give it his best punch.

Sultan will tangle with Paul Butler for the WBO interim bantamweight crown on Friday, April 22 (Saturday, April 23, Philippine time) at the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool, England.

And surprisingly, Sultan, despite coming in as a substitute and invading the turf of Butler, will be enjoying the favorite’s role in the 12-rounder that replaced John Riel Casimero’s supposed WBO bantamweight title defense against Butler in the Probellum card headliner.

The British Boxing Board of Control scratched out Casimero after he was found to have used the sauna, which is strictly prohibited by the BBBoC when the fight is in close proximity.

Sultan, who was already in London being the standby fighter in case either Casimero or Butler did not make weight, stepped in ready to keep the Filipino supremacy in the 118-pound division.

Having trained for two months in the United States, Sultan checked in at 117.6 pounds during the official weigh-in, a tad lighter than Butler who came in at 117.8.

Betting sites put Sultan anywhere between -360 and -450 to beat Butler, who was tagged the +280 to +350 underdog.

This means a $360 bet on Sultan earns $100 if he wins, while a $100 wager on Butler becomes $360 if he prevails.

Although unaware of the fight odds, Sultan expressed confidence of beating Butler.

“This is my time, right now. I’m a tough fight for Butler,” said Sultan. “I feel good, no pressure in the ring. I want to become a world champion.”

In 2018, Sultan got his chance for the IBF super flyweight belt but lost to Jerwin Ancajas. A year before that, Sultan bested Casimero in an eliminator for the right to challenge Ancajas.

Thrust back into the limelight after a four-knockdown dismantling of erstwhile unbeaten Carlos Caraballo last October 30, Sultan doesn’t want to waste the chance again.

Butler, however, believes Sultan is vulnerable.

“He’s really good, but there’s weaknesses and I’ve spotted them straight away. His weaknesses are my strengths,” said Butler, who promised “a dominant performance” before his countrymen.

The 30-year-old Sultan holds an 18-5 record with 11 knockouts while Butler, 33, totes a 33-2 card with 15 knockouts.

Sultan is fighting under the banner of Viva Promotions, under Brendan Gibbons, and MP (Manny Pacquiao) Promotions headed by Sean Gibbons.

Upon learning that Sultan will be fighting for the crown, Zamboanga philanthropist Cory Navarro, who manages Sultan by way of Kings Promotions, took the first plane out of Manila bound for London and will be with Sultan’s entourage on fight night.

Sultan is being co-managed by Michael Venezuela of MLV Group and supported by GlobalPort and 1-Pacman through Representative Mikee Romero, and Go for Gold. – Rappler.com