Steve Rolls vs Steven Butler Preview March 7th, 2024
Steven Butler takes on fellow Canadian middleweight Steve Rolls in his hometown of Montreal this Thursday, March 7th. The 10-rounder from the Montreal Casino can be seen live in America on ESPN+. Rolls last fought in September when he dropped as 10-round unanimous decision to Austin Williams to lose the IBF North American Middleweight Title which he won 14 months earlier with a 10-round unanimous decision over Shady Gamhour. Butler last saw action in November when he stopped Ivan Alvarez in the ninth round.
Rolls vs Butler Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Steve Rolls -105
- Steven Butler -125
My Pick
Most boxing fans had never heard of the 39-year-old Steve Rolls until he took on Gennady Golovkin in 2019 and was stopped in the fourth round in his first career loss as a pro. He’s gone 3-2 since then and enters this fight with a mark of 22-3 with 12 Ko’s. Rolls stands 5-feet-10-inches tall with a 72-inch wingspan and has boxed 142 rounds since making his pro debut in 2011.
He won the vacant NABF Jr Middleweight Title in 2015 by stopping Steed Woodall in four rounds but most of Rolls’ opponents are unrecognizable to most fans of with the exception of Golovkin, Edgar Berlanga and perhaps Demond Nicholson. Rolls had a pretty successful and extensive amateur career and reportedly went 83-14. He also fell short to Berlanga as he dropped a 10-round unanimous decision to him in March, 2022 in a shot at the WBO NABO Super Middleweight Belt.
Rolls of Toronto, Ontario has slightly better-than-average power in his hands with as 54.6 per cent of his wins have come by stoppage and he’s gone the distance in his last three fights. He was also dropped in the third round of his fight against Woodall so doesn’t own the sturdiest chin in the division. Rolls has fine boxing skills though but is almost 40 years of age now.
As for Butler, the native of Montreal, Quebec is 28 years old and owns a mark of 33-4-1 with 27 Ko’s. He turned pro back in 2013 and has boxed 163 rounds since his debut. He possesses better-than-average power as 81.8 per cent of his victories have been by stoppage including just four of his last seven though. Butler certainly have the greatest chin in the division either. He was stopped by Brandon Cook in the seventh round in 2017 for his first pro loss and lost his NABA and IBF North American Super Welterweight Titles.
He then suffered two straight stoppage defeats in 2019 and 2021. The first came at the hands of Ryota Murata in the fifth round in December, 2019 in a shot at the WBA Middleweight Title. He didn’t fight again until January, 2021 and was halted again in the fifth round, this time by Jose de Jesus Macias in a shot at the vacant NABA, NABF, and WBC Francophone Middleweight Belts. He was also halted by Zhanibek Alimkhanuly in the second round in a shot at the WBO Middleweight Title last May.
Butler’s lone draw was an eight-round majority affair with Jaime Herrera in June, 2015 in a shot at the vacant NABF Junior Super Welterweight Title. However, he did manage to win the vacant IBF Youth Super Welterweight Title in 2016 when he stopped Sladan Janjanin in the third round. He captured the vacant IBO International Super Welterweight Crown when he stopped Jaime Herrera in a rematch in the 10th round in March, 2018. He stopped Jordan Balmir in the third round to take the vacant WBC Francophone Middleweight Title a few months later then then added the vacant WBC International Middleweight Belt with a 10-round split decision over Vitali Kopylenko in May, 2019.
Butler is just under 6-feet-tall with a 75-inch reach, which gives him a 1.5 inch height advantage and a three-inch edge in reach on Rolls. He enjoyed a good amateur career with a reported record of 50-5 and won a Canadian amateur title in 2013. He also has wins over Joshua Conley, Mark DeLuca, Carson Jones, Jesus Gutierrez, Janks Trotter, Ferdinand Pilz, Teemu Tuominen and Silverio Ortiz.
Prediction…
Butler has power but a suspect chin as all four of his losses have been by knockout. He’s 11 years younger than Rolls but doesn’t match him when it comes to pure boxing skills. This is an interesting matchup and it’s one I believe Rolls can win as long as he can stay on his feet. Both boxers should have their moments but I’m leaning towards Rolls in this one as he’s the better boxer overall and has a tougher chin.
Play Rolls -105 @ BetOnline.ag
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Steve Rolls betting • Steven Butler betting