For me this match is reminiscent of the Paulie-Judah and Lara-Trout fights recently. On paper it's pretty 50/50 but I feel on the night it will be one sided but not sure which way it will go. I gonna go out on a limp and go with Pascal on points, as I feel he's maybe better suited to the weight.
Somewhat off topic but maybe some canadian fans can help me: If Bute loses what is gonna happen to Interbox?They will be gone,Bute is the only atttraction they have.Yvon Michel is gonna run them out of town. But also is there any truth in Pascal leaving Michel after this fight?And does he have any beef with the other GYM star Stevenson?
Pascal should kayo the fragile romanian. Now the blueprint is out there in plain sight, I expect nothing else than Pascal to jump on him early and test him out, and I fully expect Bute to fold.
I am notorious as the big Bute hater, I really admire the guy, I think he's a gentleman and I have nothing against him personally. He's in the same boat as Seth Mitchell, he's just a guy that can't take a punch, and Bute has the amateur pedigree, whereas Seth Mitchell has none. Jean Pascal isn't all that great, but he's got a chin, something Bute does not.. so if he draws Lucian into some exchanges, he should get the better of it, even if he takes two to land one. Lucian folds, that is an irrefutable fact.
Good match up. I see this as a 60/40 fight in favor of Bute. I feel like Bute has the advantage because of his range. Bute does really well when he is able to control range and pace. If you allow him to fight at his pace, he's very hard to beat, but if you take him out of his comfort zone, he's there for the taken. Pascal won't be that person to take Bute out of his comfort zone. Like Bute, he fights at a measured pace and this pace favors Bute more than it does Pascal. He won't change gears because his stamina sucks after 8 rounds. The first 3-4 rounds will favor Pascal because of his speed. However, rounds 5-12 will favor Bute because of his better stamina and range.
Add to all that, the fact that Bute looked absolutely SHOT against Grachev, the same Grachev who was bombed out in a round flat by Rodriguez. If that Bute shows up, I wouldn't be surprised to see Pascal knock him out in the first round.