Roach thinks Bute will become a world champion again very soon

By Boxing News - 10/25/2014 - Comments

bute2By Chris Williams: Trainer Freddie Roach believes that he can resurrect former IBF super middleweight champion Lucian Bute (31-2, 24 KOs) and turn him into world champion again in the near future at 175.

Roach thinks he can turn the 35-year-old Bute’s career in the same way that he turned around Miguel Cotto’s career. However, there’s no telling whether Roach actually did anything to improve Cotto other than recommend he fight certain opponents like Delvin Rodriguez and Sergio Martinez rather than Gennady Golovkin.

Bute has a fight coming up on December 6th against Roberto Bolonti (35-3, 24 KOs) at the Bell Centre, in Montreal, Canada. Bolonti is the first part of what Roach feels is the resurrecting of Bute’s career. The second part is a fight against #1 WBC Jean Pascal, and from there Roach believes Bute will be ready to fight for a world title against one of the champions at light heavyweight.

“This fight [Bolonti] and then maybe Pascal and then we’re ready,” Roach said via RingTV.com. “He trains hard, he’s dedicated and he’ll be champion again very soon…Cotto, they thought he was all done too. Now he’s doing better than ever,” says Roach. “These so-called older guys, they get judged a little harshly I think. Like Miguel, [Bute] has a lot of fight left in him.”

For Bute to win a world title, he’s going to need to face the likes of Adonis Stevenson, Jurgen Braehmer, Bernard Hopkins or Sergey Kovalev. The only easy guy out of that bunch is Braehmer, but there’s little chance that Braehmer’s handlers are going to let him fight Bute, because the World Boxing Association’s rankings at 175 are pretty weak with the exception of #10 WBA Artur Beterbiev.

Bute isn’t going to be given an optional title defense against Braehmer, even though it would mean a bigger payday for Braehmer if he were to face him.

Bute is currently training with Roach at General Santos City in the Philippines. Bute came there to get in training time while Roach is in the Philippines getting WBO welterweight champion Manny Pacquiao ready for his fight against Chris Algieri on November 22nd. Roach is teaching Bute some of Pacquiao’s moves in hopes of improving his game.

It’s unclear if it’s going to work in Roach trying to teach Bute elements of Pacquiao’s game. It would seem that Bute is a pretty established fighter, and it’s questionable whether Roach will be able to change his fighting style enough to make him a better fighter.



Comments are closed.