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In his best performance to date, IBF super middleweight champion Lucian Bute retained his title for the ninth time by outclassing veteran Glen Johnson last evening at Pepsi Coliseum in Quebec City, Canada.
A former IBF and IBO light heavyweight titlist, Johnson represented the most credible threat to date to Bute’s reign and the Romanian born southpaw gave the American challenger full respect.
Unfortunately for Johnson, this translated into an impressively sharp defense from Bute, who kept his 42 year rival on the outside, expertly managing distance, making most of Johnson’s punches miss by mere inches.
Johnson’s normally potent come-forward offense was neutralized by the lightning reflexes of the champion, who showed quick footwork to get in and get out with hardly a scratch.
Bute surprised Johnson time and time again with a seemingly new punch from the Montreal man, a lead right hook that the challenger had no answer for.
The champion also found a home for his power left but the always durable Johnson was never in real trouble, even as Bute stepped on the gas in the later rounds, trying to close the show.
After all 12 rounds were complete, Bute swept the cards by scores of 120-108 twice and 119-109.
The 31 year old champion improves to 30-0 (24) while Johnson falls to 51-16-2 (35), having gone 2-4 over the last two years.
The undercard saw local light welter Pier Olivier Cote, 18-0 (12), annihilate former lightweight bright prospect Jorge Teron, 25-3-1 (17), belting out the rangy New Yorker at 0:33 of the second round.
Former two-time IBF super bantam beltholder Steve Molitor, 34-2 (12), successfully came back from a title fight loss earlier this year but struggled with fellow Canadian Sebastien Gauthier, 21-3 (3), to record a 96-94, 96-94, 94-96 split decision victory.
Super middle Allan Green, 31-3 (21), who could be Bute’s next opponent, decisioned former IBF middleweight title challenger Sebastien Demers, 31-5 (11), by scores of 100-90, 98-92 and 97-93 after ten rounds.
