By James Slater: Tonight’s potential classic/thriller/FOTY between rival super, super-middleweights Lucian Bute and Carl Froch could prove to be the defining fight for the winner; heaven knows the pair of them may not have too much left after they’ve warred in Nottingham.
Tonight’s match-up is one of the very best of the year – arguably THE best match-up of 2012 so far – and you could make a case for neither guy having fought such a physically tough opponent before. Of course, Froch and Bute have been in with some classy operators in their time, “The Cobra” especially, but tonight’s duel just might bring out the very best in the unbeaten 32-year-old southpaw and the 34-year-old former two-time WBC champ.
In terms of quality of opposition thus far in their careers, however, Froch, 28-2(20) holds a distinct edge over reigning and defending IBF boss Bute, 30-0(24).
Let’s now look at each man’s three best pro wins and compare them.
Froch:
1: TKO 12 Jermain Taylor, April 2009.
A genuine thriller that proved a sensational hit with the fans. Froch, making the first defence of his newly acquired WBC title, was knocked down for the first time in his career in the fight with the former middleweight king. Early on, the idea of “The Cobra” going to the backyard of “Bad Intentions” looked a bad idea.
Trailing on the cards going into the final round, Froch gave us one of his most incredible finishes, as he scored one of the most amazing turnarounds in many a year. With just 14-seconds left in the fight, the powerful and determined fists of Froch battered Taylor to defeat. This one ranks up there with Jake La Motta’s legendary 1950 come-from-behind win over Laurent Dauthuille.
2: WU12 Arthur Abraham, November, 2010.
Having won one fight in the “Super Six” tourney and then lost his second appearance, Froch needed to beat another former middleweight ruler in “King” Arthur to keep himself in the competition. Froch the smart boxer turned up in Helsinki, Finland, and he proceeded to both befuddle Abraham and confound his critics. Simply put, Froch gave the mighty Abraham a boxing lesson.
3: WU12 Jean Pascal, December, 2008.
Froch’s first classic and in the opinion of many his greatest action fight so far. Both “The Cobra” and Pascal were unbeaten and, in front of his hometown fans, Froch was determined to stay that way. The two warriors went to war with reckless abandon at times, sending shivers down the spines of fight fans the world over. A genuine contender for that year’s best fight, Froch-Pascal saw the two rivals batter each other so much that they earned each other’s respect – to the point where a handshake agreement promised a return fight.
Bute:
KO 4 Librado Andrade, November, 2009.
This fight, a return of a fiercely-fought and highly controversial battle that almost saw Bute lose, resulted in a masterful display of dominance from the Romanian. Having been very fortunate not to have lost the first fight some 13 months before (holding on to his IBF crown and unbeaten record with the aid of some distinctly dodgy refereeing), Bute made short work of the previously unstopped Mexican in the rematch. Decking the iron-chinned warrior with a head shot first of all, Bute then flattened Andrade with as wicked a body shot as you will ever see. This loss pretty much ruined Andrade, and put paid to all the controversy the first fight between these two drew.
2: WU12 Glen Johnson, November, 2011.
This fight may have lacked drama, but Bute, in totally shutting out “Road Warrior” Johnson like no-one else before him, showed his sheer class. In fact, Bute won this fight with something to spare. Not since Bernard Hopkins became the only man to have stopped Johnson had anyone beaten him so emphatically. Yes, Johnson may have been 42 at the time, yet in his previous fight – with Carl Froch – Glen had been his usual tough, competitive self. As far as this common opponent goes, Bute holds an advantage over Froch.
3: KO4 Jean-Paul Mendy, July, 2011
Talk about an eye-catching one-punch KO! Okay, Mendy is no great fighter, yet he was unbeaten going into the July bout. Bute? He utterly destroyed the capable Frenchman with both apparent ease and in a highlight-reel manner. Ahead on points in the short fight, Bute landed a perfect shot to his fellow southpaw challenger’s exposed chin, the short, chopping overhand left instantly putting Mendy’s lights out. Bute smiled as he walked away from his unconscious foe. This win shows us all we need to know about Bute’s lethal power.