Lucian Bute next opponent will be Jesse Brinkley...

[Kev]

This is a guy who some have argued being the best at 168 and he is fighting the likes of Brinkley...........

I agree that Brinkley is far from a top-tier opponent, but, ignoring that fact that Brinkley is his mandatory, who else can Bute realistically face?

Hopkins is a high-risk, low-reward fight; Pavlik needs to start rebuilding himself in a new weight class and I doubt he wants anything to do with Bute right now; Jermaine Taylor and Jeff Lacy are shot; he's already beaten Bika and Andrade; Pascal is fighting Dawson at 175; and all the elite opponents are in the Super 6.

There's no one else for Bute to fight.

I'm kind of a hypocrite here as I do believe Brinkley has earned his shot. He strung a nice little win streak together and then he won the eliminator. So as Bute's mandatory he has indeed earned the right to face Bute. I know a couple months ago there were rumours he'd be forced to fight Bika to get the title shot and I felt that was wrong, you win your eliminator you get your shot, that's the way it should be.

That said I will still diss Bute for it. I actually accept he has no other options and it's just a stay busy fight, perfectly acceptable really.

But he shouldn't be the Ring Champ fighting opponents like this when Ward has just hammered Mikkel Kessler and Alan Green in successive fights.

Let him fight Brinkley, but drop him to number 1 challenger on the rankings, behind Andre Ward, the true champ.

[CFH]

This is a guy who some have argued being the best at 168 and he is fighting the likes of Brinkley...........

I agree that Brinkley is far from a top-tier opponent, but, ignoring that fact that Brinkley is his mandatory, who else can Bute realistically face?

Hopkins is a high-risk, low-reward fight; Pavlik needs to start rebuilding himself in a new weight class and I doubt he wants anything to do with Bute right now; Jermaine Taylor and Jeff Lacy are shot; he's already beaten Bika and Andrade; Pascal is fighting Dawson at 175; and all the elite opponents are in the Super 6.

There's no one else for Bute to fight.

I'm kind of a hypocrite here as I do believe Brinkley has earned his shot. He strung a nice little win streak together and then he won the eliminator. So as Bute's mandatory he has indeed earned the right to face Bute. I know a couple months ago there were rumours he'd be forced to fight Bika to get the title shot and I felt that was wrong, you win your eliminator you get your shot, that's the way it should be.

That said I will still diss Bute for it. I actually accept he has no other options and it's just a stay busy fight, perfectly acceptable really.

But he shouldn't be the Ring Champ fighting opponents like this when Ward has just hammered Mikkel Kessler and Alan Green in successive fights.

Let him fight Brinkley, but drop him to number 1 challenger on the rankings, behind Andre Ward, the true champ.

I agree 100% that he should not be the #1 ring ranked SMW. I think he has top 2/3 talent, but there is no way it shouldn't be 1. Ward 2. Kessler.... I'd probably have Bute anywhere from 3-5.