Hekkie Budler transitions from a boxer to a commentator and analyst

Retired former multiple-weight world boxing champion Hekkie “Hexecutioner” Budler has joined Boxing 5 Promotion as commentator and analyst, promoter Larry Weinstein has confirmed.

Budler hung up his gloves in March. His illustrious career began in 2007. He won the WBA and IBO mini-flyweight belts, the WBA, IBF and Ring Magazine junior-flyweight titles under trainer successful trainer/manager Colin “Nomakanjani” Nathan.

“Hekkie used to do commentary when I started in 2017 in Turffontein before I got together with Colin,” explains Weinstein. “When I started Boxing 5 all over again 14 months ago, Hekkie was available and he has already done work for us.”

Budler works alongside Hayden Jones — a former amateur boxer — who owns SA Boxing Talk which is an online boxing channel. That boxing consortium comprises MD Weinstein, Nathan and Riyaz Bhyat who is a dental laboratory technician and amateur boxing trainer who is in charge of the Booysens gym where Boxing 5 stages its tournaments.

Most of their tournaments have been televised by Vision View. But their recent event at Booysens gym was broadcast by DAZN, which is a British over-the-top sports streaming and entertainment platform.

Budler and Jones did commentary and analysis.

“I enjoy what I am doing,” said Budler. “It's still weird going to an event, looking at the fighters seeing them stress and I don't have to.”

When asked about what he misses the most as a boxer, he said: “The most I miss is that walk to the ring, the adrenaline rush. I have no regrets, maybe just the losses, but that's part of life.” Budler lost five of his 40 fights.

Weinstein first established the boxing company in 2017 to assist boxers who were trained by his brother Rocky Weinstein.

For strange reasons, the promotion did not last long. But Weinstein came back 14 months ago and he teamed up with trainer/manager Nathan and Bhyat.

They took Ludumo “9mm” Lamati to Ireland where he lost to that country's Nick Ball for the WBC silver featherweight title.

When it became clear that Lamati would not be able to continue as a fighter due to the injuries he sustained in his bout with Ball, Weinstein roped in the former IBO champ to be part of the consortium.

Lamati has a fitness gym in Sandton and he also manages some fighters whose careers are guided by their promotional company.

Budler retired after being unsuccessful in his attempt to dethrone WBA Super, WBC and The Ring junior-flyweight holder Kenshiro Teraji in Japan on March 8 last year.

Budler began training private clients at Nathan's HotBox Gym and also in Booysens gym. Said Nathan: “Hekkie is still very much involved with HotBox; he is part of the family and he gives valuable advice to young fighters.”