Andrade’s pursuit, Bute’s conclusion
By Bart Barry
There were two questions to answer when Lucian Bute and Librado Andrade fought a rematch of their 2008 IBF super middleweight championship bout. Was Bute an outstanding fighter who’d made merely a strategic error in getting worn down, or was he something less? And what psychological effect would Andrade’s relentlessness have on a rematch in which both men knew its consequences?
We didn’t get those questions answered. Not exactly. Rather we learned that Bute is in fact an outstanding prizefighter and Andrade can be made to relent.
Saturday in Quebec City’s Pepsi Coliseum, Canada’s adopted super middleweight champion Lucian Bute, of Romania, defeated Mexico’s Librado Andrade by knockout at 2:57 of round four. He did so with a textbook liver shot that dropped the normally resilient Andrade. He also did so before a capacity crowd of enchanted Canadians who deserve credit for embracing the 168-pound division before the rest of North America did.
Turns out, Bute is good as Quebeckers think he is. If you saw the reception they gave Bute’s arrival then you know that’s saying a lot.
But let’s start with Andrade for a couple of reasons. First, we’re unlikely to have many more opportunities to treat him as a contender. Second, he’s the anomalous figure of the two; one of prizefighting’s men it would be genuinely interesting to know in private life.
Descriptions of Andrade’s fighting style come evenly divided between “brawler” and “caveman.” A few clever scribes have even gone so far as to give him an honorary GEICO award – for his pugilistic imitation of those charming cavemen who preceded the gecko as insurance pitchmen. Andrade chooses to collect most punches rather than block, slip or parry them. Much like GEICO’s cavemen, though, Andrade is misunderstood.
Introspective and reasonable, Andrade surprises interviewers with his lucidity. Surely no man who leads with his head and takes five punches for each he lands could be bright, much less tactical. Can’t any moron climb between the ropes and get punished? The whole point of the exercise is don’t get hit!
No it isn’t. Millions of men have donned gloves and endeavored not to be hit, and to date not one has succeeded. Efforts at don’t get hit account for far more humiliating knockouts in boxing than balls-to-the-wall brawling does.
The style Andrade has adopted is more a mark of intelligence and humility than most. He doesn’t have concussive power, so he doesn’t try to throw perfect punches. He doesn’t have peerless reflexes, so he doesn’t try a safety-first approach. He marches forward, climbs inside opponents’ power alleys and reduces combat to attrition. Guys who are marginally more powerful and try to be punchers, guys who have marginally quicker reflexes and try to be boxers, they don’t get three tries at world championships.
To his repertoire of pursuit, Saturday, Andrade added a little something for the Canadiens – that French-speaking hockey-player set. Against a quicker southpaw, Andrade applied a shoulder-and-hip check. In the fight’s opening round, Bute moved successfully to his left, away from Andrade’s hook. When he could, Andrade countered with right crosses. But he wasn’t fast enough to land them regularly.
So Andrade crossed his feet over, lowered his right shoulder into Bute’s chest and checked his progress with an inward-turned hip. It wasn’t graceful or sweetly scientific, but it was effective. Whatever HBO’s unofficial scorekeeper opined, only one man executed the game plan properly in rounds one and two. That man was not Bute.
Trouble was, Andrade’s success emboldened him too much. He forgot how good Bute was. He got over-eager, putting too much weight on his front foot and ignoring the high probability a world champion would not allow himself to be stalked for 36 minutes without a rebuttal at some point. That point came halfway into the fourth round.
Bute closed his right shoulder to deflect Andrade’s attack. Andrade got impatient and pursued more recklessly. Then he learned not every time Bute swung his right shoulder shut evinced a defensive mindset. Sometimes Bute was coiling his left more than parrying with his right. Andrade learned this by running squarely into Bute’s left cross.
Good as he is at absorbing blows he can see, not even a three-time GEICO winner like Andrade can handle a punch he doesn’t register in time. Andrade folded, hitting the canvas before he could get a stabilizing hold round Bute’s waist. Then he settled his gloves, smiled, winked and rose.
Bute’s show of power did not dissuade Andrade much, but it did dissuade him. The first and third punches in Andrade’s winging-it combinations started getting thrown after an extra beat. That beat was all the difference.
There’s not currently a punch-of-the-year award out there, but if there were, Bute’s left hybrid (cross/uppercut) at the end of the fourth round would deserve the nod. Here’s how it happened.
Bute retreated to the ropes and found the spot of flesh covering Andrade’s liver, the fabled “button” Mexican prizefighters religiously chase with left hooks. Then Bute waited for Andrade to expose it. Andrade complied, pawing with his jab before releasing a right cross. Bute slipped outside the punch, to Andrade’s left, and then put his full leverage behind a counterpunch.
His breath exhaled before his right cross completed, Andrade started his right shoulder backwards, further exposing the front of his torso. He also inhaled. At that instant, with the button uncovered and his abdominal muscles relaxed, Andrade felt the middle knuckle of Bute’s left fist directly on his liver. A professional puncher’s most precise shot thrown perfectly – the further the punch travels, the steeper its trajectory must go – dropped Andrade in a heap. Resilient though he be, Andrade wouldn’t have beaten a 20-count.
That was the punch. One that should be taught to every youngster in the gym because there’s none more effective. Bute knew when to throw it and how – even from his southpaw stance.
Yes, Quebeckers, you’re absolutely right to love this guy.
Bart Barry can be reached via Twitter.com/bartbarry
Bute stops Andrade in four in rematch ; Funeka and Guzman battle to controversial draw
By Marc Abrams
Before 16,500 rabid fans at Coliseo Pepsi in Quebec City, Canada, IBF Super Middleweight champion Lucian Bute extracted revenge on a win he had thirteen months ago as he emphatically stopped the seemingly unstoppable Librado Andrade at 2:57 seconds of round four.
Bute dominated the fight as he landed the quicker combination’s and was building up a nice lead as he did in first fight. In round four, ironically Andrade was having his best round until he walked into a cruching left to the jaw that sent Andrade down to the canvas. Like a true warrior, Andrade seemed unfazed once he got to his feet and continued to press forward until a perfectly place left to the body sent Andrade on all fours and could not beat referee Benjy Esteve’s count and the bout was stopped at 2:57.
Bute of Montreal scored the satisfying victory in this rematch where in the first fight he survived a twelfth round knockdown where he was saved by a long count from referee Marlon Wright. This time it was Bute’s night and he remains undefeated at 25-0 with twenty knockouts. Andrade dropped his third attempt at a world title and is now 28-3.
Nine months after first fighting for a world championship Ali Funeka look to have captured that coveted crown as he seemingly dominated Joan Guzman in a battle for the vacant the IBF Lightweight title but somehow two judges ruled the bout even and the fight was declared a dubious draw.
Guzman started out well in the first two rounds as he worked the body of Funeka. Guzman seemed to be quicker to the punch until a cut was opened up around the right eye and nose late in that second frame. Funeka started to turn up the punch output and begin to batter Guzman around as he Guzman started to look like a bloody mess midway through the bout. In round eight, Funeka landed a flush right hand that buckled Guzman. Funeka jumped on Guzman and almost had him out before the bell rang to end the round. Guzman may have taken one more round as he was outworked in every round and on several occasions it looked like Guzman could have been taken out.
All that seemingly remained was how wide the scores would be until ring announcer Michael Buffer read 116-112 for Funeka and two judges obviously either mailed in their cards or saw another fight as they scored even 114-114.
Punch stats showed the dominance that Funeka displayed as he landed 248 of 903 to Guzman;s 163 of 490.
Funeka of South Africa is now 30-2-3. Guzman is now 29-0-1.
FOLLOW BUTE-ANDRADE II; GUZMAN-FUNEKA LIVE!!!
Follow all the action live from Quebec, Canada as Lucien Bute defends the IBF Super Middleweight championship as he rematches number-one contender Librado Andrade. Boxing fans remember all the controversy surrounding the first bout. The action gets underway at 10pm eastern/7pm pacific with the vacant IBF Lightweight title bout between Joan Guzman and Ali Funeka
Lucian Bute (24-0, 19 KO’s) vs Librado Andrade (28-2, 21 KO’s)– Rematch–IBF Super Middleweight title
Round 1: Andrade lands a right..Straight left from Bute..Left..10-9 Bute
Round 2: Bute lands 2 shots and a right hook to the head..20-18 Bute
Round 3: Hook to the body and straight left rocks Andrade…Good left and another…and another…Combination on inside..30-27 Bute
Round 4: Andrade lands 2 good uppercuts… HARD LEFT AND DOWN GOES ANDRADE.HARD LEFT TO THE BODY AND DOWN GOES ANDRADE…HE CANT BEAT THE COUNT AND THE FIGHT IS OVER!!!!
Ali Funeka (30-2-2, 25 KO’s) vs Joan Guzman (29-0, 17 KO;s) -12 Rounds–Vacant IBF Lightweight title
Round 1: Good body shot by Guzman..Short left..Good right at end of round…10-9 Guzman
Round 2: Blistering combination to the body from Guzman..Ripping right to the body..20-18 Guzman
Round 3: Body shots and right over top from Guzman..right to ear..Blood from nose of Guzman..Good right from Funeka..chopping right..Jab..29-28 Funeka
Round 4: Guzman cut over right eyebrow…Double jab from Funeka..38-38
Round 5: Doctor looks at Guzman’s cut–Ruled a punch…Trading heavy shots..48-48
Round 6: Good right to the body from Guzman..Trading again at end of round…58-57 Guzman
Round 7: Guzman digs to body..Left hook to the body…Right to bod..Funeka lands a left and right cross68-66 Guzman
Round 8: Guys looking to land big shots…Guzman scores with a left..Right from Funeka…good right cross..Funeka lands a HUGE right that rocks Guzman..Guzman is very hurt…Funeka looks to finish but the round is over…77-76 Guzman
Round 9: Right to the body from Guzman..Funeka doing a lot of good work….combination and jab…86-86
Round 10: Funeka lands a right on the inside…Left drives Guzman back…Guzman looking like a beaten fighter…96-95 Funeka
Round 11: Funeka lands a left and Guzman just stares at Funeka…Funeka lands a left right combo..Guzman lands a left…Good to the chin from Funeka..Nice combination…Guzman looking like a bloody mess…106-104 Funeka
Round 12: Right and left from Funeka backs Guzman up…116-113 Funeka
114-114 ; 116-112; 114-114
BUTE vs. ANDRADE FUNEKA vs. GUZMAN Saturday, November 28, 2009 Colisee Pepsi Quebec City, Canada HBO Boxing After Dark
RED CORNER BLUE CORNER
MAIN EVENT – IBF SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLE – 12 ROUNDS
Lucian BUTE vs. Librado ANDRADE
Galat, ROM Jesus Del Monte, MEX
24-0 (19 KO’s) 28-2 (21 KO’s)
Weight: 166.7 lbs. Weight: 166.8 lbs.
CO-MAIN EVENT – VACANT IBF LIGHTWEIGHT TITLE – 12 ROUNDS
Ali FUNEKA vs. Joan GUZMAN
East London, RSA Brooklyn, NY
30-2-2 (25 KO’s) 29-0 (17 KO’s)
Weight: 133.9 lbs. Weight: 134.4 lbs.
JUNIOR LIGHTWEIGHTS – 10 ROUNDS
Pier Olivier COTE vs. Jason HAYWARD
Charlesbourg, CAN St. John’s, CAN
8-0 (6 KO’s) 6-7 (2 KO’s)
Weight: 129.8 lbs. Weight: 129.8 lbs.
MIDDLEWEIGHTS – 8 ROUNDS
Craig McEWAN vs. James PARISON
Edinburgh, SCO Chula Vista, CA
16-0 (9 KO’s) 12-0 (3 KO’s)
Weight: 160.9 lbs. Weight: 160.9 lbs.
WELTERWEIGHTS – 6 ROUNDS
Kevin BIZIER vs. Patrick CAPE
Saint-Emile, CAN St. Louis, MN
6-0 (3 KO’s) 6-8 (3 KO’s)
Weight: 145.7 lbs. Weight: 145.5 lbs.
JUNIOR MIDDLEWEIGHTS – 8 ROUNDS
Keith THURMAN vs. Leonardo ROJAS
Clearwater, FL Montreal, CAN
10-0 (10 KO’s) 7-8-3 (2 KO’s)
Weight: 147.3 lbs. Weight: 149.1 lbs.
NIGHT OF WORLD TITLE ACTION SET FOR THIS SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 28 IN QUEBEC CITY, CANADA
LUCIAN BUTE AND LIBRADO ANDRADE BATTLE FOR
IBF SUPERMIDDLEWEIGHT WORLD TITLE &
ALI FUNEKA AND JOAN GUZMAN FIGHT FOR
IBF LIGHTWEIGHT WORLD TITLE
TELEVISED LIVE ON HBO’S “BOXING AFTER DARK”
QUEBEC CITY, CANADA – November 27 – A few days after the United States celebrated Thanksgiving, Canadians will be celebrating one of the biggest sporting events ever to land in Quebec City with an evening of non-stop boxing action highlighted by the HBO Boxing After Dark World Title Doubleheader featuring Lucian Bute defending his world super middleweight title in a highly-anticipated rematch against top contender Librado Andrade and the dangerous Ali Funeka taking on former Two-Division World Champion Joan Guzman in a vacant IBF lightweight title bout. All of the bouts are set and the fighters are ready for battle, this Saturday, November 28 at the Pepsi Colisee in Quebec City, Canada and live on HBO’s “Boxing After Dark” at 10:00pm ET/PT.
Montreal’s local hero originally from Galati, Romania and IBF World Super Middleweight Champion Lucian Bute (24-0-0, 19 KO’s) and IBF number one ranked supper middleweight contender Librado Andrade (28-2-0, 21 KO’s) who is originally from Jesus Del Monte, Guanajuato, Mexico who now resides in La Habra, California, will do battle in a 12 round IBF World Title Bout. The mandatory bout will be a rematch of an explosive war that ended in controversy when the undefeated Bute barely survived a 12th round knockdown in the fight’s waning seconds to win a decision. Bute is ready to show why there should be no doubt he won their first fight, while Andrade is hungry to show why he feels he won the first fight by beating Bute this Saturday.
East London’s rugged and hard punching Ali Funeka (30-2-2, 25 KO’s) will face a tough test in a 12 round vacant IBF lightweight world title bout against the undefeated and very experienced former Two-Time World Champion Joan Guzman (29-0, 17 KO’s) of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Funeka, the number one ranked IBF lightweight will face the number two ranked IBF lightweight in Guzman in an all out battle for supremacy in the very competitive lightweight division.
The undercard is packed with exciting bouts featuring some of boxing’s top undefeated prospects from around the world. Undefeated lightweight Pier Olivier Cote (8-0, 6 KO’s) of Charlesbourg, Canada will see action in a 10 round bout against St. John’s, Canada Jason Hayward (6-7-1, 2 KO’s). In a battle of undefeated middleweight prospects, Craig McEwan (16-0, 9 KO’s) of Edinburgh, Scotland and Chula Vista, California’s James Parison (12-0, 3 KO’s) will face off in an eight round bout.
Opening up the show will top undefeated prospect Keith Thurman (10-0, 10 KO’s) of Clearwater, Florida facing Montreal’s Leonardo Rojas (7-8-3, 2 KO’s) in a welterweight eight rounder as well as a six round welterweight bout between Saint-Emile, Canada’s Kevin Bizier (6-0, 3 KO’s) and Patrick Cape (6-8, 3 KO’s) of St. Louis, Minnesota.
Bute vs. Andrade II is presented by Golden Boy Promotions and InterBox, with Funeka vs. Guzman being presented in association with Gary Shaw Productions and Cedric Kushner’s Gotham Boxing. Both bouts will be held on Saturday, November 28, 2009 at the Colisee Pepsi in Quebec City, Canada and will air live on HBO’s “Boxing After Dark” beginning at 10:00pm ET/PT.
For more information, please visit, www.goldenboypromotions.com.
Q & A with Librado Andrade
By Anson Wainwright
LUCIAN BUTE AND LIBRADO ANDRADE II SET FOR NOVEMBER 28TH EDITION OF HBO’S BOXING AFTER DARK
U.S. Fans Get Opportunity To See The IBF World Super Middleweight Title Bout
That Will Take Place In Canada
LOS ANGELES (August 10) – On November 28th American boxing fans and fans all over the world will have the chance to witness the anxiously awaited rematch of Lucian Bute and Librado Andrade as they battle for the IBF World Super Middleweight Title and the event will be airedlive on HBO’s Boxing After Dark. The fight marks the first time since 1977 that the famed American network will travel north of the border to broadcast a fight from Canada.
“I’m thrilled to be partnering with Interbox and HBO on this exciting rematch between two of the top super middleweights in the world,” said Oscar de la Hoya, President of Golden Boy Promotions. “We wanted to make sure we could offer this fight to both the Canadian and American boxing fans and everyone should expect fireworks on November 28th.”
“It’s an honour for us to welcome HBO to Canada for the first time in over 30 years, said InterBox CEO Jean Bedard. “We look forward to collaborating with one of the greatest US Television networks. This will be a great opportunity for Lucian to get the highest visibility possible in his sport and to showcase all his skills to prove he’s a World class Champion.”
“We’re excited to do our first ever “Boxing After Dark” from Canada,” said Luis Barragan, director of programming, HBO Sports. “The Canadian crowd generated a tremendous atmosphere for the first fight and there’s obviously some unfinished business between these two fighters so we expect great boxing action.”
The first time the IBF World Super Middleweight Champion, Bute (24-0-0, 19 KO’s) and IBF number one ranked super middleweight contender, Andrade (28-2-0, 21 KO’s) met in the ring, a war ensued, leaving Bute the winner of a controversial decision. Now, with the rematch scheduled, each hopes to leave everything in the ring on November 28th to settle fans curiosities over who is the true champion.
Bute vs. Andrade II is presented by Golden Boy Promotions and InterBox, and will be held in either Montreal or Quebec City, Canada. The fight, along with a co-featured HBO televised bout which will be announced shortly, will air live on HBO’s Boxing After Dark beginning at 10:00pm ET/PT.
More information on the highly-anticipated rematch will be announced shortly. For more information, please visit, www.goldenboypromotions.com.
Bute-Andrade rematch set for Nov. 28 on HBO in Canada
According to Dan Rafael of espn.com, the rematch between IBF Super Middleweight champion Lucien Bute will take on Librado Andrarde will take place on November 28th in Montreal or Quebec City and will be televised on HBO.
Although Andrade promoter Golden Boy won a purse bid for the bout last week by outbidding Bute promoter InterBox ($1.211 to $1.195 million) for the right to promote the fight, Golden Boy CEO Richard Schaefer and InterBox chief Jean Bedard worked out an agreement to co-promote the bout in Canada, they announced Wednesday.
“I’m very happy about it. So is Andrade, Bute and HBO,” Schaefer said. “The first fight was terrific and it’s a perfect fight for ‘Boxing After Dark.’”
“Librado is one of the best and most dangerous 168 pounders in the world and I was dead serious when I said I would fight him anywhere in the world,” Bute said. “We have unfinished business to settle in the ring. This being said, I am thrilled that the fight will take place in Quebec, in front of my fans. For me, this is a dream come true and I plan to take full advantage of this opportunity. I will beat Librado and then will fight anybody willing to enter the ring against me.”
Said Andrade: “I really can’t wait for the fight and am excited for it to take place in Canada where all of the fans saw our first fight. We have unfinished business and I’m happy that it will be settled where it matters most. I’m coming to win. No decision this time. I’m coming to finish what I started in our first fight.”
Bute-Andrade I, which Showtime televised on Oct. 24 from the Bell Centre in Montreal, wasn’t particularly competitive as Bute (24-0, 19 KOs) won via clear unanimous decision. However, the fight ended with fireworks and a storm of controversy because of what happened in the final few seconds of the 12th round.
Bute, who had been winning quite easily and led on all three scorecards, came out for the final round but was tiring. Andrade (28-2, 21 KOs) caught him with some hard punches and was battering him around the ring in the final 15 seconds of the bout before finally knocking him down with a flush right hand with three seconds left.
Bute was in bad shape when Canadian referee Marlon Wright stopped his count to admonish Andrade for coming too far out of the neutral corner. The delay of several seconds in the count appeared to give Bute valuable extra recovery time. He made it to his feet and the fight ended before Andrade could attempt another punch
“His heart is Mexican, but he feels half Canadian,” Schaefer said. “He really loves Montreal.
“He feels very much at home in Canada and very much appreciates the friendliness of the Canadian people, so he is very happy to come to Canada, which he considers his second home. Should he win the world title, he made it clear to me that he would like to continue to fight in Canada.”
SIX QUESTIONS WITH LIBRADO ANDRADE
Andrade to Face Vitali Tsypko In IBF Elimination Saturday, April 4, 2009
SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING—Live at 10:45 p.m. ET/PT
NEW YORK (March 31, 2009) – The overwhelming fan underdog in his last fight in Montreal, Canada–a controversial loss to Lucian Bute–30-year-old Librado Andrade is looking forward to the cheers that will undoubtedly rain down on him Saturday night from the boxing-crazed Bell Centre crowd.
Andrade (27-2, 21 KOs) is ranked No. 3 in the International Boxing Federation super middleweight division and figures to be a favorite when he meets Ukriane’s Vitali Tsypko (22-2, 12 KOs), who is ranked a notch above him at No. 2. The winner becomes the No. 1 contender and Bute’s mandatory challenger.
Saturday’s elimination bout will air on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING live at a special time 10:45 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast) to accommodate fans watching the conclusion of the 2009 NCAA® Men’s Final Four®. The fight will take place before Timothy Bradley and Kendall Holt unify their respective World Boxing Council (WBC) and World Boxing Organization (WBO) 140-pound titles.
The 12-round fights are co-promoted by Gary Shaw Productions, LLC, Bob Arum’s Top Rank, Inc., Thompson Boxing Promotions, Inc., and. The Tsypko-Andrade bout is promoted in association with Sauerland Events and Golden Boy Promotions. Gillett Entertainment Group
SHOWTIME: What do you know about your opponent Vitali Tsypko?
LIBRADO ANDRADE: “The only thing I know and hope is that he doesn’t run too much. If he doesn’t run then I’ll be OK. If I don’t have to chase him all around the ring I’ll be fine. My coach watches tape of all the fighters. I don’t like to do it. I don’t like to know too much. It’s get into my head the weaknesses of my opponents and it can play tricks with your mind.”
SHOWTIME: The Montreal fight fans are very knowledgeable and actually cheered for you when they showed you on the big screen at Lucian Bute’s last fight there. How did you become so big in Montreal?
LIBRADO ANDRADE: “It started with my fight against Otis Grant in 2006 (a seventh-round TKO). I started training in Montreal before the holidays, came back, but have actually been back in Montreal since Jan. 17. I’ve always just been welcomed there. There are boos at times but there are more cheers than there are boos. The fans there just want to see a good fight. They are not going to just go after the hometown fighter. They are such a good crowd. They seem to recognize me all the time whenever I’m out in public.”
SHOWTIME: Are you surprised you are fighting in Montreal and on SHOWTIME again?
LIBRADO ANDRADE: “I’m very, very surprised. I really thought we were going to fight in the Ukraine where Tsypko is from. I was prepared for that. It’s just really a credit to my management team and my promoters at Golden Boy Promotions to get this fight there. They’ve really done a great job with me and given me an opportunity to really get my name out there.”
SHOWTIME: You are from La Habra, Calif., near East Los Angeles and are signed with Golden Boy. Do you speak much with Oscar De La Hoya?
LIBRADO ANDRADE: “We talk from time to time. I’ve trained with him for about two months in the past. We have a good relationship. It’s not like a buddy-buddy relationship. He’s real nice when I have to deal with him but as my promoter he’s basically dealing with my management team.”
SHOWTIME: Did it take a long time to get over your controversial loss to Bute?
LIBRADO ANDRADE: “No, I got over it right away. I accepted it and moved on. They keep saying he made a mistake but I don’t think he did. He fought a good fight. He was beating me the entire fight. I did come out feeling like a winner in that fight. I fought the way I wanted to fight and finished like I wanted to finish but I ran out of time. But I accepted it right away. I can only ask for one more chance to fight him and I think I will get it. I want to fight him to clear up this mess.”
SHOWTIME: “What are some things you like to do outside of the ring when you’re not training or preparing for a fight?
LIBRADO ANDRADE: “I like to just be at home and relax with my family. I just miss home so much. I think about it all the time. I’m going to be moving back to California after this fight to where I started at the La Habra Boxing Club and I can’t wait to get back on a normal schedule and routine like I’m used to.”
UNBEATEN TIMOTHY BRADLEY, KENDALL HOLT TO DO BATTLE FOR WBC & WBO 140-POUND BELTS IN COMPELLING UNIFICATION BOUT ON SHOWTIME®
Vitali Tsypko to oppose Librado Andrade in co-feature on Saturday, April 4, 2009,
SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING—Live at 10:45 p.m. ET/PT
From The Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada
NEW YORK (March 25, 2009) – If the action inside the ring is remotely close to the ongoing war of words that has been waged outside of it, then the Timothy “Desert Storm” Bradley and Kendall “Rated R” Holt showdown will be a strong contender for “Fight of the Year.”
In what is being called the biggest international boxing event in Montreal, Canada, since Roberto Duran defeated Sugar Ray Leonard nearly 30 years ago, Bradley and Holt will meet at the historic Bell Centre to unify their respective World Boxing Council (WBC) and World Boxing Organization (WBO) 140-pound titles.
The champions will clash Saturday, April 4, on SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING live at a special time 10:45 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the West Coast) to accommodate fans watching the conclusion of the 2009 NCAA® Men’s Final Four®.
In a spectacular co-feature, Ukraine’s Vitali Tsypko (22-2, 12 KOs) will take on Librado Andrade (27-2, 21 KOs) in an International Boxing Federation (IBF) super middleweight eliminator.
The 12-round fights are being co-promoted by Gary Shaw Productions, LLC, Bob Arum’s Top Rank, Inc., and Gillett Entertainment Group. The Tsypko-Andrade bout is being promoted in association with Sauerland Events and Golden Boy Promotions.
There has been no shortage of verbal pre-fight jabs; “I’m coming for you. I am going to downgrade Holt’s ‘R’ Rating to a ‘G’ rating,” stated Bradley.
All eyes will surely be on this eagerly awaited fight as both Bradley and Holt are major reasons why the current 140-pound division is among the strongest and deepest in boxing. The ramifications are huge as the winner will likely be in line for yet another big-time matchup.
In a conference call leading up to the fight, both boxers would not back down from one another. “(At the press conference in Montreal) I spoke first and I told him that the only way I know how to beat Kendall Holt is to knock him out because in every fight that’s he’s lost he’s been knocked out,” Bradley said. “That got him a little heated and he started firing at me. But I was just giving the facts.”
“’He’s never seen anybody like me in his career. He’s never been in the ring with a fighter that has the same speed as he has, the same power, if not more, with more ability. He’s never been in there with a real true athlete. He’s been in there with guys that don’t have a lot of athleticism like I do. That’s going to be the difference in this fight.”
Responded Holt: “It didn’t really get underneath my skin when he said he’d knock me out because when I’m in a fight I want to knock everybody out. Going the distance, going 12 rounds is just a bonus for the fans. I want to knock everybody out. I mean I look at my opponent as he wants to do the same thing to me.
“This is the biggest fight of my career to date so it’s the most important fight. Each and every fight is important because without winning the fight at hand you can’t move onto the next big fight.”
Bradley (23-0, 11 KOs), of Palm Springs, Calif., has successfully defended his title once since claiming the WBC belt with an unexpected win over Junior Witter in Nottingham, England, last May 10, on SHOWTIME.
Holt, the Paterson, N.J., native with 25 wins, 2 losses and 13 knockouts, retained his WBO belt with a split decision over late substitute Demetrius Hopkins in Atlantic City, N.J., on Dec. 13, 2008, on SHOWTIME.
Hopkins was a last-minute fill-in for Ricardo Torres, who claimed he was too sick to make the 140-pound weight limit and backed out of the fight. It would have been the third and final of a thrilling trilogy as both Holt and Torres had split their previous two memorable meetings.
Bradley again needled Holt about the experience issue. “I don’t think he has more experience than I do,” Bradley said. “I honestly don’t. As far as having more experience in the professional ranks, yeah? But I’ve had over 145 amateur fights. You get a lot of experience from your amateur career dealing with different styles and different heights, sizes and ability. I’ve got way more fights than him from that standpoint. As far as experience, he’s been in the professional game a lot longer than I have and I actually won a world title before he won his. If I’m inexperienced then just let me know. But I feel I’m experienced as well as he is.”
Shot back Holt: “Who the hell cares about the amateurs right now? Demetrius had more experience than me in the amateurs too, and he beat me in the amateurs. (Miguel) Cotto got beat in the amateurs by people he knocked out in the pros. Who the hell cares about the amateurs really?”
Boxing fans are well aware of Andrade, who suffered a controversial loss against undefeated IBF super middle kingpin and local favorite Lucian Bute last October in Montreal on ShoBox. The defending champion dominated the initial 11-plus rounds but fell apart late in the final round before being brutally knocked down in the final seconds.
Visibly shaken and hurt, Bute barely made it to his feet as he beat the referee’s 10-count to retain his belt via decision.
Andrade, who is currently ranked No. 2 by the IBF, figures to be a favorite over Tsypko, who is ranked No. 1 with the fight’s winner becoming Bute’s mandatory challenger.
The highly anticipated April 4 telecast comes just three weeks after another important world title fight was staged at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Bute made his third successful International Boxing Federation (IBF) defense with a devastating fourth-round TKO victory over Fulgencio Zuniga on ShoBox: The New Generation. on SHOWTIME. On March 13
SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING announcers Gus Johnson and will call the action from ringside April 4 with Karyn Bryant The executive producer of SHOWTIME Sports is David Dinkins Jr., with Ray Smaltz producing and Bob Dunphy directing. Al Bernstein reporting from ringside.
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