Jean Pascal to beat Lucien Bute in the Battle of Montreal
Published:
It may be coming too late in either man’s career to provide a resumé highlight but super-middleweights Lucian Bute (31-1-0) and Jean Pascal (27-2-1) will finally clash in Quebec later this month.
Injury to Pascal saw the fight delayed but in reality Britain’s Carl Froch is the main reason this bout is not the showcase it could have been.
Both fighters have fallen victim of the Cobra’s skills but it is Pascal who looks best placed to get his career back on track with a win here.
Both men call Montreal home and neither is a stranger to the Bell Centre stage but it is the man with the Haitian roots who will have the crowd roaring at the expense of his Romanian-Canadian rival – even if victory will come from sheer will and aggression rather than poise and skill.
Pascal faced Froch in 2008 at the Nottingham Arena and while he left the UK empty handed he did so with his head held high after taking the Brit the distance.
Bute however, went into his bout with Froch as the strong favourite as a result of his then 30-0 record but felt the full force of the Cobra and didn’t make it past the fifth round.
In truth, Bute has never really seen his confidence recover from that blow and while he is arguably the quicker of the two Canadian pugilists it is this lack of self-esteem that sees him priced as the 5/4 outsider.
Pascal went on to fight a double header with Bernard Hopkins after losing to Froch but drew the first and lost the second to lose his WBC and The Ring belts.
However, his confidence has been restored somewhat with two consecutive wins and as such he can be backed as the 4/6 favourite for this bout.
That those two wins came against journeymen and represent his only activity since 2011 is a concern for Pascal fans, but with Bute lacking the assurance needed to impose himself on his rival the favourite should come through here.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
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