By Lem Satterfield, FanHouse
Romanian-born left-handed IBF super middleweight (168 pounds) champion, Lucian Bute, may not only be the most dominant fighter in his weight class, but also, among the most dominant boxers in the sport, overall.
For if Bute isn't stopping fighters with his vicious body shots, as he did during fourth-round stoppage of his past two rivals, Fulgencio Zuniga, and, Librado Andrade, then the Canadian resident is simply completely outclassing them on points.
"Bute is in a different league. Bute, who is not a huge puncher, was able to knock out both Librado Andrade and Fulgencio Zuniga -- two extremely rugged and durable fighters," said Scott Crouse, co-host Ballroom Boxing Report, Baltimore's ESPN Radio 1300AM. "Those two knockouts happened because Bute is smart and surgically precise with his punches."
On Saturday night, Bute will put his record of 25-0, with 20 knockouts, on the line against hard hard-hitting, Colombian, Edison Miranda (33-4, 29 KOs) before Bute's partisan fans at the Bell Center in Montreal.
HBO has paired Bute-Miranda as a double-header with Kelly Pavlik (36-1, 32 KOs) defending his WBC and WBO middleweight (160 pounds) crowns against Spain's southpaw, WBC junior middleweight (154 pounds) champion, Sergio Martinez (44-2-2, 24 KOs).
"It will certainly be a pleasure for me to box again at the Bell Centre and to defend my title for the fifth time in front of my fans," said the 29-year-old Bute,in an earlier statement. "I am taking Miranda very seriously. He demolished many good fighters and is a notorious puncher. I will have to keep my concentration level on high to stay champion."
In November, Bute twice dropped the steel-chinned, Andrade (28-3, 21 KOs), a native of Mexico who lives in La Habra, Calif., who was knocked out for the first time in his career.
Bute had dropped the 31-year-old Andrade with a short left hand to the chin early in the round before finishing him with a hard, left to the rib cage from which left Andrade being counted out on all fours.
Bute-Andrade was a rematch of the champion's unanimous decision victory over Andrade in October of 2008, which ended in controversy at the Bell Centre in Montreal.
In that fight, Bute had to bravely survive a near-final round knockout against Andrade, who entered the bout at 24-1 with 18 stoppages and with his lone defeat having come by decision against Denmark's former WBA super middleweight king Mikkel Kessler (42-2, 32 KOs).
"We found out a few things about Bute after he stopped Librado Andrade," said, Joe Santoliquito, managing editor Ring Magazine, "and one of those things is that Bute can punch."
But he can also box.
Bute's last bout with Andrade notwithstanding -- he won by the scores of 117-109, 115-111, and, 115-110 -- the southpaw's resume has been one of dominance, whether stopping or widely out-pointing his opponents.
Before rematching Andrade, Bute was coming off of the March, 2009, stoppage of Zuniga.
But during two fights in 2006, Andre Thysse lost 120-107, 120-108, and, 120-109, and, Loleng Mock, 120-109, 120-108, and, 118-111.
In February and June of 2007, respectively, Bute dominated Sergey Tatevosyan, 119-108, on two judges' cards, and, 120-108, on the third; as well as Sakio Bika, 118-109, on two cards, and, 116-111, on the third.
During some of his most recent knockouts, the Canadian was ahead 98-92, twice, and, 97-93 on the third card before stopping Berrio, and he was pitching a shutout, 90-80, on all three cards before scoring a 10th-round knockout over former world champion, William Joppy.
Joppy had gone the distance with Bernard Hopkins and Jermain Taylor, and was stopped for only the second time in his career. The other time Joppy was knocked out was against Felix Trinidad in the fifth round in May of 2001.
"Bute uses the ring well," said Steve Farhood, Showtime boxing analyst. "Bute is very good defensively, has excellent, excellent balance, and everything you need against a pressure fighter."
The 33-year-old Miranda is coming off of October's first-round knockout of Francisco Sierra, of Mexico, who slipped to 20-3 with 19 knockouts, ending a winning streak of nine straight KOs since being stopped in the 10th round by Rigoberto Alverez in December of 2006.
In victory, Miranda rebounded from May's unanimous decision loss to former Olympic gold medalist Andrew Ward (21-0, 13 KOs), who dethroned Kessler as WBA king in November of Showtime's Super Six Super Middleweight World Boxing Classic.
Miranda's win over Sierra marked his first time working with trainer Joe Goossen, brother of Miranda's promoter, Dan Goossen. Miranda won his first 26 fights, with the initial 21 coming by way of knockout, and an incredible 16 of those being in the first round.
Among Miranda's biggest victories was a March, 2007 unanimous decision over Allan Green (29-1, 20 KOs) of Tulsa, Oklahoma, whom he out-pointed over 10 rounds, 96-91, on two cards, and, 97-90, on the third.
Green, who dropped Miranda in the eighth round, has since won six consecutive fights, four of them by knockout, and has been inserted into the Super Six to face Ward in June.
Green replaced former world champion, Jermain Taylor, who pulled out of the Super Six after being knocked out by Germany's Arthur Abraham (31-0, 25 KOs).
Nicknamed "Pantera," or "Panther," Miranda had lost four of his previous 10 fights heading into the matchup against Sierra. But Miranda began working in June with Joe Goossen, who has complimented the fighter's punching power with improved boxing skills and dietary habits.
Including Ward, Miranda's losses have all been to world champions.
Miranda has lost twice, by decision, and, knockout respectively, to Abraham, in September of 2006, and, June of 2008, and he was stopped in the seventh round in May of 2007 by Pavlik, who went on to dethrone Taylor as WBO and WBC middleweight (160 pounds) titlist.
In his first bout against Abraham, in Germany, Miranda broke the then IBF middleweight champ's jaw in the fourth round. Abraham, nevertheless, fought on in a bout that appeared dangerously close to being stopped.
Source: boxing.fanhouse.com
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