Lucian Bute successfully defended his IBF super middleweight title for the ninth time with a landslide points decision over a game but outclassed Glen Johnson at the Pepsi Coliseum in Quebec City, Canada on Saturday night. The 31-year-old Canadian-based Romanian put on perhaps his career best display of boxing against the 42-year-old ''Road Warrior,'' and can now look forward to to big-money matchups against the winner of the Super Six final between WBC champion Carl Froch and WBA title holder Andre Ward on December 17, and also the victor of the Robert Stieglitz versus Mikkel Kessler WBO title fight in January.

The 6'2" Bute upped his record to 30 straight wins with 24 knockouts. It was the first time he had gone the distance in six title fights, but the cement chinned Johnson has only been stopped once in his 18 year career, an 11th round TKO to Bernard Hopkins in an IBF middleweight title fight in 1997. Saturday's contest was former IBF light heavyweight champion Johnson's 11th world title fight. 

It was clear from the opening bell on Saturday night that it was going to be an almost impossible task for the game Jamaican. Normally Johnson likes to go on the attack and push forward behind his high guard and look to score with his heavy hooks. However, possibly out of respect for Bute's power, Johnson elected to fight at a distance, and it was Bute who stepped up the pace from the seventh round on, closing the gap and bringing the attack to the veteran.

It takes an extremely tough man to go the distance with Lucian Bute, and only two men – Librado Andrade and now Johnson – have turned the trick in the last 4 1/2 years. Although Bute tried his best to become the first man in 14 years to stop the armour-tough Jamaican, he never really looked like landing the heavy punches to do the job. 

Johnson and Bute are firm friends outside of the ring and have sparred hundreds of rounds together over the years. Johnson would therefore be no-doubt well-versed as to the devastating power of Bute's uppercuts, and as a result did his utmost to avoid them all night.

Bizarrely, the Jamaican believed he had done enough to win the fight and told Showtime afterward: ''I thought I won the fight. I didn't think he was landing anything. It's tough winning the fights on the road in these guys home towns.'' The Road Warrior saw his ledger slumped to 51-16-2 with 35 KOs. 

CompuBox showed that Bute landed 306 punches to Johnson's 128, and outscored him in power punches by 123 to 47. Two judges gave the fight to Bute on a shutout 120 - 108, while one judge saw the fights 119 -109.

When asked afterward if he was frustrated in his inability to stop Johnson, Bute replied: ''No, I'm very happy. This is a great experience. Fighting Glen Johnson is an honor for me. I needed a fight like this.''

Bute will now look forward to being ringside for the Showtime Super Six World Boxing Classic final at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City on December 17, which pits WBC super middleweight champion Carl Froch of England against his WBA counterpart Andre Ward of the United States.

 

When he was asked if he wanted to meet the winner Bute replied: ''Of course, it's my dream.''