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Cloutier’s Canada Corner
InterBox Now Interested In A
Bute-Pascal Fight
By Daniel Cloutier
MONTRÉAL - The promoter of the GYM Group, Yvon Michel, is
admitting that the promoter of InterBox, Jean Bédard, has
approached him last week-end to talk seriously about a fight
between Lucian Bute and Jean Pascal. Several times, Yvon
Michel made that suggestion to Bédard, but the answer of the
InterBox boss was always, “No Lucian still fighting in the
super middleweight division.”
Pascal is preparing himself for his rematch with Chad Dawson
(31-2-0), scheduled for May 25th at Bell Centre. The GYM
Group, Gary Shaw, the promoter of Dawson, and HBO, have
already made an agreement for this important event. “I have
challenged (27-2-1) Bute several times since four years, and
InterBox has always said no,” said Pascal. “InterBox is
interested now? Perfect, but I got to take care of Dawson in
first. I want to take back my WBC light heavyweight
championship belt. After Dawson, it would be my pleasure to
fight Bute. It would be a gigantic event in Canada,
especially in Montréal. The atmosphere at Bell Centre would
be electric, with fans of both fighters in each side of the
building.”
Bute (31-1-0) is supposed to fight Sakio Bika (31-5-2), from
Cameroun, in May in Bucharest. But InterBox did not confirm
anything yet. Bute, who had a surgery to cure inflammation
to his right arch eyebrows three weeks ago, is hoping to
fight in May to be better prepared to face… Pascal or Froch.
Saturday, Bika won a WBC elimination bout (unanimous
decision) against Nikola Sjekloca (25-1-0), from Montenegro,
in Atlantic City. If Bute, who will get married in June in
Romania, fights Pascal next fall, his
rematch with Carl Froch could never happen. Froch, who
dethroned Bute as IBF super middleweight champion of the
world May 26th in Nottingham (TKO in the 5th round), will
have a rematch with the Danish Mikkel Kessler (46-2-0) May
25th in London. Froch has already mentioned that after
Kessler, he wants to give a rematch to Bute next fall in
Montréal, faces Andre Ward for a second time next
spring in England… and takes his retirement.”
For Bute, it would be not difficult to move up in the light
heavyweight division (175 pounds) to face Pascal. He is
6'2'', and since two years, it is more and more difficult
for him to maintain his weight at 168 (super middleweight
division).
Pascal was the WBC light heavyweight champion of the world
in 2011, but he lost the belt to the veteran Bernard Hopkins
(52-6-2) May21st 2011 at Bell Centre (unanimous decision).
Hopkins lost the title to Dawson April 28th 2012 in Atlantic
City (majority decision).
If Pascal is dreaming for long time about a fight with Bute,
Dawson was dreaming of a rematch with Pascal, who beat him
by technical decision (11th round) August 14th 2010 at Bell
Centre.
At his last bout, September 8th in Oakland, Dawson lost by
TKO against Andre Ward (26-0-0) in a WBC and WBA super
middleweight championship bout. But he kept his WBC light
heavyweight crown.
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