Froch v Bute May 26th Nottingham

http://www.boxingscene.com/bute-vs-froch-on-12-nottingham-likely-on-epix--50140

Looks like this is about to be made, finally. I said a while back I thought Froch could get Bute to Nottingham based on there being no other credible oppossition available. Some scoffed, but seems he is coming gents. Great fight, tough ask for froch but I am not ruling him out.

Cheers for this Sean, credit to Bute if he does agree to come to Nottingham, have to say though a homecoming is no less than Froch deserves on the back of the run he has had and the travelling he has done.

Agreed mate, big ask for both of them and my respect for Bute and his willingness to fight top contenders goes up plenty if he heads to Notts. I know Froch isn't favoured but i really think he is going to give Bute all he can handle. Bute is faster, hits harder and certainly less shopworn, bt this is one of those fights where i actually want Froch to go back to his old way. A tear up may suit him, if his chin holds. Either way, But is fav, but great fight... once it is official ha

Bute does not have the power to finish Froch off but I think a wide UD would be reasonable

Credit to Bute if he comes to England to face Froch.

I wonder if they'll have a Canadian referee again so that Bute gets his national anthem?

The Galveston Giant wrote:Credit to Bute if he comes to England to face Froch.

Agreed mate people saying he wont leave Canada but if he fights in England infront of a partisan English crowd he has proved these people wrong

Thanks Sean. Should be a cracking fight if it comes off. Would fancy Bute on points but Froch is a seriously live underdog.

Might even dust off the old credit card and go to this one if it happens. The wife is Canadian and has a thing for Bute. I am English and have a thing for Froch (his fighting style....nothing more) so it could be a great night out for the Windows family.

How much do tickets usually cost up there rowley

Shah, not sure how much of an indication this is but I have got Brook tickets in a couple of weeks and they were £40

Bute SD

Shah you do realise that fight tickets come at a standard price and its not based on what economic area you live in?

56 quid my Clev tickets were which was pricey but to be fair I was 8 rows from the ring plus we had quick access to the bar where my drinking 2 pints of bow and black at the same time ability came in practice

Who are you gonna be cheering for in the Brook v Hatton fight Rowley or you staying neutral?

Seems an age ago since I saw Froch's last world title fights in Nottingham (Pascal & Dirrell), so will definitely be treating myself here. Hats off to Bute, too. Probably Froch's last fight if he loses, I reckon, a world title and one fighter's unbeaten record in the mix, too; big, big fight with a lot of pressure on both men.

The Trent FM Arena will be packed out to be fair and create a hostile environment for Bute. Will be a good swangsong for Froch if it is his last fight

Bute KOs Froch and gets no credit again.

Bute by wide UD, hopefully followed by a fight with Ward

Massive boost for Froch in front of his home crowd,going to go with Froch SD.

I wasnt aware of that Steffan - only ever bought 1 ticket (someone else bought it and i paid my half) and that was cancelled when gavin cancelled. My mate travels to work occasionally to london from sheffield and brings his family over to my house for a couple of days and usually repays by picking up a ticket or two when hes free. Think he is going to work in bahrain at the end of april so i will have to buy my own for the first time

This is a big fight or Froch in terms of how he will be remembered I think. If he loses it he will have lost to probably the three best smw he faced. Then people will look more closely at the Dirrell fight and say he might have lost that, then they will look more closely at the Taylor fight and say he was "lucky" to pull that one out of the bag. Then that Abraham wasnt all that good and was much smaller etc. The danger for Froch and his legacy is that he gets remembered as just a tough guy who took tough fights but was only pretty ordinary overall. I hope this doesnt happen because I think Froch deserves better but I think theres a real danger of him becoming seen as average when it wasnt all that long ago ther were people speculating on whether or not he would surpass Calzaghe. If he loses to Bute would he be rated any better than the likes of Benn, Eubank or Collins?

What a run of fights Froch's had - outstanding. I fear it may have taken its toll though and I think Bute will win a fairly comfortable decision over Carl; loved to be proved wrong though.

If he loses to Bute would he be rated any better than the likes of Benn, Eubank or Collins?



I'd say he'd rank alongside Collins but behind Benn and Eubank.

If Carl can't win this i hope he retires. Bute is vastly overrated, he refused a step up until now, showed no interest in the super 6. Pascal is faster, stronger, more talented and Carl had enough to beat him, not so sure if Carl's as good now as he was back in 2008 mind, but Ward's a few levels above Bute so it will be hard to say.

I'm not sure that Bute is vastly overrated. It's more that he hasn't proven himself yet. Froch will be a perfect test, because you have to be an elite level fighter to beat someone as tough as him.

I'm rooting for Froch, but I think Bute will be a little too slick for him. Mind you, if Froch wins, it really will highlight just how above the rest of the pack Andre Ward is.

Boxtthis wrote:I'm not sure that Bute is vastly overrated. It's more that he hasn't proven himself yet. Froch will be a perfect test, because you have to be an elite level fighter to beat someone as tough as him.

I'm rooting for Froch, but I think Bute will be a little too slick for him. Mind you, if Froch wins, it really will highlight just how above the rest of the pack Andre Ward is.

One way or another we will find out if Bute is the real deal. I have been one of his biggest sceptics in the past, but now he is coming to england and taking on a proven world champ (ex) in Froch, I have a great deal of respect for him. Froch will test his heart, we will see what Bute has.

steven24 wrote:If Carl can't win this i hope he retires. Bute is vastly overrated, he refused a step up until now, showed no interest in the super 6. Pascal is faster, stronger, more talented and Carl had enough to beat him, not so sure if Carl's as good now as he was back in 2008 mind, but Ward's a few levels above Bute so it will be hard to say.

He was not asked to join the Super six, then was refused entry into the tournament, learn your facts.

Don't care, mentioned it to TSMR and she has reminded me we are away that weekend, is thus a rubbish fight.

All credit to Bute for taking this fight. He must think it is winnable and I do not disagree, but I will be 100% behind Froch on the night. The biggest shock for me, thogh, is the sour grapes from Jeff. He is normally so gracious in the face of adversity!

Credit to both of them. Hopefully Froch will show Bute up to some extent at least but my money will go on the Canadian

No american TV coverage, Showtime that have a contract with Bute have refused Froch as an opponent????
HBO no interest.
Granted they prob want to cover SOB, but this is probably the most exciting fight that can be made at super middle, and showtime that have been covering all the super middle's have no interest???WTF???

So the fight isn't going ahead?

The Galveston Giant wrote:So the fight isn't going ahead?

Hope not

miserable biatch rowley

The fight is definitely going ahead (ref espn), there is just no american audience for it.

i think froch could nick this in a close fight.
if he loses though, surely it's best to retire. he's been sensible with his money and easily has enough to retire on.

plus he's always good for a quote so sky or box nation will pick him up.

DaveVDK wrote:

steven24 wrote:If Carl can't win this i hope he retires. Bute is vastly overrated, he refused a step up until now, showed no interest in the super 6. Pascal is faster, stronger, more talented and Carl had enough to beat him, not so sure if Carl's as good now as he was back in 2008 mind, but Ward's a few levels above Bute so it will be hard to say.

He was not asked to join the Super six, then was refused entry into the tournament, learn your facts.

Yeah, Calzaghe wanted to fight the best all his career as well
Refuses a step up all his career until now Bute, when ironically Froch has lost a couple of fights, Andrade sparked him and the referee went into the role of being Bute's dad, and was almost as controversial as Joe Cortez. Pascal would starch him, as would Ward, as should Froch.

I think Bute will win this. The whole Super 6 thing has probably led to Bute being seen as protected and stay at home. Thus I think hes been underrated in some corners. I used to kind of think that myself but I have to say having revisited some of his fights in the last while he looks alot more impressive than I had remembered. Probably because at the time I had been a bit dismissive of him and his opposition.

I think Froch will find him very difficult to deal with. Hes quicker than Froch in terms of both hand speed and footspeed. Hes cagier and slicker than Froch also. He mixes well between head and body attacks and being a southpaw I think he will have success landing the left hook against Froch which Ward was able to do quite regularly.

I think Froch likes guys to come to him and stand in front of him so he can bust them up with his jab and use his jab to set up his own shots. I dont think hes nearly as effective when he has to chase after guys who can use the ring well and control range better than he does. It takes away his jab and exposes his lack of speed. I can forsee Bute doing this and being able to beat him on the outside. If he stands in Froch of Froch he will have problems but I think he will use the ring better than Froch and outbox him using the advantages he has in speed and athleticism. Its a step up for Bute but I think he genuinely is at that level as opposed to needing protection and Im glad this fight is happening.

I think it's time we started to give Bute the benefit of the doubt; he's had his critics with regards to the level of his opposition, but in fairness a lot of the top guys at 168 lb have been tied up in the Super Six, so his options have been limited somewhat. Also, with each breaking story, it's looking as if he simply wasn't considered for the tournament rather than flat out refusing to enter it. If he'd have continued fighting gatekeepers and middle of the road opponents after the conclusion iof the tournament, I'd understand the heat he's getting; but as it is, as soon as the tournament's finished he's jumped straight in to an away fight with Froch. And yet, some are still scathing of him? Like Alex said above, I fear that if he were to win he'd get nowhere near the credit he deserves. Naturally, I'll be rooting for Froch and will be making a lot of noise for him that night, but let's at least give Bute his props for making this very exciting fight possible.

I've seen nothing of Bute that gives Froch any problems.

I think he's very over rated. Froch will do what he did to Abraham.

Got to say I agree Chris, the more you think about it the logistics of the super six probably meant Bute did not get an invite, obviously neccesary from a financial and advertising perspective to get half of the field as Americans which takes three places and does not include Bute, Kessler was accepted as being the man at the weight going in so was a must, Froch was coming in on the back of a fight of the year contender in Pascal and a thrilling last minute win against Taylor so had proven both a willingness to travel and likelihood to be in great fights so again was always likely to get the call.

This only leaves the one place and whilst with hindsight Bute would have been preferable to Abraham you have to remember prior to the contest Abraham had looked the business and most were hugely excited to see him step up, also the German market is pretty big nowadays so again was probably a fairly sound financial reason for going for him. As you have alluded to, with hindsight and his actions in taking this fight the idea that Bute was not really considered very seriously for the competition probably has some validity

JabMachineMK2 wrote:I've seen nothing of Bute that gives Froch any problems.

I think he's very over rated. Froch will do what he did to Abraham.

Their respective size and styles are way apart.

Doesn't matter Manos, I can see Froch taking from the Ward fight that he's going to need to go back to how he approached the Abraham fight - ready to outbox rather than "out tough" his opponent, and he'll fight a clean fight and outwork Bute. I don't see anything Bute has or does that Froch can't deal with.

Froch has a pretty low work rate. If he does beat Bute I would be surprised if its on workrate.

I agree with Manos here - workrate is no strength of Froch's. I recall plenty of times bellowing towards the ring / TV that he needs to apply more pressure and throw more. It cost him the Kessler fight, I'd say, and resulted in a few more (slightly) uncomfortable moments than there should have been against Johnson.

Bute has, in general, looked good since winning his IBF belt, albeit against opposition which, quite often, has suited him. People will naturally bring up the Andrade farce, but much like Froch who was made to look extremely amateur-ish at times against Dirrell, I'd say there's a clearly visible improvement in him since circa 2009.

Fair play to Bute for agreeing to this fight. My opinions of him as the Canadian Sven Ottke has changed somewhat.

I think you're underestimating Froch and overestimating Bute.

Im a bit surprised that people would forsee Froch having as easy a time with Bute as he did with Abraham. He basically won every second of every round against Abraham. I cant see him doing that against Bute unless he he catches him with a big KO shot or something.

Im also surprised that people would say they havent seen anything in Bute to trouble Froch. Because other than one bad round against Andrade, hes actually looked very impressive in his fights. Good speed, good agility, nice punch variety. Alot of areas where it looks like he holds an advantage over Froch. The problem with Bute is not that he hasnt looked good, because I think he has, its that his opposition hasnt been as high and its not certain if he can carry his performances up a level to deal with Froch.

But within his record there are various hints and performances that would point to genuine top 5 material rather than pretender. He shares two common opponents with Froch - Johnson and Magee. In both cases he dealt with them more impressively than Froch managed. Granted Froch beat them both first and Bute had sparred with Johnson. But it still indicates a guy that is genuine. A shut out over Johnson, early stoppage over Miranda and decisive win over Bika - these are the kind of performances and results that indicate top level and are consistent with the kind of results other champions have over them.

Not being in the Super 6, and not travelling meant I think I tended to undersell him a bit and view him as just looking good against scraps. In a sense he was but Im much more inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt as a top operator than I was previously because I had ignored him to some extent while the S6 was ongoing. But in simple terms I think if he carries his performances so far up a level with Froch he will win. Either way I would not forsee froch having it easy with him and being able to dominate him and coast. If Froch does win I think it will be down to getting the better of the exchanges that they have. But I expect these to be contested and competitve rather than Froch having it all his own way.

I see Bute winning comfortably. It wouldn't surprise me if he scored a late stoppage. He is very under-rated.

Rowley are you away on the 12th weekend or the 26th?

Anyone know when Tickets go on sale??

ShahenshahG wrote:Rowley are you away on the 12th weekend or the 26th?

26th mate, nephew has a football tournament in Blackpool

Thats only two hours from nottingham?