Lucian Bute and Jean Pascal’s Superfight Postponed

The biggest fight in Canadian history is off. An injury to Lucian Bute’s left hand means fans will have to wait a little longer to see him square off with Jean Pascal. Al Dannity says it’s a big blow to Canadian Boxing.

It’s rare that Canada has two elite name-brand fighters. Rarer still for them to be in the same weight class. That’s what fans in Canada were looking forward to later this month. Sadly, Interbox has announced that the fight between Lucian Bute and Jean Pascal is off due to an injury suffered by Bute. To put it mildly, the former IBF Super Middleweight champion was devastated. “I am very disappointed with this injury. I had never been in such good shape. Despite the pain, my preparation was going well until the end of last week,” said Bute. “The fans who paid top dollar to see me against Jean Pascal in the ring must see both boxers at their best. This is unfortunately not the case for me. For my sake, I must bow to the will of the doctor and undergo the operation, “said a saddened Lucian Bute postponement of the fight.”

The only formal title on offer was the WBC Diamond belt, a largely meaningless strap given out for superfights. The belt wasn’t the draw of this clash; it was a battle between two Canadian boxers in their prime with the victor sure to be propelled back into the world title picture. Pascal will no doubt rue missing out on a chance to prove himself against a top drawer competitor. The former WBC Light Heavyweight champion has struggled for recognition. A technical decision finish clouded his career marquee victory over Chad Dawson. Pascal followed that up with a draw and then defeat to Bernard Hopkins. The Bute fight was Pascal’s road back to global relevance.

The road from here becomes difficult to assess for Pascal. There are fights out there but the winner of the Chad Dawson and Adonis Stevenson fight would certainly prove a worthy draw. Dawson, the reigning WBC Light Heavyweight champion, would surely love to avenge his loss to Pascal while a shock win for Stevenson would also guarantee a big payday in Canada. Money, as ever, talks in Boxing. Pascal and Bute were set to earn $2 million each for this fight, now they each must plan to go down different roads. Pascal has claimed he’d like to fight Hopkins again but there would be little benefit to either fighter, particularly in terms of financial draw, of going down that road again.