Boxing: Lucian Bute TKO’s Andrea Di Luisa in 4th round

0

Get real time updates directly on you device, subscribe now.

Finally healthy, Lucian Bute celebrated his return from a 19-month layoff on Saturday by turning to his home fans in Montreal and mouthing the words “I’m back.”
Bute (32-2, 24 KOs), a former super middleweight titlist, looked tentative in the early going before blowing through heavy underdog Andrea Di Luisa via fourth-round TKO at the Bell Centre. The 171-pound catchweight bout headlined a Premier Boxing Champions card, espn.go.com reports.
“Like I said this week, Lucian Bute has come back,” Bute said. “He’s back. He’s back!”
A beloved superstar in his adopted home of Quebec, the native of Romania had the crowd on its feet with his performance. The reception brought Bute to tears as he celebrated in the center of the ring.
Bute, who improved to 20-1 at the Bell Centre, made his first appearance since dropping a wide decision to Jean Pascal in an all-Quebec showdown in January 2014. He then withdrew from a return bout in December with a back injury.
He had little trouble against the untested Di Luisa (17-3, 13 KOs), a native of Italy who was fighting outside of his home country for the first time. Lacking flashy hand speed, movement or power, Di Luisa proved an easy foil for Bute, who failed to sit down on his punches early while trying to shake off the rust.
“After the 19 months since my last fight, I was in the gym with my team and the team said to me to just take your time,” Bute said. “Just put the punches together and it will be great.”
He began to rebuild his confidence in Round 3 by landing a pretty left uppercut to the body and a series of looping left hands from distance. Once Bute committed to letting his hands go the following the round, Di Luisa began to crumble.
Bute, who connected on 65 percent of his power shots overall, finished off a four-punch combination by clubbing Di Luisa and flooring him with a straight left hand.
Di Luisa, 33, quickly regained his feet but was in bad shape and cut below his right eye. Bute swarmed in to land a five-punch combination that forced Di Luisa’s corner to throw in the towel, with referee Steve St. Germain calling the fight off at 1:53 of Round 4.

- Advertisement -

Leave A Reply

Your email address will not be published.

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Accept Read More