During the match against Joppy (39-4-2, 30 KO), Bute (22-0-0, 18 KO) wore the world boxing belt he won on October 20, 2007 in Montreal, after having defeated American Alejandro Berrio by knockout in the 11th round.
Lucian Bute dominated the match against Joppy, as he knocked down his rival by a left uppercut at the end of the ninth round. Bute won the match in the tenth round when Joppy was once again knocked down by technical knockout.
"I have proved everybody that I deserve to be champion. I want to thank all Romanians for their support," Bute told Radio Romania Actualitati at the end of the match.
Bute, 28, is Romania’s third world professional boxing champion after Mihai Leu and Leonard Doroftei.
Leu became world boxing champion at the WBO middleweight category by defeating Panamanian Santiago Samaniego on February 22, 1997, while Doroftei won on January 5, 2002, the WBA world boxing title at the WBA semi-lightweight category by defeating Argentinean Raul Horacio Balbi.