NABF light heavyweight champion Jean Pascal decisioned former IBF super middleweight champion Lucian Bute over 12 one-sided rounds?
Saturday night at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada, NABF light heavyweight champion Jean Pascal (29-2-1, 17 KOs) from Laval, Quebec, Canada, via Port-au-Prince, Haiti, decisioned former IBF super middleweight champion Lucian Bute (31-2, 24 KOs), also from Laval, Quebec, Canada, by way of Pechea, Romania, by scores of 116-112, 117-110 and 117-111 over 12 rounds.
Fighting out of the red corner in blue trunks with white trim, the favorite Pascal, after a tentative first round, proceeded to take control of the fight.
Bute, fighting out of the blue corner in white trunks trimmed with gold, was fighting his first fight at light heavyweight and for the most part was lackluster at a higher weight.
The fight was billed as Canada?s version of the Super Bowl but fell somewhat short of expectations. After an initial feeling out round that was slow, tense, and uneventful, with Pascal landing 6 punches to Bute?s 4, things began heating up in the second.
Pascal dominated the action in round two. The southpaw Bute landed a jab, followed by a straight left to the head and body, but Pascal rocked the Romanian late in the round, establishing a pattern that would continue for most of the night.
Relying on his superior skills, Bute had a convincing round three. Pascal hadn?t found his rhythm, that was to come, and the challenger was able to use his herky-jerky style to good effect. The action was limited, however, with Bute landing only 10 of 31 punches to Pascal?s 8 of 29.
Pascal came into his own in the fourth. After absorbing a body shot and two rights to the head, Bute, wary of getting nailed, proceeded to do nothing. He?d toss an occasional jab in Pascal?s direction, but little to deter the champ or win friends and influence people watching the fight or scoring ringside. A big right at the bell sealed the deal for Pascal, at least as concerned the fourth.
Pascal swept the next four rounds. Bute was always moving. He was always feinting. But he was hardly ever punching. He landed a nice uppercut and blow to the midsection in the fifth took some of the starch from Pascal?s sails. But Pascal, a wild and unconventional ring presence, was able to land his lead right hand again and again, whether as a clean punch or a cuffing shot behind the head.
Bute visited the ropes on several occasions, pushed back by the power of Pascal?s onslaught. Experienced enough to avoid being dropped, Bute was either gun-shy or rattled by Pascal?s indifference to his wellbeing.
Feeling generous, we gave Bute two of the first eight rounds. Harold Lederman, HBO?s unofficial ringside scorer, must have been feeling niggardly as he gave Le Tombeur zip, a score which Bute?s corner might have agreed.
?Do you have gas in the tank?? they asked him after the eighth. ?What?s your best punch? Your uppercut. Jab, uppercut. Jab, uppercut. Jab, uppercut. Get on him!?
Round nine was all Pascal. He continued to outwork Bute, who absorbed punishment without returning fire. Pascal?s corner, naturally enough, was as pleased as punch. ?You look like you?re having fun out there,? they said. ?Keep your punches short, and keep your punches coming.? Bute?s cornermen, by contrast, were beginning to lose it. ?You?re hesitating too much. There are more than 20,000 people watching this. Do you want this fight??
Bute landed 4 of 15 punches in the ninth to 15 of 21 for Pascal.
Pascal drew first blood in round 10. An accidental clash of heads stunned Pascal, but brought forth a gusher from above Bute?s nose. To make matters worse, Bute?s left eye was closing.
The champion began fading in the 11th. Bute, having seen the writing on the wall, even through a veil of blood, rallied to shock Pascal and win the round. Suddenly, what had seemed obvious for the length of the fight seemed obvious no longer.
The turnaround in the fight was reflected by the turnaround in the fighters? corners. Pascal was implored to ?Stay low. Stay low. Stay low.? Bute?s corner was more eloquent: ?Bring him to the ropes, where you have some zip to your punches. You have to bring him down. Go get him.?
?Go get him? is exactly what Bute did in the 12th. Whether Pascal was gassed or rattled by a hook wasn?t clear. What was clear was that Bute, facing a defeat he could ill afford, brought the fight to Pascal and put some serious hurt on the champ. He retreated to the corner where Bute threw everything at him but the kitchen sink. Whenever Pascal found the wherewithal to escape to the ring center, his legs were gone, as gone as his punches and will to fight.
Bute had landed 44 of 98 punches to 20 of 43 for Pascal in the 12th and final round. It was too little too late, but it was an exciting end to a sometimes less-than-exciting fight. Follow us on Twitter@boxing_com to continue the discussion
