James DeGale: Carl Froch exposed Lucian Bute, I'll finish him with third-round KO
James DeGale will make the first defense of his IBF super middleweight championship in enemy territory, but he's not the least bit worried about it.
The only Brit to win a world title after capturing Olympic gold, DeGale will face faded former champ Lucian Bute near in the challenger's adopted hometown, Quebec, on Saturday in the main event of Showtime Championship Boxing. Bute is a decided underdog and hasn't looked good in years, but remains a big draw in Canada.
"They think it's going to be a boxing match, but it will be a destruction," DeGale, 29, said at the final news conference Wednesday. "It will be explosive. Three rounds - place your bets. Trust me. … I'm an old school fighter - I don't mind traveling to fight in my opponent's hometown
"He was a great champion who has fought some great fighters so I should get kudos when I beat him. I fought the best super middleweight southpaw out there in Andre Dirrell and look what I did to him. Once he feels my power that will be it. I'm going to start fast and throw loads of punches."
DeGale (21-1, 14 KOs) won the title with a May decision victory over Dirrell in his American debut. Dirrell is indeed a better fighter than Bute at this juncture, so DeGale has reason to feel confident as he prepares to face a lefty for the second consecutive time.
Bute (32-2, 25 KOs) was once considered a pound-for-pound talent, but since the KO loss to Carl Froch in 2012, he's resembled a shell of his former self. Was he overrated to begin with? Did Froch ruin his confidence? Perhaps a bit of both. Since then, Bute has struggled with the pedestrian Denis Grachev and was completely outclassed by countryman Jean Pascal at light heavyweight.
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"It's a great opportunity to fight for my old belt in front of my hometown fans," said Bute, 35. "I think they'll push me toward the victory. I'm looking forward to becoming world champion again. I'm healthy, I feel great physically. I have the power to knock him out and the skills to box him."
"Chunky" recognizes that Bute is "great in the center of the ring," but says he plans to start fast and pressure the Romanian native. DeGale was able to throw Dirrell off-balance with an aggressive attack and set the tempo with two second-round knockdowns.
If DeGale can get past Bute, as expected, there's been talk of a unification match against Badou Jack, who is also advised by Al Haymon. DeGale hasn't forgotten about one of his bitter rivals, though, even after retirement.
"Carl exposed (Bute) and I'll finish him," DeGale declared. "But I don't care about Carl Froch - he's old. I'm the new champion. If he wants this belt, he'll have to come get it."