What A Black Eye For Boxing

Bute catches heat from press!

Monday, October 27 2008


The Montreal Gazette, hometown newspaper of unbeaten IBF super middleweight champion Lucian Bute, has weighed in on the side of challenger Librado Andrade in regard to the result of Friday night's world championship thriller. In an article titled "A Travesty Of Boxing Justice," the paper says referee Marlon B. Wright's 24-second count after Andrade's late knockdown of Bute cost Andrade the victory and a huge upset. The article also quotes Andrade's trainer Howard Grant as saying "I don't think my guy won more than two or three rounds going into the 12th. I told him: 'you've got to knock the s--- out of this guy, you've got to put him on his a--.' So he did that. He knocked him out. He put him on the canvas and he won the fight, but he didn't win because of the referee."


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Grant was also upset that Wright had claimed on the radio that he and Grant were not friends. "What is he saying? I've known this guy for 29 years, since I was 13 years old," Grant told the Gazette. "Why does he have to say that? He's been a good referee, one of the best in Canada. But I think this is going to tarnish his reputation. He's saying he did a perfect job. Everybody can see he didn't. He should be a man about it and admit he made a mistake."

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