Lucian Bute (21-0, 17 KOs) remained unbeaten on Friday night as he stopped Colombian Alejandro Berrio (26-5, 25 KOs) in the 11th round at the Bell Centre, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The southpaw Bute, 27, led all the way, jabbing constantly and moving on the outside to stay away from the knockout artist Berrio. Despite sporting two badly swollen eyes, Bute connected with two powerful left hooks to drop an exhausted Berrio in the 11th round. Referee Marlon Wright moved in and put a halt to the bout. Berrio stalked Bute round after round, landing an occasional bomb whenever Bute would remain stationary long enough for Berrio to connect. However, Bute’s fighting style was all wrong for Berrio, who prefers his opponents to stand in front of him rather than the hit and run type that Bute more closely resembles.
In the early rounds, Bute used stinging combinations and a accurate jab to keep Berrio on the outside. Berrio remained patient, looking as if he knew that he would catch up to Bute sooner or later. However, by the 8th round Berrio was now looking desperate, as he was trailing badly by that time.
From rounds eight through eleven, every punch that Berrio threw had knockout intentions. Though Berrio was unable to land a knockout shot, his heavy hands did a number on Bute’s face, swelling it badly and making him look like the loser of the fight. In the 10th round, Bute began badly punishing Berrio, blasting him repeatedly with powerful combinations and driving him back for the first time in the fight. In the 11th round, Berrio’s legs were completely gone, as he looked as if he’d fought twenty rounds rather than just 11. Seeing that Berrio was in an exhausted state, Bute poured it on, hitting Berrio at will with power shots until finally connecting with two perfect left hooks to drop Berrio to the canvas.