By Jake Donovan

Even without the news of “THE fight” finally happening, the strawweight title fight between Hekkie Budler and Jesus Silvestre was always destined to get lost in the shuffle. Elsewhere in Europe, reigning super middleweight titlist Arthur Abraham and Paul Smith engage in a sequel to their memorable clash last fall.

More germane to this fight, the story of the night will be the evening’s main event at Salle des Étoiles in Monte Carlo, Monaco. Boxing’s fastest rising star, Gennady Golovkin puts his unbeaten record, 18-fight knockout streak and middleweight title on the line versus Martin Murray, in a bout that will air in over 100 countries, including in the U.S. live on HBO. 

Budler-Silvestre is just enough outside of the scope to be off the radar, in that regard. Still, it’s a fate to which strawweights have become resigned, thus only serving as that much more of a motivating factor. Case in point, two of the past four Fight of the Year selections have taken place at this weight, including last year’s insane war between Francisco Rodriguez and Katsunari Takayama. 

One day, the networks will catch on. Until then, top strawweights like Budler (27-1, 9KOs) will have to continue to find a way to punch a hole through the wall. The 26-year old – affectionately known as “The Hexecutioner” – has emerged as the best of boxing’s tiniest division, riding a four-year, 10-fight win streak heading into tonight’s clash, including a breakout performance in a 12-round win over Nkosinathi Joyi in June ’13. 

The evening’s chief support serves as Budler’s third consecutive appearance at the intimate venue. His Monte Carlo debut came last June, stopping Pigmy Kokietgym in nine rounds. The follow-up, however, showed his human side, as Budler was forced to gut out a hard-fought points win over former titlist Xiang Zhao Zhong last October.

Silvestre (30-5, 22KOs) has struggled to win over judges when stepping up on the big stage. The hard-luck Mexican contender came up short in separate title bids on the road versus Paipharob Kokietgym in Thailand (Nov. ’11) and Ryo Miyazaki in Japan (Sept. ’13). The latter setback was widely deemed a decision gone horribly wrong, as Silvestre delivered one of the best performances of his career, only to fall prey to hometown favoritism. 

The 25-year old hasn’t done much to build on that newfound sympathy, however. Three wins in his past four fights have come against pedestrian opposition, with a surprise split decision loss to countryman Eduardo Martinez wedged in between. 

Can Silvestre earn the respect of the boxing world, and judges as well? Can Budler deliver a performance strong enough to convince the networks – HBO or otherwise – to let the cameras roll during future fights? 

Read on to see how the staff at BoxingScene.com believes the action will play out. 
 
BOXINGSCENE.COM STAFF PREDICTIONS: HEKKIE BUDLER vs. JESUS SILVESTRE
 
Ryan Burton (Budler UD): “The better fighter cruises to an unanimous decision win.”

Jake Donovan (Budler SD): “I liked Silvestre’s chances a lot more before he showed up skeletal at Friday’s weigh-in. Budler has long served as a top strawweight, though not entirely looking the part in struggling with a motivated Xiong Zhao Zhong in his last fight. I see a similarly tough fight here, with Budler pulling away late to avoid the massive upset.” 

Lyle Fitzsimmons (Budler Dec.): “Like Golovkin, Budler is another prolific champion other sanctioning bodies started to view favorably after he established himself with an IBO title. He continues the run here in a fight only a hardcore with a live stream could love.”
    
Steve Kim (Budler W12): “If anything, Silvestre is durable and Budler isn't much of a puncher.”

John MacDonald (Budler UD): “Silverstre came perilously close to claiming a world title against Miyazaki in 2013. I expect him to run Budler close but not close enough.”
 
Takahiro Onaga (Budler SD): “Budler narrowly beats Silvestre in an instant classic that demonstrates how good minimuweight is.”

Cliff Rold (Budler Dec.): “Budler is on a good roll and this should see that continue. Silvestre will make it violent in spots and that's good for everyone.”

Alexey Sukachev (Budler MD): “Clearly, Budler hasn't impressed anyone with his latest performance. But his championship confidence and overall skills will be too much for a challenger.”

Totals (8): 
Hekkie Budler – 8
Jesus Silvestre - 0

Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox