Froch vs Bute; when the fans win.

AS the Super 6 tournament came to its conclusion, there was really only one criticism levied against it. Yes, injuries, delays and withdrawals had taken their toll but the main issue was that a fighter who had a claim to be the best Super Middleweight on the planet (though the legitimacy of this claim is still subject to debate) wasn’t a part of it.

Although there have been several theories, it’s never been clarified why Lucian Bute wasn’t a part of the Super 6. It’s believed he was never formally invited by Showtime but whether his team were sounded out or not, the most innovative tournament in years started, and finished, without him.

There are two divergent schools of thought in regard to the Romanian-born stars development in the last two years. Some believe he has established himself as the class of the division, with a series of dominating victories. His critics believe that his aforementioned dominance had much to do with the quality of opposition he faced.

Through no fault of his own, Bute has been unable to face the very best that his weight class has to offer. Whilst continuing his unbeaten run, his list of vanquished foe’s doesn’t exactly read like a Murderers Row.  In his last outing, he shut-out the respected, though faded, veteran Glen Johnson. Sakio Bika, Librado Andrade and Brian Magee join “The Road Warrior” as the best names on his resume.

It should be noted that Bute, 30-0(24), has clearly improved over this period.

The fast-hands and classy boxing style have always been there but his ring generalship and, perhaps most markedly, his body-punching skills have improved greatly. Along with the Super-Bantamweight standout Guillermo Rigondeaux, he may be the pre-eminent body-puncher in the sport. From his southpaw stance, he is able to land an impressive variety of shots to the body. He can hook with both hands, land a straight left or dig with powerful uppercuts to the stomach and solar plexus.  

Recognising his talent and, perhaps more importantly, the fans desire to see him face the eventual Super 6 winner, Showtime signed Bute to a three-fight contract. Their plan was simple; televise two of his fights to whet the appetite of the fans before matching him with their Super 6 winner to determine, once and for all, who the best Super Middleweight on the planet is. When Andre Ward dominated Carl Froch in the final, the next step seemed obvious.

In boxing though, just because something makes perfect sense, doesn’t make it any more likely to happen.

In the immediate aftermath of his victory over Froch, Ward didn’t seem overly enamoured with the idea of jumping straight into a bout with Bute. Although the IBF champion brings an unbeaten record and a strong fan-base in his adopted home of Canada, his reasoning was that Lucian needed to prove himself more, that he didn’t “deserve” a fight with him. Although perhaps understandable, this is a little unfair on Bute. He’s played the cards he’s been dealt and, in the opinion of most, is the clear frontrunner to face the self-anointed “Son of God”.

With that avenue seemingly closed off at the moment, another fighter saw an opportunity.

Is it really any surprise that fighter is Carl Froch?

After facing Jean Pascal, Jermain Taylor, Andre Dirrell, Mikkel Kessler, Arthur Abraham, Glen Johnson and Andre Ward consecutively (five of which took place outside of the UK) it was assumed that Froch, 28-2(20), would return home and take on something of a soft touch. If anyone could be forgiven taking an easy fight in front of his hometown fans, it would be “The Cobra”, whose level of competition in the last few years has been peerless.

As soon as it became clear that Ward-Bute wasn’t the formality many assumed, Eddie Hearn began negotiations with InterBox. The initial talk was of a two-fight series, with the first fight in Canada and the re-match in England. As novel an idea as this was, neither camp could iron on the details, mainly – how would they proceed if the first fight was won in comprehensive fashion? Would there be enough demand from fans or TV to make a second meeting worthwhile?

By settling on one fight, on May 26^th at the Capital FM Arena in Nottingham, both men emerge with credit. Froch continues on his amazing run of facing the best possible opponents and Bute answers the critics who said he was unwilling to leave Canada or take a genuinely risky fight.

It’s also notable that both men have managed to steal a march on Andre Ward.

The Oakland native was the toast of boxing after dominating the Super 6 – the ease with which he dismantled highly-rated foe’s like Kessler and Froch saw him catapulted onto the Pound-for-Pound list, where a long period of dominance was predicted.

Barely two months have passed yet his spotlight has already been stolen. While Ward ponders his next move, two of the best three Super Middleweights have signed-up for a bout that has boxing fans salivating.

Bute has the opportunity to back up his fans boasts that he is, in fact, the top 168lb’er on the planet. Froch can make everyone forget about his one-sided loss to Ward and reclaim his place near the apex of his division.

Bute and Froch have pulled off a nice trick of, not only giving us all a great fight but leaving the consensus best fighter in the division out in the cold. Andre Ward will likely be forced to either face the winner, or take on an opponent of a similar calibre. Either way, the fans win.