Lucien Bute has admitted that he respects James DeGale's decision to face him in Canada in the first defence of his IBF super-middleweight title.
In May, DeGale beat Andre Dirrell on points to become world champion before opting to meet former IBF title holder Bute in Canada, where the 35-year-old is based.
However, while being full of praise for the Brit, Bute has said that he is confident of upsetting the odds in Quebec on Saturday night.
The Romanian-born fighter told Boxing News: "I've seen lots of his fights. I saw his last fight with Andre Dirrell in America. He's a great fighter and he's developed a lot. He's confident now, and he's a world champion now.
"I respect his decision to come to Canada and defend his world title against me. It's his first defence, he didn't have to take me on, and I have respect for him for doing that. It shows that he is a great champion. But I will get my belt back."
In 2012, Bute suffered the first defeat of his professional career when Carl Froch stopped him inside five rounds in Nottingham, while his only other loss in the paid ranks came at light-heavyweight against Jean Pascal in January 2014.
Darren Plant
