FINAL and OFFICIAL +++ Jean Pascal vs. Lucian Bute - who you got? +++

im going with pascal buy ud. he's the better fighter, boxer and athlete.

 

I agree that Pascal is the type of fighter that Bute is vulnerable against.
They must have something that they want to try, and test, see how it goes against Froch.

From what we see Bute can't keep guys of him for the whole 12 rouds, his jab is decent but doesn't stop guys like Andrade, Froch, Pascal, simply lacks the power, as most of his straight punches. There is some power but not enugh to make a good chin fighter that comes forward to stop, not enught to discourage them.
So he has to box & move also use his counter-puncher ability from time to time and not excesive, the exact same thing that he did with Andrade.
And on top of that it would help if he improved in two areas, grab & hold or push him away ,with all that means, when his opponent is in a distance that he doesn't like he need to close it and neutralize it if he can't move and get out, or push him away make distance for his shots, and also when he'll find himself against the ropes or again in that distance his vulnerable in he needs to start using his reflexes(Like against Gracev) and start using some short compact punches that I know he has, not necessarily powerful, just to stop his opponent unleashing his wide strong ones. He needs to stop freezing and guard-up, like it happened against Froch and few times against Gracev to. The answer is not to go wild like against Gracev, and not just using counter-punches there, but to take initiative and do a 2-3 punch combination and move out. And again very important not JUST guard-up, cuz it's a KO waiting to happen, sooner or later, with all that Guard it will only lead to that.

Also about what you said with the jabs, they all get past the jab, at this level, even the best jab, the important thing is what you do once they're past it, you either move and create distance or respond with something that stop them in their tracks, or clinch. Bute's problem was that he didn't had many opponents of that level who gone past that jab and troubled him. And I believe because of that he completely lacks solutions, never improved that area of his game because he didn't really had to. Not against the C fighters of the division, that he faced. ****er-punching worked against Andrade because of his sloppy defense, I'm guessing that why he based his whole game-plan on that against Froch. Do you remember Bute saying he waited to much for the counter ? after his defeat ?

You totally puzzled me when you said Pascal handled Hopkins pace-wise.
Hopkins, is the one who drops his opponent work-rate, by moving getting there first and holding like a lot, and probably tires you a bit with all the clinch-wrestling.
Dawson 50+ punches/round average, dropped when facing Hopkins at 30 punches/round.
Pascal 40 punches/round average, dropped when facing Hopkins at about 25 punches/round.

Pascal tires very very bad in the last 2-3 rounds, remember his fights with Diaconu. Where not only in the late round but in middle round also it were moments, 1 mintue or even longer where he didn't do nothing, simply just moving around, and not trow anything?
Bute can win rounds against him, quite a few. The real problem would be the first 4-5 where Pacal will have a great chance of Knocking him Down.

Also keep in mind that Pascal is probably gonna fight at a distance that suits Bute, or even further at a distance that doesn't bother Bute at all. He like to stay outside, and jump in from a distance he is far away of his opponents reach. From that distance, Bute will also have enough time to set up his counters.

Pascal does have a good fast and powerful straight that Bute is very vulnerable against, as he showed against Froch to.

 

Pascal take zee tess!!
For zee fans!!
For zeee fans!!!

 

Bute/IB don't have many options left. I think this is a cash-out fight. If Bute's stock goes any lower, they wouldn't sell out the Bell Center. This is not a fight to prepare Bute for Froch, that's for sure.

Exactly. Hence, game over for Bute, because Pascal has a very good right that will land, and he is very game to finish Bute up after that.

Pascal is VERY different from Andrade. He doesn't move forward in a straight line. Bute's ability to do these things is not good enough against someone like Pascal. See the Froch fight, for example.

He cannot improve his grab at all. Pascal does even better in a clinch than Froch. Bute will grab badly and get roughed up big-time. He cannot push Pascal either because Pascal grabs with one hand and hits Bute with the other behind the head. Pascal wouldn't allow Bute to set up his short punches a la Andrade KD, because he is not as predictable in moving forward. Game over.

Stop freezing? In another life. Bute cannot change this aspect of the game. He could not stop freezing against Grachev, ffs.

Bute cannot throw combinations against Pascal because Pascal doesn't sit there to be hit, at least not in the first 3/4 of the fight.

Yap, Bute will guard up and he'll get hit HARD. KO waiting to happen, as you say.

No. Bute simply cannot improve those areas of his game. He's certainly not going to get better now. Bute is past his best, I think.

Pascal did well enough pace-wise against Hopkins, the master. If he can handle Hopkins well enough to get by, he can definitely handly Bute, pace-wise. Bute fights in spurts too, he's not as hard-working as Froch, and this will allow Pascal to catch his breath before exploding again.

Pascal's conditioning will be the best ever. Bute will give Pascal time to breathe, because he doesn't have the intensity of Froch... and he doesn't move forward like Diaconu either. Totally different style.

Yeah, maybe he can win 2-3 rounds late on, but only assuming he's not been KOed or hurt badly by then. Big if. Not enough to win 7 rounds, though, or even 6...

No way. If Pascal could force his own distance on Dawson, he can certainly impose his distance on Bute. Bute is not precise or good enough to counter Pascal effectively enough. If Dawson couldn't do it, Bute definitely cannot.

Yap. Even C+/B- level fighters have landed their right hand repeatedly against Bute, forcing Bute to freeze/panic. Pascal will have a field day with his.

We seem to agree! Watch the Pascal vs. Hopkins 1 fight and you'll see it too.

Pascal TKO6.

 

You completely lost confidence in him. I believe he can improve in few of those areas of his game and would do better than his fight with Froch.

 

Maybe I have lost confidence in him. But looking back on it, I had much too much confidence in him and I was indulging in a lot of wishful thinking...

edit: Bute DOES need an edge. He needs a bit of venom, like he had against Andrade (2). Can he get that?

 

I'd like to see your pre Froch fight analysis . I think you might be too pessimistic here. Matches are unique. Its not like you see one, you see all of them. Bute might improve, they didnt take this fight knowing Bute's gonna finish on his ass. His coach isnt stupid. We'll have to see the fight and then we'll be able to draw more conclusions.

 

I envision the end of Interbox as the bully's of Quebec.:good

 

Apologies if I'm overly negative. Of course it would be great if Bute showed improvement, if they both performed very well and if the fight went to the wire. Even more important than that for me is that there be no controversies or bad blood following the fight. This is a gift for boxing fans in Montreal/Quebec. Let's hope the fans leave with a sweet taste in their mouth, no matter who wins and how.:good

 

Bute doesn't have to improve to beat Pascal. He just has to be himself again. I don't know if he can but I wouldn't bet against him.

 

Wow, laffie! Bute will be glad to know he still has fans like you!:deal

:good:thumbsup

 

Pascal murks him