By Luke Furman
Canadian superstar Lucian Bute (31-2, 24KOs) shocked a lot of people two weeks ago when he signed a long-term agreement with manager/adviser Al Haymon.
The former champion has been out of the ring since losing a twelve round decision to Jean Pascal in January 2014. He was expected to return last December, but withdrew after suffering an injury during training camp.
Bute was tired of juggling the role of boxer and manager. He needed an experienced agent to represent him and saw Haymon as the perfect man for the job. Haymon already represents over 150 fighters, including the biggest star in the sport - Floyd Mayweather Jr.
"It was he who contacted me and I had a meeting with him. I liked his vision of boxing and his direction [related to] me and the business. He's followed my career on TV and he has confidence in me. Since the beginning of my career, I was my own agent. The last three years have been more difficult and I've had a lot of pressure on my shoulders. I need an agent to negotiate my contracts," Bute said.
"I do not know how many fights I have left and I want to focus 100% on boxing. I want to go to the end of my limits and become champion, one step at a time. I've been with InterBox since 2003. I'm going to stay with [promoter] Jean [Bédard]. And now I train with Freddie Roach instead of Stephan [Larouche]. I have all of the resources to succeed."
Bedard, the president of InterBox, is not worried about Bute's new business relationship with Haymon. He sees it as a good thing, with Haymon recently announcing television deals with NBC and Spike TV.
"The first fight between Lucian and Librado Andrade, I remember being yelled at [by Haymon] on the phone over a gloves dispute. The fight was nearly canceled. But honestly, I'm comfortable with the arrival of Al Haymon and I think it's good news. It even takes away the pressure. It will open doors to Lucian. At 34, his upcoming fights are critical and he must make the right decisions. The situation is different from when he was champion. With Al Haymon, we will have more options," Bedard said.
Luke Furman covers boxing for bokser.org.
