Lucien Butte - A pleasure to watch

A pleasure to watch ... that’s the best way to describe 24 year-old Lucien Butte. Born in Romania and now living and fighting out of Montreal this 6’1, super middleweight phenom may just be the most promising prospect to date for local promoter, Interbox. “He is a very important part of our future,” says chief second Stephane Larouche, “And may be the most talented fighter we’ve ever had.” High praise from an organization that’s already produced 2 World Champions.

He’s fast, slick, moves well, hits like a hammer and is absolutely focused on destroying his opponents and winning fights. So far this single-minded approach has rewarded Butte with a pro record of 5-0, with 5 KO’s. “He’s got great potential,” explains Abe Pervin, another veteran trainer who has worked extensively with Butte over the last 2 years. “But having potential and realizing it are two very different things and this young man still has most of his work ahead of him. As long as he maintains his focus, keeps listening to instruction and avoids distraction, he should continue to improve,” adds Pervin. “All he needs is experience and the opportunity to do what he does best.” When asked about Butte’s weaknesses, Pervin is candid. “Everybody has some weaknesses but as far as serious shortcomings are concerned I see no downside.”

But then again, Lucien Butte has never really had a downside as far as boxing is concerned. After a celebrated amateur career he won gold at the francophone games in Hull, QC, in 2000, immediately turned pro, signed with Interbox and has been one of their brightest young stars ever since. “He’s a hard guy to fight,” says Nicholi Nicholov, a six-time Quebec Golden Gloves Champion, aspiring pro and sparring partner. “He does so many things well,” explains Nicholov. “His movement and distancing are excellent. He blocks punches well with both his gloves and his lead shoulder and he makes you pay for every little mistake you make – believe me, getting in the ring with this guy is not a pleasant experience.

Butte’s latest victory came on July 24/04 in Atlantic City against a tough veteran journeyman in Taylor Emmett Hughes. Fighting on the Doran/Gatti undercard Butte got his first exposure to a big-time event, and took full advantage of the opportunity. “This was a good test for him,” says Larouche. “Performing in front of a large crowd in a place like Atlantic City is a necessary step in his development as a professional fighter. There’s a lot of extra pressure,” he adds. “And if he wants to rise to the top of this sport he’s going to have to get used to it.” As for Taylor Emmett Hughes, Butte had little trouble taking care of business in this scheduled 6-rounder. “He (Butte) looked a little rough in the first round,” admits Larouche, “But in the second he got his game together and started landing power shots.” By the third round Hughes was already hurting when Butte landed a left hook to the body and put his opponent out of his misery.

Rapidly becoming his signature punch, this devastating shot has been a very effective weapon for Butte so far in his career and has sent more than one opponent to an early shower. “We are very happy with his performance that night and his development so far,” says Larouche. “But with 5 relatively easy KO’s in his first 5 fights we are a little bit concerned about his lack of time spent in the ring. I mean the KO’s are great,” he adds. ”But he needs more exposure to actual fight conditions and needs to face some adversity.” And facing some adversity is exactly what they have in mind for their star pupil over the next few months. “I would like to see Butte fighting 8-rounders against quality opponents by year’s end,” explains Larouche. “And use that experience as a launch point towards the upper echelons of the division and an eventual title shot. We have big plans for him but must move cautiously,” he adds. “It’s a fine line.”

COMMENT

Anyone who knows anything about this sport can tell you that grooming a champion is a tricky business – a fighter such as Butte must be brought along carefully. But how carefully? That’s the multi-million dollar question. Too much protection and he won’t be ready for his big break when it comes – too little and he may end up getting hurt. As Stephane Larouche said, it’s a fine line, a gamble, and like any gamble can pay huge dividends if managed properly. Now whether Butte ever realizes his full potential is still uncertain, but he certainly is in good hands. Local promoter Interbox, has made world champions out of lesser talents in the past and helped put Montreal on the world boxing map – So while past performance doesn’t guarantee future success, it’s a pretty good indicator.