Lucian Bute

Jones Jr: Pascal has a strong plan B for Bute fight

bute343By Matt Earnst: Roy Jones Jr. is mentoring former WBC light heavyweight champion Jean Pascal (28-2-1, 17 KO’s) for his upcoming bout against Lucian Bute (31-1, 24 KO’s) this month on January 18th at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada. Jones Jr. says that Pascal will try to box Bute initially to see how that goes.

They don’t want to go out quickly and try and overpower the soon to be 34-year-old Bute immediately in the same way that Carl Froch did in stopping him in the 5th round two years ago in May of 2012. With Pascal’s hand speed and boxing ability, he has other options available to him that the slow-fisted, slow-moving Froch didn’t have to use in his fight against Bute. So what Jones Jr. wants Pascal to do is to try and box Bute, and if that doesn’t work then he wants him to switch to plan B to look to blast him out the way that Froch did.

Jean Pascal and Lucian Bute are ready!

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InterBox and Groupe Yvon Michel (GYM) are very pleased to confirm the rescheduled date for the much anticipated Light Heavyweight bout featuring Jean Pascal (28-2-1, 17 KO) vs. Lucian Bute (31-1-0, 24 KO). This local bout with high International intrigue will take place on Saturday, January 18th 2014 at the Montreal Bell Centre. HBO World Championship Boxing will televise.

This high profile bout between two former World champions was originally scheduled to take place last May 25th, but was postponed due to an injury to Lucian Bute’s left hand.

Yvon Michel, President of GYM, is very enthusiastic that this long awaited bout is finally rescheduled: “We are preparing for an event like no other in Canadian history. This event will be the new measuring stick for us in our sport, and this statement is true as much for boxing fans as it is for the fight itself and the intensity surrounding it”.

Bute-Pascal to fight, possibly on May 25th

bute2By Jeff Sorby: Jean Pascal (27-2-1, 16 KO’s) and former IBF super middleweight champion Lucian Bute (31-1, 24 KO’s) have agreed for a fight that could take place in May, possibly on May 25th or at a later date. The fight will take place at 175, so Bute will have to move up in weight to make this happen.

It makes a lot of sense for Bute to be moving up, and staying up that weight because his chances of finding success in the weak light heavyweight division is a lot better than it is if he stays at 168.

Bute was stopped last May in the 5th round by Carl Froch, and the way that Bute was beaten suggests that the results would be the same if he fought Froch again. If Bute can’t hang with Froch, then it’s highly likely he won’t be able to hang with the likes of Andre Ward, Mikkel Kessler and Arthur Abraham.

The Bute-Pascal fight will be absolutely huge because both of these fighters typically sell out each time they fight in Montreal, and this is going to be much bigger given that they’re facing each other. They’re talking about possibly staging the fight at the Bell Centre, Olympic Stadium, or an outdoor football stadium in Quebec.

Bute could face Bika-Sjekloca winner for WBC 168 lb strap in the spring

bute54By Michael Collins: Former IBF super middleweight champion Lucian Bute (31-1, 24 KO’s) could be facing the winner of the February 16th clash between Sakio Bika and Nikola Sjekloca. Those two fighters will be fighting for the interim WBC super middleweight title at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

There’s talk that the World Boxing Council will elevate the current WBC 168 pound champion Andre Ward to the WBC Emeritus status and then free up his WBC World super middleweight title for the Bika-Sjekloca winner to claim it. Bute then reportedly could be fighting the winner of that fight by spring this year, according to RDS.ca.

It would be really helpful for the 32-year-old Bute to pick up the WBC title because it would put him in a better position during negotiations for a rematch with IBF super middleweight champion Carl Froch later on this year. Bute’s bargaining position would be a lot better if he’s a title holder than just a challenger without a belt.

Arum: Pavlik vs. Bute possible for March

bute554By Marcus Richardson: Top Rank promoter Bob Arum says a fight between former IBF super middleweight champion Lucian Bute (31-1, 24 KO’s) and Kelly Pavlik (40-2, 34 KO’s) is possible by March of this year. Bute is one of the names that Pavlik’s management is working on putting a fight deal with for March.

Arum said to 8countnews.com “I talked with Cameron Dunkin. They’re working on a big fight with Pavlik for the first three months of the year. One of the names is Lucian Bute.”

Bute’s promoter Jean Bedard mentioned recently that he’s interested in putting together a fight between Pavlik and Bute. Whether it can happen is still unclear, but it’s a great fight for both guys. Pavlik needs a big win over a fighter with a name because he’s done nothing for the last two years other than facing weak opposition.

Bute lost to Carl Froch last year in May in a disappointing 5th round TKO loss. Bute didn’t look like he had put a good game plan together because he didn’t have a plan B to fall back on after it was clear that Froch had too much power for him to fight in the center of the ring in a toe-to-toe battle. Bute needed to shift into a hit and run style that he had used earlier in his career to great success.

Pavlik-Bute in talks for a fight

bute454341By Jeff Sorby: Former WBO/WBC middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik isn’t too happy about losing out on his fight with WBA/WBC super middleweight champion Andre Ward, who had to pull out of his scheduled February 23rd fight after hurting his right shoulder in training.

Pavlik could be in the process of getting a much more winnable fight against former IBF super middleweight champion Lucian Bute in March or April next year. Pavlik’s manager has been in talks with Bute’s promoter Jean Bedard and thus far it’s looking good.

Both Pavlik and Bute are badly in need of a big win right now. Pavlik has done little with his career since losing to Sergio Martinez in 2010 by a 12 round decision in 2010. Pavlik has fought sparingly since then, mostly against C level opposition. Pavlik passed up the chance to fight Bute last year and instead chose Antonio Lopez, who almost beat him. Since then, Pavlik has really downgraded his opposition and has done a lot better.

Froch could end up having to face Adonis Stevenson next, not Bute

By Michael Collins: Eddie Hearn, the promoter for IBF super middleweight champion Carl Froch, is hoping the International Boxing Federation will allow Froch to temporarily bypass his IBF mandatory challenger Adonis Stevenson in order to try and get a rematch with former IBF champ Lucian Bute. However, it’s unclear whether the IBF will allow Froch to skip the Stevenson bout and it’s also unknown if Bute even wants the Froch rematch right now.

Grachev: I only lost three or four rounds against Bute

Grachev: I only lost three or four rounds against ButeBy Michael Collins: Former NABF light heavyweight champion Denis Grachev (12-1-1, 8 KO’s) was having a hard time coming to terms with his 12 round unanimous decision loss to former IBF super middleweight champion Lucian Bute (31-1, 24 KO’s) last Saturday night at the Bell Centre, in Montreal, Candada. Grachev, 30, felt that he lost no more than four rounds at the most despite the fact that he was getting hit with the better shots and not doing enough against the defensive-minded Bute to win.

Grachev said after the fight as quoted by the Montrealgazette.com “The judges were unfair. Maybe I lost three or four rounds.”

I had Grachev winning three to four rounds, but I couldn’t give him 8 or 9 rounds without ignoring all the jabs and left uppercuts that Bute was nailing him with all throughout the fight. If you ignore Bute’s nice shots then you can give Grachev 9 rounds easy. However, that’s not how boxing is. It’s natural that Grachev isn’t happy about losing the fight, but he needs to sit down and watch the fight again to see how he failed to do the things he needed to do in order to win.