BUTE TO DEFEND IBF SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLE
AGAINST ANDRADE ON SHOBOX
ShoBox: The New Generation
Friday, Oct. 24, 2008, Live at
11 p.m. ET/PT on SHOWTIME
From The Bell Centre,
Montreal, Canada
NEW YORK (Oct. 16, 2008) – Undefeated
International Boxing Federation (IBF) super middleweight champion Lucien
Bute (22-0, 18 KOs) will make the second defense of his title against
once-beaten, No.1 ranked challenger Librado Andrade (27-1, 21 KOs) in a
special edition of ShoBox: The New Generation, Friday, Oct. 24 live on
SHOWTIME at 11 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the west coast).
In the co-feature, top prospect and No. 11
ranked World Boxing Council (WBC) contender Ronald Hearns (19-0, 15 KOs)
will take on Paul Clavette (14-1-1, 2 KOs) in a 10-round junior middleweight
bout.
The fights, which feature four boxers with a
combined total of 56 KOs and only two loses, will be promoted by Interbox
Corporation of Montreal, Canada from the Bell Centre in Montreal.
A southpaw with true knockout power, Bute, of
Montreal, is confident in making another defense in his hometown, where he
has fought 18 of his 22 professional bouts.
“I’m thrilled to be making another title
defense in my backyard,” Bute said. “I worked so hard to get this title that
I’m not going to let anybody take it away from me.”
The 6’2’’ brawler may have knockout power, but
Bute is going to need more than that to stop Andrade, also 6’2’’, who has
never been knocked out.
“I know he (Andrade) is a tough fighter,” Bute
said. “But I’m just as tough as he is. I’ve never lost a fight, let alone
been knocked out. I’d love to knock him out, but a victory is a victory. As
long as I walk out of that ring still a champion I’m happy.”
A hard-hitting Mexican warrior, Andrade is no
stranger to world title fights. His sole loss came in a unanimous decision
against then World Boxing Association (WBA) and WBC 168-pound champion
Mikkel Kessler on March 24, 2007. Andrade bounced back from that loss with
three consecutive knockouts in his last three bouts.
In his last fight on March 22, 2008, Andrade
registered an eighth round KO over Robert Stieglitz in an IBF eliminator
bout to earn a shot at Bute.
“I’m back to the top of my game,” Andrade said.
“You only get so many shots at a title in your career, so you better believe
that I’m coming prepared. This is what’s it’s all about. This is what I
train for.”
Andrade will be traveling to hostile territory
to take on Bute. In his only other fight in Canada, on April 8, 2006,
Andrade knocked out Otis Grant in the seventh round in a WBC eliminator
bout.
“I’m not worried about traveling to his
backyard,” said Andrade. “I’m not traveling all the way up there to get
beat. I’ll fight him anywhere for that title.”
The co-feature should be as action packed as
the main event as it pits two rising prospects with opposing styles. Hearns
uses his explosive power to dominate his opponents, while Clavette relies on
his polished boxing skills to outpoint his opponents.
Hearns, who has knocked out 80 percent of his
challengers, is one of the top prospects in the junior middleweight
division. The WBC No. 11 and WBA No. 13 challenger uses strong combinations
and devastating right hooks to plow through his opponents.
“My goal is to get to the top, but I have to
get though Clavette first,” said Hearns, of Southfield, Mich. “This is a
tough fight and I’m not looking past it. I’m confident I’ll win, but for me
the only thing I’m worried about is Oct. 24.”
The son of eight time world champion Thomas
“The Hit Man” Hearns, Hearns may need to adjust his style against the crafty
Clavette, who has never fallen to the canvas in his 16 professional bouts.
The 6’3’’ brawler has a height advantage over the 5’10’’ Clavette, who
possesses blazing speed and great footwork.
“Style-wise, it’s going to be a different match
up,” Hearns said. “But that has never stopped me before. I’ve fought a lot
of different style fighters and I’m still progressing as a boxer. I learn
something in all of my fights, but the important thing is that I walk out
with a victory.”
Clavette, of Quebec, Canada, only has one loss
on his record, a split decision against David Banks on May 24, 2006. The
prospect knows that he needs a victory over Hearns to stay relevant in the
junior middleweight division.
“Oct. 24 is my shot to prove myself on
SHOWTIME,” Clavette said. “I know Hearns is coming ready to fight, but I
need this win more than he does. This is my big shot and I’m ready.”
Nick Charles will call the action from ringside
with Steve Farhood serving as expert analyst. The executive producer of
ShoBox is Gordon Hall with Richard Gaughan producing and Rick Phillips
directing. ShoBox recently celebrated seven outstanding years on the air.
For information on SHOWTIME Sports Programming,
including exclusive behind-the-scenes video and photo galleries, complete
telecast information and more, please go the new SHOWTIME Sports website at
http://www.sho.com/sports.
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About ShoBox: The New Generation
Since its inception in July 2001, the
critically acclaimed SHOWTIME boxing series, ShoBox: The New Generation has
featured young talented fighters matched tough. The ShoBox philosophy is to
televise crowd-pleasing and competitive fights while providing a proving
ground for willing prospects determined to fight for a world title. The
growing list of fighters who have appeared on ShoBox and advanced to garner
world titles includes: Leonard Dorin, Scott Harrison, Juan Diaz, Jeff Lacy,
Ricky Hatton, Joan Guzman, Juan Urango, David Diaz, Robert Guerrero, Kelly
Pavlik, Paul Malignaggi and, now, Kendall Holt.
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