By Eric Thomas: IBF super middleweight champion Lucian Bute (28-0, 23 Ko’s) has another easy mismatch ahead of him on July 9th against number #1 ranked International Boxing Federation contender Jean Paul Mendy (29-0-1, 16 KO’s) at the Romexpo in Bucharest, Romania. This is possibly the softest opponent that Bute has fought since he beat 38-year-old William Joppy in 2008 to start off his three year string of awful mismatches.

Ignore the 37-year-old Mendy’s unbeaten record because the wins have come almost entirely against B and C level guys during his 11 year pro career. When Mendy was finally put in with a first tier fighter last year in a fight against Sakio Bika, Mendy was quickly blown out and knocked out in the 1st round. However, because Bika added a punch after Mendy was already down on the canvas, the fight was ruled a victory for Mendy by disqualification.

After Bute destroys Mendy in July it’s hoped that Bute will finally take on some quality guys. Bute has IBF title seven times but against weak opposition each time out. We haven’t see Bute facing guys like Sergio Martinez, Kelly Pavlik, Carl Froch, Joe Calzaghe, Andre Dirrell, Andre Ward, Mikkel Kessler, Roberto Stieglitz, Glen Johnson, Peter Quillin, Chad Dawson, and Bernard Hopkins. How Bute could go his entire career without ever facing those guys is the big question. It looks as if Bute has been milking his IBF belt for the past three years, and one of his wins, a victory over Librado Andrade in their first fight in 2008, was highly questionable due to the long count involved in that fight. I had Bute knocked out in the 12th after he was knocked down by Andrade.