All-Canadian fight between Bute, Pascal rescheduled for Dec. 7 at Bell Centre

MONTREAL – The all-Canadian showdown in the ring between Lucian Bute and Jean Pascal has been rescheduled for Dec. 7.

A spokesman for Bute’s promoter InterBox confirmed that the Bell Centre has been reserved for bout between the two former world champions from Montreal.

Bute (31-1, 24 knockouts) and Pascal (27-2-1, 16 KOs) were scheduled to fight on May 25, but the bout was postponed when the southpaw Bute suffered an injury that required surgery to remove bone fragments from his left hand.

He is to have a cast put on the hand Thursday in Florida and will be unable to spar for at least four months.

“We don’t think we’ll have to postpone the fight again,” spokesman David Messier said. “We’re convinced Lucian will be ready.

“He always keeps himself in good shape and it’s only the boxing side that he won’t be able to work on until September, which gives him plenty of time to be ready for a fight in December.”

Tickets purchased for May 25 will be honoured on Dec. 7, or refunds can be given.

Bute held the IBF super-middleweight title until a crushing loss to Carl Froch in May, 2012. Pascal lost his WBC light-heavyweight belt to Bernard Hopkins nearly two years ago.

Pascal’s promoter Yvon Michel has no plan yet for another bout before Bute.

Pascal had hoped to get onto a June 8 card in Montreal on which Adonis Stevenson will challenge Chad Dawson for his old WBC title.