By Scott Gilfoid: IBF super middleweight champion Lucian Bute (27-0, 22 KO’s) has another one of his mismatches coming up against 35-year-old EBU super middleweight champ Brian Magee (34-3-1, 24 KO’s) on March 19th at the Bell Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. After Bute slaughters Magee, he wants to go after a fight against former WBA/WBO super middleweight champion Mikkel Kessler (43-2, 32 KO’s), who hasn’t fought since beating up Carl Froch last April in the Super Six tournament.

Kessler has been out of action due to eye problems he suffered from his lopsided 11th round technical decision defeat at the hands of American Andre Ward. Kessler had to pull out of the Super Six tournament because of the eye problems shortly before he was scheduled to face Allan Green. However, Kessler is back in training and looking for a tune-up fight to get ready to take on one of the champions.

The Bute-Kessler fight, if it comes off, will happen around the same time as the end of the Super Six tournament later this year. It would be a great fight because the winner could then take on Ward, who will no doubt be the winner of the Super Six. Hopefully, Kessler or Bute aren’t afraid to face Ward because it’s pretty clear that neither would have much of a chance to beat him.

The winner of the Kessler-Bute fight would be like picking a victim for Ward to beat up. There’s going to be a great deal of pressure on the Bute-Kessler winner to take on Ward, so if they don’t want to step up to the plate, they’re likely going to be marginalized and seen as one of those European paper champs that spend their careers avoiding the top fighters until it’s far too late.