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Ooh la la, Lucian Bute stands atop super middle mountain
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Lucian Bute has erased any doubts about being better than iron jawed Librado
Andrade. (AP Photo)
Ironic, isn’t it?
After all the time, money and energy Showtime has expended on its Super Six super middleweight tournament, it has been revealed that archrival HBO has the one card that trumps their six.
Based on his terrific four round demolition of iron-chinned Librado Andrade Saturday night in Quebec City, Lucian Bute, the Romanian who thrives fighting out of Montreal in La Belle Provence, sits atop the world 168 pound heap.
It’s also ironic that, if he had stayed with promoter Mogens Palle and not jumped ship to another promoter, that Mikkel Kessler could have fought (and, it says here, beaten) Bute instead of taking a wicked beatdown by American Andre Ward. Palle had tentative talks about a Bute-Kessler bout and Bute’s connections were keen on such a bout either in Montreal or Copenhagen.
So far, Kessler’s Showtime adventure has been great for the American network and the new American star, Ward, but not so brilliant for the Dane.
Bute doesn’t need the Showtime Six, not when he would have an appealing HBO match against Kelly Pavlik. I have to believe that Pavlik promoter Bob Arum would prefer to steer Pavlik in that direction rather than to toss the “Ghost” into a more difficult bout against that octopus named Paul Williams.
Pavlik is a big ticket seller. Bute is a huge ticket seller.
There’s no reason why, given some fariness in selecting officials, that Pavlik should not go to Canada to challenge Bute. There’s box office and TV rating magic inherent in that pairing.
As for the TV opening bout, I must be forthright and admit that, due to a prolonged association with a fondness for Joan Guzman, it’s impossible for me to score his bouts in any neutral manner.
Having said that, I did have long-limbed South African Ali Funeka ahead 115-113 after their 12 round bout for the vacant IBF lightweight crown.
It came out a draw with two 114-114 scores and those crying “robbery” on behalf of Funeka would be hard pressed to explain how two Canadians and one American would favor either fighter. For the record, it was American Joe Pasquale who favored Funkea, 116-112.
They could’ve called this “There Will Be Blood” as Guzman’s face was a gory mess. But you don’t score a fight based on blood alone.
Let them do it again.
I’m glad that old friend Guzman has answered all doubts about making the lightweight limit and his courage.
The Dominican’s career may still be, at age 33, stuck in neutral but there will be other nights, other fights and hopefully some where he doesn’t need a step ladder to reach his much bigger foe.
I, for one, still think Guzman-Edwin Valero would be a fun fight. Nobody will pay much for it but it's a fun fight regardless.
Send your comments: mlcmarley@aol.com
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