Andrade stops Lucas on cuts
Librado Andrade stopped former Super Middleweight champion Eric Lucas on cuts after round eight of a scheduled ten round Super Middleweight bout at the Pepsi Coliseum in Quebec City, Quebec.
The fight was entertaining as Andrade would come forward and Lucas countered nicely early on. Lucas was cut over the right eye as early as round three as Andrade’s shots were getting through. Andrade a little more successful as each round went on. In round five a nice right hand cut Lucas over the left eye and after that it was basically all Andrade as he began to target the eye. In round seven, the eye became a bloddy mess and even had the ringside doctor examine it in the last minute of the round after Andrade ripped it open. Another big right made the cut almost unworkable and after Lucas sat on his stool between round’s eight and nine the ringside doctor stopped the fight.
Andrade, 169 lbs of Fontana, CA is now 29-3 with twenty-two knockouts. Lucas, 169 lbs of Mogag, Quebec will celebrate his thirty-ninth birthday tomorrow was making his second start after a four year retirement. After the fight, Lucas announced his retirement for a second time and if that stands up he will finish his career with a record of 39-8-3.
Marcus Upshaw used a fourth round knockout to help catapult him to a split decision victory over Renen St. Juste in a ten round Middleweight bout.
St. Juste did well with little combinations over the first two rounds. Upshaw got into the fight with nice combos in round three. In round four, Upshaw landed a leaping left the spun St. Juste around into the ropes and the referee ruled a knockdown. In round six, Upshaw rocked St. Juste with another left hand. The two fought evenly down the stretch with neither man coming close to taking charge.
Upshaw, 159 1/2 lbs of Miami won by scores of 96-93 and 95-94 while a third judge gave St. Juste a 95-94 verdict.
Upshaw is now 13-4-1. St.Juste 159 1/2 lbs of Montreal is now 21-2-1.
LIBRADO ANDRADE RETURNS FRIDAY AGAINST ERIC LUCAS
TOP SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHT CONTENDER READY TO FACE CANADIAN HERO IN QUEBEC CITY
LOS ANGELES, May 27 – Top super middleweight contender Librado Andrade returns to his home away from home in Canada this Friday night as he takes on former World Champion Eric Lucas in a highly-anticipated showdown at the Pepsi Colisee in Quebec City.
The Jesus Del Monte, Guanajuato Mexico native, Andrade (28-3, 21 KO’s), will return to Canada for the fourth consecutive time this Friday night. Andrade who resides in La Habra, California looks to get back into the win column and erase the memory of his title fight loss to current IBF World Champion Lucien Bute last November in the same Quebec building.
“All I want to do in this fight is put the loss against Bute behind me,” said Andrade. “I want to prove to everyone that I still belong at the top of the division and deserve big fights. A win against Lucas puts me back on the right track for another title shot.”
A WBC Super Middleweight World Champion from 2001 to 2003, Montreal’s Lucas (39-7-3, 15 KO’s) has been one of the most popular Canadian fighters of this era. After a break of more than three years from the ring, the 38-year-old Lucas returned in December of 2009 with a knockout win over Ramon Moyano. Now he faces a stiff test in Andrade.
“I respect Eric Lucas a lot and will not underestimate his experience,” said Andrade. “He has already been successful in his career but I’m going to beat him on Friday night.”
The fight will be aired Friday night on ESPN at 9:00 pm ET. For more information visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, follow Golden Boy on Twitter at www.twitter.com/GoldenBoyBoxing and on Facebook www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing.
MIKAEL ZEWSKI ADDED TO LUCAS/ANDRADE SHOW ON MAY 28TH!! SENSATIONAL WELTERWEIGHT PROSPECT TO FIGHT IN QUEBEC CITY
QUÉBEC CITY, CANADA (April 1, 2010) InterBox and TKO Boxing Promotions have confirmed that top welterweight prospect Mikael Zewski will mark his Canadian professional debut on Friday, May 28th as he returns to his home province to battle at the Pepsi Coliseum in Quebec City.
The 21 year old native of Trois-Rivières, Quebec, will be the featured undercard bout to the highly anticipated showdown between legendary Quebec former world champion Eric Lucas and perennial contender Librado Andrade. The rest of the undercard will be stacked with Quebec City boxers Pier-Olivier Côté, Eric Martel and also Benoit Gaudet from Drummondville, Québec.
“I’m very excited to be fighting in Quebec City on May 28th on the same card as Eric Lucas. He is a hero to many people in Quebec and for many years I have watched and admired him and truly look forward to fighting on the same card as him.” said Zewski.
This past Thursday night, March 25th, Zewski stayed perfect in his young professional career stopping Mexico’s Moses Alvizo as part of FIGHT NIGHT AT THE COMMERCE 2 in Los Angeles, California. With devastating power from both hands doing damage throughout the first two rounds, Zewski earned the stoppage when Alvizo elected not to return for the third stanza.
Impressing the huge broadcast audience on Canada’s “Super Channel” along with the packed house at the Commerce Casino, Zewski improved to 2-0-0, both wins coming by knockout.
Continued Zewski, “I’m much more comfortable fighting as a professional than as an amateur as I believe it suits my style much better, hopefully the knockouts will keep coming.”
Said Chet Koerner, President of TKO Boxing Promotions, “Mikael is one of the fastest rising stars in boxing. The fans in Los Angeles were just stunned by his punching power and the audiences watching on “Super Channel” have gotten an opportunity to watch one of the best prospects in the sport.
“Mikael brings an electricity to the ring that the fans at the Pepsi Coliseum will be thrilled to be a part of.”
Further details about Zewski’s bout will be announced shortly.
Tickets for this Interbox event officially go on sale on Thursday, April 1st 2010 starting at 10AM. Boxing fans and sports enthusiasts can purchase their tickets at the Pepsi Coliseum Box Office, or through the Billetech network by dialing 418-691-7211 (toll free: 1-800-900-SHOW) or by going online to: www.billetech.com. Fans can also procure their tickets at Club de boxe Champion (514-376-0980). Group rates are also a possibility.
ABOUT INTERBOX
Created in 1997 by Mr. Hans-Karl Muhlegg and bought by Eric Lucas in 2004, InterBox is now a world renowned boxing promotion company working with all major promoters and TV networks. Jean Bedard and 5-time world champion trainer Stephan Larouche oversee all aspects of the business as they continue to keep InterBox amongst the most respected organizations in the world of boxing. InterBox has produced 4 world champions: former WBA lightweight world champion Leonard Dorin, former WBC super middleweight world champion Eric Lucas, former WBC light heavyweight world champion Adrian Diaconu and the current IBF Super middleweight World Champion, Lucian Bute.
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.
