By Rick Reeno

If super middleweight Lucian Bute (26-0, 21KOs) is victorious this Friday when he defends his IBF title against Jesse Brinkley at the Bell Centre in Montreal, an HBO televised fight is being discussed for the month of March. One name that was kicked around by Bute's promoter, InterBox, was IBO cruiserweight champion Danny Green - if Green was able to meet their fighter at a reasonable catch-weight. That fight won't happen any time soon. From what I've been told, there has been some loose discussion with Green, and he made it clear that he won't go below 185-pounds.

The fighter that Bute's team would like to secure is former middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik. Prior to Pavlik's loss to Sergio Martinez in April, HBO was pushing for a potential meeting with Bute by the end of the year. Pavlik returns on November 13 against Brian Vera on the Pacquiao-Margarito undercard in Texas.

The fight with Vera is being contested at 164-pounds. There is serious discussion about Pavlik remaining at middleweight.