IBF Super Middleweight champion Lucian Bute proved too big, too strong and too talented for challenger Jesse Brinkley, knocking out the former Contender star in the 9th round Friday night at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec. Although Brinkley was game, it was clear that he was out of his league against the much more technical fighter Bute.
Using his ring savvy, Bute kept his distance and picked Brinkley apart with well-placed shots, but Brinkley continued to press the action as he did his best to make a fight out of it. ultimately, however, Brinkley's undoing was his Achilles' heel, his body, as Bute landed some devastating body shots that noticeably began to bother the challenger. In the 5th round, Brinkley walked right into an "uppergut", a short uppercut right to the gut, that floored him. Although he beat the count, it was obvious that the end was near.
To his credit, Brinkley would battle on. Another uppercut in the 8th would send him to the canvas again, but again, Brinkley refused to stay down. In the 9th, however, one more crushing uppercut from the champion would change his mind, and Bute was declared the winner, successfully defending his title for the 6th time.