By Jake Donovan

Assuming all goes well in their upcoming bouts, Hekkie Budler and Katsunari Takayama appear on course for a strawweight unification bout later this year.

Outspoken promoter Rodney Berman—who guides Budler’s career—has set aside a November 6 date in Monte Carlo for such an event, although several factors remain in play in order for the fight to happen.

First up is a June 6 optional defense for Budler (28-1, 9KOs), who is coming off of a hard-fought 12-round decision over former titlist Jesus Silvestre in February. The latest win took place in Monte Carlo, which has hosted Budler’s last three starts.

His upcoming fight in June will mark a return home to Emperors Palace in Kempton Park, South Africa. The venue is a home away from home for Budler, having made his pro debut there in July ’07 and which hosted 21 of his 29 pro fights to date.

An opponent has yet to be named for Budler’s homecoming bout, which will come with two belts at stake.

Takayama (28-7, 11KOs) was also a two-belted titlist before vacating one strap earlier this month after having reclaimed both in vacant capacity with a 7th round knockout win over Go Odaira last New Year’s Eve.

The holiday slugfest was his first fight back from his 12-round war with Francisco Rodriguez Jr. in August, a strawweight unification bout honored by BoxingScene.com as 2014 Fight of the Year. Rodriguez abandoned the division soon thereafter, prompting the two sanctioning bodies whose titles he left behind to once again work together for Takayama-Odaira.

One belt still remains around Takayama’s waist, as he defends on April 22 versus Thailand’s Fahlan Sakreerin at home in Osaka, Japan.

Providing that both fighters win, a roll of the dice in Monte Carlo looks to be in their future.

“We’ve chased and chased Takayama. Now we finally have him,” claims Berman, though also recognizing the other side’s eagerness to move forward with such a fight. “To be fair, he had also thrown out a few challenges on social media, so he’s a very willing participant.”

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