Hekkie in 'very brutal' training

16 July 2017 - 00:03 By DAVID ISAACSON

Hekkie Budler faces a tough fight against IBF junior-flyweight champion Milan Melindo in September, but it won't be as bad as his preparation, coach Colin Nathan has vowed.
Budler challenges the Filipino in his home town of Cebu in a bid to become only the fifth South African to claim major titles at different weights after Jacob "Baby Jake" Matlala, Dingaan "The Rose of Soweto" Thobela, Mbulelo Botile and Zolani Tete.
"The training is going to be very brutal for Hekkie," said Nathan, adding he had pushed for this showdown.
"I'm really confident we can pull this upset off. I wouldn't have pushed this hard for this fight if I didn't think he would win."
Budler hasn't looked particularly convincing since losing his WBA strawweight crown early last year.
"If you watch Hekkie's last four fights you would think he'll walk through us," admitted Nathan. "But when the odds are stacked against him, he really goes into beast mode ... Hekkie has that performance in him."..

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