Montreal, Thursday August 12th, 2006 – World rated super middleweight sensation Lucian Bute (17-0-0, 15 KO) is set to climb back into the ring this upcoming September 15th 2006 at the Bell Centre in Montreal. Bute is scheduled to face off against hard punching James Obede Toney (18-1-1, 16 KO) who has scored impressive KO victories in 16 of his 20 professional bouts. The orthodox fighter from Ghana is promoted by Don King Promotions, and has been living in the USA since he turned pro.
Toney is considered a blue chip prospect on his way up the boxing ladder, having won the prestigious WBC International title in the Middleweight division. He is rated in the #12 position by the WBA, coming off a hard fought draw in his last bout against WBA #2 Middleweight contender Randy Griffin (24-1-2, 12 KO) to conserve his WBC International title. He is also rated #21 by the WBC in the Super Middleweight division.
“This is the third time in a row that we take a risk on a dangerous opponent for Lucian. James Obede Toney hits as hard as his KO percentage indicates, and Lucian has not faced such power since his victory over Christian Cruz.. We’re going to test Lucian’s chin with this fight, and I am certain Lucian will leave the ring with more experience than ever” states head trainer Stephan Larouche.
“The Shark” invades the Bell Centre
Those in attendance at the Bell Centre will be able to see Adrian “the Shark” Diaconu (22-0-0,14 KO) live in action! Talks of Adrian headlining a card in Romania did not materialize. The current WBC International Light Heavyweight champion will be taking on Martin “Smiley” Verdin (13-6-1, 8 KO). It is very doubtful that “Smiley” will have anything to smile about after he exits the ring.
Undefeated Heavyweight Jean-Francois Bergeron (24-0-0, 17 KO) is also scheduled to lace up his gloves on September 15th, against a yet to be named opponent. Stephan Larouche is presently negotiating terms for such fight with select promoters and managers. Benoit Gaudet is looking forward to his rematch against Henry Arjona, and Antonin Decarie (10-0-0, 4 KO) and Sebastien Gaudet (7-0-0) will also appear on the card, both against TBA.
Tickets still on sale
Those who do not want to miss out on the action can purchase tickets through the InterBox web site ( www.interbox.ca ), through the Admissions network (www.admission.com or 514-790-1245) and at the Club de boxe Champion.