BoxRec

There is a story on fightnews that Lucian Bute is looking for an opponent for a June date after Steiglitz stalled in negotiations for a unification fight.

Its a voluntary fight, but has to be someone ranked in the top 15... options are looking quite thin.

Here are the rankings.

1) Jesse Brinkley - fighting Bika so out of the running).
2) Not Rated.
3) Arthur Abraham. (Super Six - so out of the running).
4) Sakio Bika - Fighting Brinkley so out of the running.
5) Librando Andrade - Surely the public have seen these two enough times now.
6) Edison Miranda. - Overwhelming loss to Bute recently.
7) Andre Dirrell - Super Six so out of the running.
8) Curtis Stevens - Possibility but lost an eliminator last time
9) Les Sherrington. Possibility (but poor choice) - will he fight outside Australia
10) Jean Paul Mendy - Good fighter, has a fight lined up with Zuniga though.
11) Karoly Balzay - Lost his last two.
12) Flugencio Zuniga - Smashed by Bute recently
13) Brian Magee
14) Vitali Tsypko - Possibility but lost against Andrade recently.
15) Jamie Pitman. Possibility but lost last time out.

Some other fighters who might get a look in include Joseph Kwadjo (who beat Pitman this month - so is probably in the rankings now) and maybe an outside chance of Jermain Taylor, not ranked at the moment but I'm sure that will be arranged.

It would be a massive ask for Magee, it seems that Bute's options are limited.

UMmmmmmmm - and people stated Magee needs Paul Smith?

I will state again - Smith v Magee is a very good fight - but its time for people to compromise before its too late - I also stated Team Magee have other avenues to explore and even have offers.

Spud wrote:UMmmmmmmm - and people stated Magee needs Paul Smith?

I will state again - Smith v Magee is a very good fight - but its time for people to compromise before its too late - I also stated Team Magee have other avenues to explore and even have offers.

Thought it would get a response Spud

Well it was just me speculating and looking at the rankings. Looking at the list, if team Bute doesn't contact team Magee - then it will really highlight his lack of exposure.

Be mint if he got a shout.

If only Magee had a chin, he'd have been right in there with the super six lot.

Cannibal wrote:If only Magee had a chin, he'd have been right in there with the super six lot.

god, magee does not have a bad chin..where do you get that opinion from?

rhino222 wrote:

Cannibal wrote:If only Magee had a chin, he'd have been right in there with the super six lot.

god, magee does not have a bad chin..where do you get that opinion from?

it's not the greatest :!: a shot robin reid was rattling him all over the gaff. i remember seeing chris nembhard a poor middleweight drop him heavy also.

Cannibal wrote:If only Magee had a chin, he'd have been right in there with the super six lot.

It was a bit flaky i agree.

But fair play he always got up after being short-circuited.

Brian Magee is a brawler who comes to fight. He just steam rolled Mads Larsen in Denmark. Magee deserves the fight against Bute. I cannot see many others more worthy of a shot than Magee beside from some of the guys in Super Six. Reid floored Magee in their fight, but on the scorecards it was a close fight. Furthermore his fight against Froch was close untill he got KO'ed. I would rather see Magee than Brinkley or some other fool.

The Brinkley vs Bika fight was meant to be an eliminator for this fight in Romania I thought.

If it isn't then it means Bute is gonna fight a shite opponent in Romania for his 2nd last fight of his HBO deal, and then fight the Bika vs Brinkley winner, which will be another shite fight, where you know the result before the fight starts, for his final HBO fight.

And the Bute lovers said the HBO deal would lead to a fight against a top opponent.

Until I hear otherwise I'm assuming his Romania fight is against the Bika vs Brinkley winner. There are 8 odd weeks between the 2 dates so thats enough time.

bigbaddaddydanny wrote:Brian Magee is a brawler who comes to fight.

Absolute b*llocks!!!

Spud wrote:

bigbaddaddydanny wrote:Brian Magee is a brawler who comes to fight.

Absolute b*llocks!!!

He's more of a hit and hug type.

bigbaddaddydanny wrote: I would rather see Magee than Brinkley or some other fool.

Just curious why Brinkley is a fool, yet Magee is deserving?

There aren't a lot of big names out there for Bute right now. Stieglitz would have been a good fight, but apparently he turned down a big offer. The likes of Bika, Magee, and Brinkley are all deserving in this state, which is quite sad. Bute would easily beat all three of them. People are always getting on Bute for his opposition and I agree it could be better, but what is he supposed to do right now?

Magee just turned down a WBC title eliminator against Sebastien Demers for "another opportunity".

Not sure what that other opportunity is but I guess it could be a title shot against Bute. :??

Could very well be. I would be shocked if Magee were to fight Bute on HBO. Magee isn't known to the USA or HBO.

That would be a damn hard fight for Brian, one I just cound't see him winning honestly. Bute just to good of a operator for Magee to handle imo.

Maxime wrote:Magee just turned down a WBC title eliminator against Sebastien Demers for "another opportunity".

Not sure what that other opportunity is but I guess it could be a title shot against Bute. :??

Where did you hear this, Maxime?

Deno1986 wrote:

Maxime wrote:Magee just turned down a WBC title eliminator against Sebastien Demers for "another opportunity".

Not sure what that other opportunity is but I guess it could be a title shot against Bute. :??

Where did you hear this, Maxime?

Just a rumor I heard.

Didn't Brinkely get outpointed by a shot Robin Reid?

Britannian Stallion wrote:Didn't Brinkely get outpointed by a shot Robin Reid?

Wasn't that like 3 years ago?

Brinkley has been on a 9 fight winning streak since then.

Britannian Stallion wrote:Didn't Brinkely get outpointed by a shot Robin Reid?

yep

but he was on the 1st contender & is known well by the american public.they love a potential fairytale D

smith was also on a contender & it must of raised his profile or it should help in selling any challenges he makes.

Maxime wrote:

Deno1986 wrote:

Maxime wrote:Magee just turned down a WBC title eliminator against Sebastien Demers for "another opportunity".

Not sure what that other opportunity is but I guess it could be a title shot against Bute. :??

Where did you hear this, Maxime?

Just a rumor I heard.

You read it in your local newspaper or somewhere on the net in other words.

If you are part of Bute's team or know someone who is then just come out with it.

bigbaddaddydanny wrote:Brian Magee is a brawler who comes to fight. He just steam rolled Mads Larsen in Denmark. Magee deserves the fight against Bute. I cannot see many others more worthy of a shot than Magee beside from some of the guys in Super Six. Reid floored Magee in their fight, but on the scorecards it was a close fight. Furthermore his fight against Froch was close untill he got KO'ed. I would rather see Magee than Brinkley or some other fool.

Magee is a brawler?

Maxime wrote:

Britannian Stallion wrote:Didn't Brinkely get outpointed by a shot Robin Reid?

Wasn't that like 3 years ago?

Brinkley has been on a 9 fight winning streak since then.

Yes but have you seen the class of opponent?

He was outboxed by the dire Anthony Bonsante (the one with the emotional, chubby offspring that looked like the cast of Watership Down) on the Contender first series and relied solely on a decent dig to get him out of that scrape.

He's no way deserving of a world title shot, Magee is a far better fighter than Jesse Brinkley.

I'm pissed off if this happens personally. Not just pissed off I'm fornicating fuming.

Bute has 2 fights left on this HBO deal and all I'v heard from the Canadians is talk that the big fight HAS to come during this deal. Now what is going to happen, it is going to be Magee followed by the Brinkley vs Bika winner (the winner of this fight is mandatory ie no way of getting around it.)

I thought it was going to be the mandatory in Romania for Bute's next fight. Fine no problems with that, it's a mandatory. And then someone like Pavlik (who could get a win in between now and then) or one of the 2 who drop out of the Super 6 or even Hopkins ie finally a big fight. Now it is going to be 2 fights we know the result of. All respect to Magee but he would be out of his depth with Bute, and the same for Brinkley.

All this 'oh he pulls a big crowd in Canada yadda yadda' has to stop if this standard continues, there are fights out there if his team really want them. Not many fights, but sure as hell better fights than Magee followed by the Bika v Brinkley winner.

For me, Magee is better than Brinkley and Steiglitz, and overall is probably the best fighter that Bute could currently (realistically) face at the weight. To be honest though, I can see the Bika-Brinkley fight being scrapped and Bute taking on both of them, one after the other. Pointless fights for a fighter whose talents are completely wasted. He might be the best super middleweight on the planet but we'll probably never know because his level of competition is embarrassing.