Bute Meets Russian Slugger Grachev In Comeback Fight

Canadian boxing sensation Lucian Bute (30-1-0) is on the rebound tonight when he faces heavy handed Russian Denis Grachev (12-0-1) in a twelve round NABF title contest live from the Bell Center in Montreal, Canada.

This is a career defining fight for both. For Grachev, a win would skyrocket him from his current status as a highly regarded prospect all the way to world title contention. Bute, on the other hand, is expected to win but still vitally needs a victory come Saturday night as he previously suffered a brutal knockout loss to top Super Middleweight Carl Froch.

A loss will send Bute’s career on an extremely fast downfall.

Bute lost to gritty British Super Middleweight Carl Froch, a severe blemish on his outstanding 30-1 record earlier this year. Froch proved that Bute’s endurance cannot withstand truly world class pressure, as Froch managed to break him down slowly and rather lopsidedly in five short rounds.

This can be an advantage for Grachev as he has a monstrous right hand and is quite relentless once he stuns his man.

Bute has also proven his fair share in the squared-circle, with his unorthodox slickness and skill he manages to rarely get hit by anyone not at the very top of their game.

Plus has scored some impressive knockouts against truly granite-chinned warriors including Edison “El Pantera” Miranda, Brian Magee, Librado Andrade and Alejandro Berrio, all whom rarely hit the canvas. Only guys with dynamic durability or solid conditioned strength hear that final bell.

Grachev, on the other hand, is a solid brawler with many limitations. He can often be found plodding forward and eating shots, which can be dangerous as Bute has an excellent uppercut. Grachev is much like Froch in the sense he is a bit telegraphed but does manage to get past his opponents shots to land his own.

If Gracev fights like he did in his most notable contest against Russia’s Ismayl Sillakh, he could possibly break down Bute with that towering right hand. This would likely be his only chance at a victory.

I will be predicting a Bute victory like no other. As with many of the Romanian-Canadian’s fights, he will start a bit tentative but will begin to land that massive uppercut and finish Grachev within the first six rounds of the fight.

The undercard also features some notable contenders including Renan St-Juste, Sebastian Gauthier, and Pier-Olivier Cote in stressful fights.

Renan St Juste faces Allan Green, who is a solid American fringe contender. A win for either man will boosts them up the ranks a nice bit.

Gauthier and Cote both face Mexicans; former world champion Rodrigo Guerrero for Gauthier and Cesar Chavez for Cote. These are two potentially intriguing fights there to serve you as an appetizer for the main course in Bute vs. Grachev.

Whatever does happen, be sure to tune in live on Wealth TV in the United States and Bell TV PPV in Canada and follow Saddoboxing for post fight coverage.