Paul Butler promoted to full champion status after Casimero stripped of belt

Butler beat late stand-in Jonas Sultan on points in Liverpool last month after Casimero pulled out of the bout

Liverpool's Paul Butler has been elevated to WBO bantamweight world champion with John Riel Casimero stripped of the belt.

Butler, 33, was interim champion after beating Jonas Sultan last month, but has been promoted after Casimero failed to defend his title.

Philippines' Casimero was twice set to face Butler in the ring.

However a December date was postponed after he fell ill, while an April fight fell foul of Casimero's use of a sauna.

The 32-year-old used a sauna to shed weight before a proposed meeting with Butler in Liverpool, contrary to British Boxing Board of Control rules.

However his team had claimed they were unaware of the ban on sauna use, which is a common practice for fighters to make weight elsewhere in the world.

According to the World Boxing Organisation, British Boxing Board of Control officials' checks revealed Casimero had dropped 10lbs in three days in the build-up to the fight.

The WBO said Casimero had been warned that, after failing to make a mandatory title defence in nearly two and a half years, he would be stripped of the title if he was "unavailable to participate, fight, or engage for any reason whatsoever".

Butler, who has 34 wins from 36 fights, and Casimero could still meet however with the latter now installed as number one contender for the belt.

Butler becomes a two-time world champion having also had a stint as the IBF title-holder in 2014.