Lucian Bute to Face Jean Paul Mendy in Romania on July 9
by Scott Christ on May 13, 2011 12:09 PM EDT
in Boxing News Analysis
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Super middleweight star Lucian Bute will return to the ring on July 9 in Bucharest, Romania, taking what really amounts to a tune-up fight against Jean Paul Mendy.
Bute (28-0, 23 KO) has caught some flak for keeping a fairly weak schedule overall in recent fights, and this isn't likely to change that. Mendy (29-0-1, 16 KO) has a pretty record, but the Frenchman is 37 years old, really no more than a fringe contender, and is only in line for an IBF title shot against Bute because of a DQ win "over" Sakio Bika last year, which came when Bika hit Mendy while he was down after 78 seconds of Bika smashing Mendy.
The upside here is that Bute is staying busy while the Super Six semifinals play out, and while Mikkel Kessler gets ready for his comeback against another French fighter, Mehdi Bouadla. Kessler will fight on June 4 in Copenhagen, and if all goes well, a fight with Bute this fall could follow. Both have expressed interest in facing one another this year, but Kessler has been out of the ring for over a year with an eye injury, and is testing everything out next month before taking a serious challenge.
It is also reported that prospect Pier Olivier Cote, who was impressive on the Showtime Extreme portion of the Pacquiao vs Mosley undercard, could be on the bill.
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This isn’t much of a fight, really. Mendy’s not going to be remotely competitive, and this is really just a foregone conclusion. I know the options are narrow for Bute, but surely there’s something better out there?
"Occasionally, there is a boxing match that, in its demonstration of skill, courage, intelligence, hope, seems to redeem the sport - almost. Perhaps boxing has always been a sport in crisis, a sport of crisis."
by Oli Goldstein on May 13, 2011 12:29 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
There is, but the IBF made Mendy the mandatory, so there you go. I guess he either gets rid of that now or it could get in the way of something truly better.
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"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
by Scott Christ on May 13, 2011 12:32 PM EDT up reply actions
It’s just a warm up fight for Kessler in the autumn…Kessler’s doing the same thing…
Hopefully, for me anyway, we get Ward v Froch and Bute v Kessler with the winners to face off in early 2011.
by Matt Mosley on May 13, 2011 12:33 PM EDT up reply actions
Yep, I hope Bute does go on to fight Kessler. But this whole ‘its a warm up fight’ – he’s been fighting bloody warm up fights forever now, it seems. Edison Miranda, Jesse Brinkley, Brian Magee and now Jean-Paul Mendy? Its not a very good looking slate.
"Occasionally, there is a boxing match that, in its demonstration of skill, courage, intelligence, hope, seems to redeem the sport - almost. Perhaps boxing has always been a sport in crisis, a sport of crisis."
by Oli Goldstein on May 13, 2011 12:49 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
True
To be fair to him though, i think he would have taken the Kessler fight straight away but MK wouldn’t have come straight back at that level.
Maybe his title is important to him and he would have took the mandatory anyway though.
I’m still not convinced by him…He might be more talented than Arthur Abraham but he is just doing the same thing as he did in Germany, fighting 2nd and 3rd raters.
He might get a shock when he gets in with the top dogs.
by Matt Mosley on May 13, 2011 12:53 PM EDT up reply actions
I agree with you, Matt. He is, though, as you point out, more talented than Arthur Abraham, and it’ll be interesting to see whether the top guys bring the best out of him, or instead expose some of those defensive deficiencies which Bute does have. The Kessler fight should be a very, very interesting bout.
"Occasionally, there is a boxing match that, in its demonstration of skill, courage, intelligence, hope, seems to redeem the sport - almost. Perhaps boxing has always been a sport in crisis, a sport of crisis."
by Oli Goldstein on May 13, 2011 1:09 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Completely agree with this. It seems like his next real opponent is perpetually one fight away. If Kessler is healthy but Bute ends up taking on Pavlik next instead, then I’m inclined to agree with Froch that he should not automatically receive first crack at the winner of the Super Six.
If Froch beats Johnson impressively, he’s going up to No. 2 in my SMW rankings. I really do understand the situation here, but at that point Froch’s resume would completely blow Bute’s out of the water.
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
by Scott Christ on May 13, 2011 1:53 PM EDT up reply actions
Froch/Hatton comparison
Am curious if Froch wins against GJ, how does his resume stack up against Ricky’s?
I was curious to compare their relative success vs. notoriety. I get the impression that many posters feel Frochy is underappreciated: would a final place, or even a win, reverse that and propel him to (perhaps) the most successful UK boxer since Lewis?
I like Froch as both a boxer and a personality and even though he’s had a great standard of opp, he has been in a few close ones there and lost to Kessler, who Calzaghe beat fairly handily.
I’m a bigger fan of Froch’s style than Calzaghe but he would have to do a lot to beat Joe’s 46-0, undisputed champ achievements, imo.
I hope he goes on to become one of our best recent fighters though.
There’s a lot of good fights out there for him.
To be fair to him, he could do with an easy payday fight after the Super 6, imo.
He had one of the toughest schedule’s of any active fighter.
By bthe time Froch gets to Bute, he (Froch) will be raw meat as in used up.
First Johnson and then Ward. Ugh. That will take its toll unless he fighs like he did against AA. Meanwhile, Bute waits until he see his opening and then shoots his killee uppercut and xollects his pay and waits for his next easy pay day. Sound like a fine plan to me.
"Luck is when preparation meets opportunity." - Mike Quarry
Not for me
IMO, he clearly lost to Dirrell, actual record notwithstanding. I can’t count that as a win. And Glen Johnson’s best career win at 168 is still Allan Green.
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
Allan Green > the guys Bute is fighting
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
by Scott Christ on May 13, 2011 6:01 PM EDT up reply actions
Dirrell is the other possible option
Kessler might not bite
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
Bute took the easy (some would argue smart) path; fight limited fighters for good $$$$, and wait for the super six winner. Hope Kessler takes him and ruins that plan.
It hurt Lemuiex. Hope it doesn't do the same to Bute.
"Luck is when preparation meets opportunity." - Mike Quarry
It's not his fault b/c the best at 68 are in the S6
But, that doesn’t make his resume any better. It better be Kessler in the Fall as long as Kessler is up for it, or the Froch/Johnson loser, or it is time to be critical of Bute. I, for one, don’t believe he’s dodged anyone – I mean he went to Showtime so he could have a go at the S6 fighters once they are done.
This
is pretty much how i see it.
Maybe he shoudn’t be ranked so highly when looking at his quality of opp but the,as you say, he can’t do nothing about the Super 6.
Showtime
should have had him in there in the first place and,from what i’ve read from Ken Hershman, they didn’t really do all that much to try and get him in.
There are two theories:
1. He asked (asks) for too much money to have fit into the Super Six, and this is understandable given he’s a legit draw in Montreal and makes good money to risk nothing against Jesse Brinkley and Edison Miranda.
2. He was never asked to be in the tournament at all.
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
by Scott Christ on May 13, 2011 2:27 PM EDT up reply actions
My understanding is that they never asked Pavlik or Bute
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
It should also be noted that he had to find someone willing to fight him in Romania for this particular fight. Not a huge pool of even fringe contenders itching to go to Romania for a fight.
Bad Left Hook
"To the town of Agua Fria rode a stranger one fine day..."
They've been trying to get him to fight there for a while now
The Romanian govt says they’ll give him 1M Euro to fight there, so it was a no-brainer for him to fight there eventually. Plus, this one probably won’t get televised, so it’s a good way for Showtime to not have to televise this mandatory defense.
Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."
Haha
A buddy of mine got sent out there working.
He said it was like going back in time 100 years.{Packs of wild dogs roaming the streets.
“Hell on earth” were his exact words, i think.
Some day I'll show you a video called "Vacation in Romanis." Brutal.
"Luck is when preparation meets opportunity." - Mike Quarry
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