By Jim Dower: HBO and promoter Gary Shaw want to put together a title match between Chad Dawson (29-0, 17 KO’s) and Lucian Bute (26-0, 21 KO’s) if Dawson can get by WBC light heavyweight champion Jean Pascal tonight in their title fight at the Bell Centre, in Montreal, Canada. The big question is will Bute step up to the plate and take the fight or will he wimp out and continue to fight beatable fighters at super middleweight like Edison Miranda, Lucian Bute and Jesse Brinkley.
I think Dawson will be too of an intimidating opponent for Bute and he’ll opt not to take the fight and go the safe route by staying at super middleweight. Shaw wants Dawson to fight Bute at a catchweight of 170 lbs, so that Bute is more interested in taking the fight.
Additionally, Shaw is okay with his fighter Dawson traveling to Canada to fight Bute in his adopted home, even though Dawson is a top pound-for-pound fighter. That shows you how much confidence Shaw has in Dawson to beat Bute. HBO, Dawson and Shaw all want the fight. Will Bure? I doubt it.
I can see Bute opting to take on a slow fighter like Kelly Pavlik, who Bute matches up well against and can probably beat as long as Pavlik doesn’t land anything. If Pavlik sticks around and catches up to Bute, then I see Bute getting knocked cold. But Bute should win that fight without too many problems as long as his chin holds up under him.
I think Dawson would be far too good for Bute, and after Dawson easily beats Pascal tonight in Montreal, the chances of a Bute vs. Dawson fight will all but disappear. Bute, 6’1”, has done well against the fighters that have been served up to him at super middleweight, but I think he would be badly beaten by Dawson, as well as by some of the top super middleweights from his own weight class.
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