James DeGale defended his IBF Super Middleweight World Championship in a thriller over hometown favorite and former champion Lucian Bute on Saturday in the main event of SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING.
It was the first title defense for DeGale, the 2008 Olympic gold medalist from Britain who went on the road to Boston to win the title earlier this year and chose to defend in hostile territory.
Bute, who was attempting to win back the IBF belt he defended nine times between 2007 and 2012, put on an inspired and gutsy performance in an electric atmosphere to open the new Videotron Centre in Quebec City. But the unbelievable pace, as well as an arsenal of overhand rights, body shots and combos from the younger DeGale (22-1, 14 KOs) proved to be the difference as DeGale prevailed 116-112, 117-111 (twice).
“I’m young and I’m fresh. I’m peaking right now,” DeGale said. “I’m ready for the best in the world. Credit to Bute – he’s a great champion and believe me, he will be back.”
“Like I’ve said in the past, he is a world-class fighter. I’ve still got things to work on in the next three or four years and I’m going to be my best.”
Bute (32-3, 25 KOs) didn’t look anything like the fighter that lost to Carl Froch in 2012. But while the 35-year-old stalked the switch-hitting DeGale with a relentless attack, he couldn’t do enough to overpower the supremely active Brit, who threw 524 power punches compared to 278 for Bute.
“I think it was a great fight. I did my best tonight,” Bute said. “I think it was a close fight. He’s an Olympic champion, he’s a world champion. If the judges give him the decision I respect that. I’ll be back in the gym to work hard and continue to fight. I think it was a very close fight. I’m happy with my performance and I’ll be back in the gym to get back in the ring one more time.
“The last three years were difficult for me. After I lost to Carl Froch that was a very difficult period for me. I took a break, and now I’m back. I feel great, I feel healthy and now I have one more chance to be back on the top.
“Maybe a few rounds I waited too much and didn’t put the punches together and I let James fight me. When I pushed pressure and pushed back I won the round.”
Eleider Alvarez earned a title shot at Adonis Stevenson by winning a 12-round majority decision over Isaac Chilemba in a Light Heavyweight bout.
Alvarez of Montreal won by scores of 118-110, 115-113 and 114-14 and is now 19-0. Chilemba is 24-3-2.
“I knew I had to finish the later rounds strong, but I believe I did enough to win the fight,” Alvarez said. “I’m ready to accept the challenge and face Stevenson. To be the world champion, you have to beat the champion. So that’s what I aim to do.”
“I thought I did enough to win it,” Chilemba said. “But it is what it is. I guess you can call it a hometown decision.”
After the fight, SHOWTIME Sports host Brian Custer sat down with Stevenson to get his thoughts on Alvarez-Chilemba and his future.
“It was a close physical fight,” Stevenson said. “He (Alvarez) won this fight but it was very close.”
“We talk about Kovalev because the WBC still ranks him the No. 1 contender. I want this fight to happen. The fans want it to happen. I said June is perfect for me. He said ‘OK, June,’ Kathy Duva said ‘No problem, June.’ Then she said on HBO. I said, ‘Forget about the TVs, let them talk.’ We want the fight to happen. Let the TVs work together and make it happen.
“I want to fight Kovalev. That’s the best opportunity for me because I want his titles. For sure, this fight will happen in June. I don’t have a problem; my team doesn’t have a problem. I want this fight in June.
Kovalev is scared. I talked to him, saw it in his eyes that he’s scared of me. It will happen, but I know Kovalev is scared. I want Kovalev. I’m very hungry to get his titles.”
Adrian Granados foiled the title hopes of previously undefeated Amir Imam by shaking off a 1st round knockdown to come back to win an 8th rounds stoppage in a scheduled 10-round Super Lightweight bout.
Imam dropped Granados with a powerful left hook in round one. Granados didn’t seemed to fazed after that as he started to land sharp hard combinations and started to push Imam back. In round seven, Imam was bleeding from his nose and seemed to be wearing down. That seemed to be true as in round eight, Granados landed a hard combination that rocked his head back and the fight was stopped at 2:34 of round eight.
Granados of Cicero, IL is now 17-4-1 with 12 knockouts. Imam, who had a mandatory title shot with Viktor Postol is now 18-1.
“It feels great. Once I had him wobbled I was like, ‘you’ve got to get him now. This time you’re not taking it from me.’ It was a flash knockdown. He caught with the right hand, but I was alright. I just popped right up and I knew he was going to try and finish me. We got out of it and went right back to work.”
“I know people might say I shouldn’t have taken this fight, but I needed this fight in between as a tune-up for my next fight because I didn’t want to wait for the six to eight months for the world title shot.
“The key to the fight was my jab, I just didn’t use it enough,” Imam said. “But that’s the way it goes and I’m going to definitely come back stronger. I wasn’t thinking anything after that first-round knockdown. I’ve done that many times and didn’t think the fight was over. I wasn’t surprised at all by the way he came out. I know how he fights. He’s a good fighter and that’s all there is to it.”
Former Colombian Olympian Oscar Rivas scored a 2nd round stoppage over Joey Abell in a 10-round Heavyweight bout.
In round two, Rivas landed a combination on the ropes that set up two flush lefts that slumped Abell on the ropes and a follow up right drilled a prone Abell at 46 seconds of round two.
Rivas of Montreal is 18-0 with 13 knockouts. Abell of Coon Rapids, MN is 31-9.
