by James Slater: Reigning IBF super-middleweight champion Lucian Bute of Canada will make the 2nd defence of his world title on October 24th when he faces teak-tough Mexican Librado Andrade. The fight will take place in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, the scene of all but four of the champion’s 22 pro fights. In the 29-year-old Andrade, Bute will be meeting a very hardened warrior.
Bute, a talented 6’2″ southpaw who was born in Romania 28 years ago, won the title with an 11th round TKO over Colombia’s Alejandro Berrio back in October of last year. Since then “Le Tombeur” has turned back the challenge of former world champion at middleweight, William Joppy – a fighter who had undeniably seen better days. Bute stopped him in the 10th round. Making defence number two against the rock-chinned Mexican who lives in California, it is likely Bute will be tested like never before..
Andrade, also 6’2,” is a quite unbelievably resilient fighter. In his fight against Yusaf Mack last October, for instance, the Mexican, currently 27-1(21) took an alarming number of full-blooded shots in an exciting war, only to take them all and come on to win by stoppage after seven action packed rounds. In his last fight, a fine 8th round TKO win over Robert Stieglitz of Germany, Andrade earned his shot at Bute. Be certain the supremely tough fighter will make the most of this, his second crack at a world title. Losing on points to then WBA and WBC 168 pound champ Mikkel Kessler in March of 2007 in a fight that took place in the champ’s home country of Denmark, Andrade was simply out-boxed. Will the 22-0(18) Bute be able to do the same thing to him?
It’s unlikely Bute, though he’s a good puncher, will be able to stop Andrade. Simply because no-one else has ever been able to do it. But will the southpaw be able to outclass the somewhat crude tough guy? Andrade has met southpaws before. In his only other visit to Canada, back in April of 2006, the 29-year-old stopped and retired lefty Otis Grant. Therefore Bute’s stance will not present Andrade with too many problems.
I think a definite distance fight is in store, even though both men can bang pretty good. In what is sure to be a close one, I take the quicker Bute to retain his championship on points. To do this, however, the IBF champ may well have to dig deeper than he ever has before.