The show was partly funded by the Romanian tourist board to promote the country (which included paying for Michael Buffer to announce the main event) and drew a sellout crowd of 10,000. It was pleasing to see them all in place for the whole show rather then just turning up to watch the main event & they were rewarded with an entertaining featherweight scrap which saw local man Viorel Simion stop Filipino Jun Talape in the 9th round following a vicious body shot. There was also a run out for Romanian heavyweight novice Bogdan Dinu who registered a 6th pro win with a 1st round stoppage. I know it's all about levels & his opposition didn't provide much of a test but he looked a decent prospect; nice style, high guard, moved around the ring well & seems to possess a decent amount of power. Possibly one to keep an eye on
The reason everyone was there though was Lucian Bute. The champion was born in Romania but is based in Quebec, Canada and this was the first time he had defended his title in his native country; judging by the tears during the celebrations after the fight it obviously meant a lot to him. Mendy came in an undefeated challenger but as had been predicted he was several levels below the champion & never looked as though he actually believed he could win. Bute was in control throughout the fight & ended matters shortly before the end of the 4th stanza when he dropped Mendy with a left hook high on his temple.
Bute is an exciting fighter to watch, is still unbeaten & this was his 8th successful defense of his title. However I still think he's rated too highly by many pundits, a number of whom rate him at the top of the division; I'm not saying he isn't very good but he has yet to truly prove it. This has partly been out of his hands as the worlds finest at 12 stone have been tied up in the Super Six tournament for the past two years leaving Bute short of quality opponents. The Romanian has filled his time beating a string of opponents (Miranda, Magee, Andrade) who whilst decent are nowhere near the elite, but he has looked good whilst doing it.
With the Super Six due to finish in November, a logical fight would be the winner taking on Bute, but this seems harsh on either Froch or Ward; they've been through two years of tough, high quality opponents while Bute has had a relatively easy time of things. I'd like to see Bute in with a more challenging opponent first, ideally Mikkel Kessler although the rumour is that a fight with former middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik is likely to be next (a decent name & it'd sell but it's still not the toughest fight out there; Pavlik would be coming up in weight & is damaged goods anyway) Still, there are big fights out there in one of the most competitive weight divisions & at some point we'll see if Bute is as good as he looks
p.s. I realise the title doesn't make much sense as you pronounce his name Boo-tay, but couldn't think of anything better....
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