*** Bute vs Pascal News & Build Up Thread ***

Latest INTERVIEW from Romanian press only few hours old, translated by me.
Enjoy!

Lucian Bute: "I want to be again a world champion!" Lucian Bute is fighting on May 25 in Montreal, against Jean Pascal to make his re-entry in the struggle for world titles.The outcome can influence his career.

In case of failure, Bute admits he has little chances to fight again against Froch.

Lucian Bute prepares for the big fight against Pascal, in Florida (25, Montreal) and believes that his opponent starts with a very important advantage because he was "Light Heavyweight" much early than him, weight-class that the fight is scheduled at. Also, the latest world champion in the history of professional boxing from Romania believes that eventual success against Pascal can bring him a new world championship belt (IBF title owned by Bernard Hopkins at "Light Heavyweight"). But he knows that a defeat would jeopardize the chances for a rematch with Britain's Carl Froch, the one who has "stolen" the IBF "super middleweight" world title last year.

Lucian, how are the things going in the training camp?
I'm glad that I'm in training camp in Florida with my team and we can prepare the match against Jean Pascal properly. In Montreal I feel good, but here when I'm in training camp I'm focused only on the training program. We have a very strict training, I can do the training exactly as I want, recovery is excellent and the results will be as such.
How is your weight. You still have a lot(Kg/Lbs) to loose ?
I still have few Kg's to get rid of, but I assure you there will be no problems at scale. I switched to a higher weight-class, and I have less weight to cut and certainly on May 25 will be more powerful and have more energy.

Match with 20,000 spectators

Tickets for this game were sold very quickly, there will be many Romans in the stands?
Yes, the tickets were sold out. There will be 20,000 people in the stands, it is a huge interest in Canada for this match, but also in the world. American channel HBO will air the fight live. I hope to be as many Romanians in the room as I need their support, their cheers because it will be a very tough match. And I hope, as well, to have more Canadians on my side also.

Are you ready for anti-doping tests announced before the game?
We will both do anti-doping tests during our preparation it be unannounced tests from this point of view I have no problem. I never did anything and are therefore open to any anti-doping controls.

Pascal has the advantage

Adrian Diaconu, your former colleague at Interbox fought twice against Pascal, You'll ask him for advices?
I talked to Adrian Diaconu, I asked for advices because it is my friend and former colleague at Interbox and more he fought Pascal twice, so he knows him very well right about now. I am sure that he will be with me in the room to encourage me and certainly will be glad if I will beat Pascal.

What are the strengths of Pascal in this bout?
Pascal was world light-heavyweight champion and I will be at a disadvantage because I go up in weight. He will be much stronger on fight night. Pascal is an explosive and powerful fighter, has a very good left hook and is unpredictable. But also has weaknesses that I hope to speculate in the fight and thus win.

Preparing for the rematch against Froch

How important is in your career the fight against Pascal?
For me, the match against Jean Pascal will be a very important test. I hope to win and to be able to keep my head up and move towards the rematch with Froch. If God forbid, I lose against Pascal, then the rematch against Froch would be very hard to take place.

If you'd win, will you stay at LHW in order to try to challenge for the IBF world title now hold by Bernard Hopkins ?
I want to become again a world champion. It will be an honor and a pride for me if I would win the world title at two different weight classes. There were discussions between my promoter and that of Bernard Hopkins for a possible match and this is possible in the future. If everything will be fine with Jean Pascal on May 25,the chances are that in the near future I will have have a fight with Bernard Hopkins.

Your former opponent, Carl Froch, will meet, the same, on 25 May the Dane Mikkel Kessler. How do you see it unfold?
Between Carl Froch and Mikkel Kessler will be a very tough fight. But taking into consideration the form shown by Froch and the fact that the fight will take place in England I believe that the Englishman has the first chance.

 

Bute want's Froch or Hopkins next, hope he get's the hype he need to make those fights happen.

 

LHW

Bute put some nice penalties there in case Pascal came a little over the LHW limit, first 1 lbs over that cost 300.000 $ the next lbs over cost 100.000 $ each.

 

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Bute has grown a beard out of superstition just like before the Andrade rematch.

 

Same night as Froch-Kessler II.