Glen Johnson vs. Lucian Bute: The Biggest Joke in Boxing History

Lucian Bute will fight Glen Johnson on November 5, 2011, for the IBF super middleweight title. Are the television networks really trying to sell us this mediocre content? This title fight might be one of the biggest jokes in boxing history

Lucian Bute: A meaningless undefeated record

Lucian Bute won his title back in 2007, and since then, he has defended it successfully in every fight.

He might be undefeated, but his record isn’t worth much. When you take a closer look at the opponents he has faced since 2007, there’s nothing for him to be proud of.

In 2007, he fought against Alejandro Berrio, a fighter who has been knocked out five times. He then followed that with a fight against 38-year-old William Joppy. Mr. Joppy retired after the bout—he is done.

Bute moved on with a controversial win against Librado Andrade.

Indeed, Andrade knocked him out in the 12th round, but Bute was saved by the local referee who gave him a 21-second count instead of the usual 10. Bute should have been declared unable to continue, but the local referee ignored it. Instead of a TKO win for Andrade, this fight ended with a unanimous decision win for the local champion.

Bute continued his journey by fighting several journeymen 30 years of age or more, such as Zuniga (24-5-1), Brinkley (35-7) and Magee (35-4-1). He won his last fight against Jean Paul Mendy, who ended up as the mandatory challenger after winning a one-round fight by disqualification.

It seems like Lucian Bute’s group, Interbox, continues to protect their protégée. Indeed, he will now face a 42-year-old Glen Johnson, who lost four of his last eight fights.

While the heavyweight division is pretty limited in term of opposition, the super middleweight division is rich with several quality boxers. Lucian Bute has been able to dodge all the quality opponents of this division: Chad Dawson (31-1. 18 KO), Jean Pascal (26-2, 16 KO), Tavoris Cloud (23-0, 19 KO), Carl Froch (28-1, 20 KO), Arthur Abraham (32-3, 26 KO), Andre Dirrell (19-1, 13 KO) and Mikkel Kessler (44-2, 33 KO).

Instead, Lucian Bute’s group settled for average journeymen who are not dangerous for their boxer. He might be undefeated in 29 fights, but none of these victories mean anything.

Until he wins against one of the fighters mentioned above, Bute doesn’t deserve any recognition for holding the IBF title for that long. When will he take the next step?

Glen Johnson: One of the most overrated boxers of all-time

As previously mentioned, Glen Johnson’s best days are behind him. He lost four of his last eight fights and can’t compete anymore against younger and quicker opponents. However, did Johnson ever have great days?

At 42 years old, Johnson is fading in the late rounds. As mentioned by his previous opponent, Carl Froch, Johnson is unable to perform once he hits the ninth or 10th round.

Actually, Glen Johnson’s record doesn’t represent the reality. He might have 51 wins, but he is probably one of the most overrated fighters in boxing history.

Glen Johnson started his career in 1993 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. From 1993 to 1997, he was one of the most active boxers. He had 32 fights and was undefeated. However, 19 of those wins came against boxers who had a record below .500. Even more, seven of these wins were against opponents who had one win or less.

In 1997, Johnson had his first shot at a title against Bernard Hopkins. Since then, Glen Johnson has a 19-15-2 record, including two wins against opponents with a record below .500. Basically, he is 17-15-2 against opponents with a record above .500.

Is that elite boxing? I doubt it. Glen Johnson has never been able to take the next step. His team has been able to build him a record by matching him against below-average opponents. He was also involved in many major fights, so the public had the perception that Johnson was a great fighter.

Nevertheless, Johnson remains an average fighter. His team used the notoriety of his win vs. Roy Jones Jr. in 2004 to keep his career going. Since then, he hasn’t won a major title fight.

Is Lucian Bute the next Glen Johnson?

Lucian Bute has a lot of talent. The southpaw can knock anybody out. He also has the physical attributes needed to be a champion.

However, sooner or later, he will have to face worthy opponents. Bute is now 31 years old and has held the IBF title for almost four years.

Also, Lucian Bute has questionable chin strength. Andrade was able to knock him down, and Bute already went down in amateur boxing. How will he react against a talented opponent with high power in his punches?

Will he take the next step soon? I’m not so sure. The group of the local hero keeps finding excuses to avoid dangerous opponents. Why would they risk anything? The local media always tries to build hype toward these boring fights. The public believes them, and the fights are almost always sold out.

Lucian Bute has all the potential in the world, but since he has faced no one yet, could he be the next Glen Johnson? 14 years ago, everyone thought Johnson was headed toward a great destiny. However, it was an illusion built by his team, and his career took a completely different path. I hope I’m wrong on that one, but Interbox and Lucian Bute will soon need to make a move.