By Jake Donovan

James DeGale had no problem marching to the United States for his first title win, nor was he the least bit hesitant in heading to the backyard of his challenger for his first title defense. 

That moment comes Saturday evening in the form of a showdown with former super middleweight champ Lucian Bute, with the two colliding at Centre Videotron in Quebec City, Canada. Showtime will air the bout live as part of its Showtime Championship Boxing coverage. 

DeGale (21-1, 14KOs) made history by becoming the first-ever Olympic Gold medalist from Great Britain to win a major title in the pro ranks. That surprising stat line came in the form of a narrow points win over Andre Dirrell this past May in Boston, Mass. With the victory came a vacant super middleweight belt, which the 29-year old Londoner defends for the first time. 

The fight marks his fourth career trek outside of the United Kingdom region and his second straight bout away from home.

Conversely, it’s once again familiar surroundings for Bute (32-2, 24KOs), who has spent the majority of his career fighting out his adopted homeland in Canada. His first career loss came on the road, suffering a horrific 5th round stoppage at the hands of Carl Froch in Nottingham, England. 

It ended a lengthy title reign that began with a knockout win over Alejandro Berrio in Oct. ’07. Nine successful defenses followed – all but one taking place at home, with the lone exception coming in Romania – before running into a buzzsaw in Froch, who was on the rebound from a points loss to Andre Ward five months prior. 

Bute has yet to fully recover from the Froch debacle, as he is 2-1 in three subsequent fights. The loss came to adopted countryman Jean Pascal, dropping a 12-round decision last January in the most lucrative fight in the history of boxing in Canada.

The night was believed to be Bute’s cashout opportunity, but has since resurfaced with a 4th round knockout of overmatched Andrea Di Luisa this past August. 

Read on to see how the staff at krikya360.com believes this weekend’s super middleweight action goes down in Quebec City.

krikya360.com STAFF PREDICTIONS: JAMES DEGALE vs. LUCIAN BUTE

Miguel Assuncao (DeGale KO8): DeGale has come on leaps and bounds in the last 18 months and I feel he'll be too sharp, too slick and too smart for a past his best Bute. DeGale performed well away from home against Dirrell in May and I feel he can force a stoppage.

Matt Bevan (DeGale TKO6): I can’t see anything other than an easy victory for James DeGale here. It may be in Bute territory, but he is nowhere near the man he was before he faced Carl Froch. He is a desperate man, which does make him dangerous, but DeGale is in top form at the moment and should retain his title with consummate ease. DeGale looked superb last time, although he did take his foot off the gas and allowed Andre Dirrell back into their fight, but he will want to make a big statement and won’t make the same mistake twice. DeGale will stop Bute in six rounds to stake his claim as the world’s top super-middleweight.

Shaun Brown (DeGale Dec.): DeGale's personality should thrive on the whole lion's den factor. It should bring out the best in him. That aside, the way he allowed Andre Dirrell back into their vacant world title fight last time out was alarming. I think DeGale will look to get this done early but may find a bit of resistance and a stubborn challenger buoyed by home support.

Ryan Burton (DeGale TKO6): Bute simply is passed his prime while DeGale is on the rise.  I think DeGale will take his time and stop Bute in the middle rounds.

Jake Donovan (DeGale Dec.): It remains to be seen what Bute has left to offer the sport. I’m not fully convinced that DeGale leads the charge of the next wave of great super middleweights, but should have enough to win 7-8 rounds in a fight where Bute has his moments in a more competitive fight than most experts have suggested will be the case.

Stephen "Breadman" Edwards (DeGale TKO2): DeGale provides a train wreck of left hands to force the stoppage. 

Michael Gibbons (DeGale Dec.): Degale is too young and strong for Bute. This has the feeling of a 9-3 or 10-2 type of fight.

Christopher Glover (DeGale KO): James DeGale is a fighter on the up and could be argued is number one at Super Middleweight now when you take Andre Ward and Carl Froch out of the equation. Bute is no stranger to the boxing public. We know what he brings to the table. I see Chunky being devastating in this fight and expect him to knock Bute out before half way.

Ben Jacobs (DeGale Dec.): It is common knowledge that Lucian Bute has not been the same fighter since he was stopped in five rounds by Carl Froch back in 2012.  That said, he fought well in the later rounds against Jean Pascal despite being outscored over the 12. Meanwhile, James DeGale, since winning the IBF world title in a close battle on away turf against Andre Dirrell, will have grown in confidence simply by being the champion, knowing he can emerge victorious in challenging surroundings. I see this fight going the distance with DeGale having his hand raised after a comprehensive display, although 35-year-old Bute will leave the ring with his pride intact.
 
Peter Lim (DeGale KO8): In 2012 Carl Froch brutally punished and stopped Bute, leaving behind a shell of what was once a supremely confident and devastatingly accurate left upper-cutter. DeGale is offensively reckless and defensively flimsy enough to have been picked apart by the Bute of old, but the new and unimproved version will be a split second too gun-shy to capitalize on the Londoner's shortcomings. DeGale out-hustles, imposes his will and eventually stops his fellow southpaw in eight rounds.

George Ogier (DeGale Dec.): James DeGale deserves enormous credit (and probably a bigger wallet) for travelling to Quebec in the maiden defence of his world title. Whilst many think that Lucien Bute was broken by Carl Froch I’m not as confident that DeGale will have as easy a night as is being suggested. This isn’t necessarily down to Bute still being the bona fide world level operator he once was. DeGale seems to have a real problem gauging fights. In his two biggest contests to date James has had the tendency to take rounds off and assuming that he’s miles ahead. It cost him dearly against George Groves and two out of the three scorecards against Andre Dirrell were far closer than they needed to be. DeGale is a technically excellent fighter and he takes a shot very well. Providing he concentrates and boxes to his full ability James should deal easily with anything Bute throws at him. 

Takahiro Onaga (DeGale TKO9): Bute looks done as a top tier fighter whilst DeGale is just improving, the Englishman will see off the shell of Bute.

Cliff Rold (DeGale Dec.): DeGale has the pop to stop Bute but his style probably means a decision. But is in last chance lane so might make more a scrap of this than some think.

Victor Salazar (DeGale KO): I like this fight very much. Bute is much more live than people give him credit for, especially teaming up with Angel Heredia. I see the fight even in the later rounds where Bute's kryptonite, his chin, gives up on him.

Alexey Sukachev (DeGale UD): Bute's time has long gone. It'll be a miracle - one I don't believe in - if he can turn back the time. The most probable question is different: will he go the distance?

Jake Donovan is the managing editor of krikya360.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox