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.”