Bute battles forest of ring challenges
SUPER-MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLE DEFENCE Montreal IBF champ faces hostile crowd as he fights on Froch’s turf in Nottingham
Someone, it’s imagined, received plenty of money to coin the phrase No Easy Way Out – as if a bout between Lucian Bute and Carl Froch required some hokey advertising slogan.
Come to think of it, when reviewing the résumé of Bute, there has been no easy way out. Since winning the International Boxing Federation super-middleweight title in 2007, all nine of his defences have come in Montreal, his adopted home, Quebec City or his native Romania. Indeed, his last 23 bouts have been at no other venue.
So Bute, who will officially become a Canadian citizen Monday, is to be commended for agreeing to venture to Nottingham, England, Froch’s hometown, on May 26 to defend his 168-pound championship. And, if Bute has been a protected fighter – as many have argued – meeting some B-class opposition, we’ll finally discover what he’s made of against Froch, a two-time World Boxing Council champ.
“No names stick out on his record. Lucian Bute either is very confident or stupid,” Froch said on Wednesday, during an east-end Montreal news conference to promote the event, two days after all had assembled in England to get the publicity started. “It’s hard to gauge him. He’s not proven at the world level. This is his defining fight.
“To say I won’t beat Lucian Bute is ludicrous and ridiculous. I feel I can beat him, no problem at all. I’ve got experience at the top level.”
Froch, 34, reached the final of the Super Six supermiddleweight tournament last December, but was outclassed by Andre Ward, los- ing for only the second time in 30 bouts. Froch went 3-2 in the competition, losing to Mikkel Kessler two years ago, but defeating Andre Dirrell, Arthur Abraham and Glen Johnson.
The 32-year-old Bute, 30-0 with 24 knockouts, wasn’t invited to the tournament, organized by Showtime, the U.s.-based specialty network. He had hoped to meet Ward, but the American has been sidelined with an injury and he, too, has scoffed at Bute’s pedigree. Interbox, Bute’s promoter, made an offer to Kessler that was quashed, leaving him with Froch.
Should Bute lose for the first time as a pro, he has a safety net, secure in the knowledge his contract contains a rematch clause for a bout in Canada. He leaves Monday night to resume training in Miami Beach, and will go overseas well in advance of the fight, spending a week in London followed by another week in Nottingham.
“I know things will bother Lucian,” said his trainer, Stephan Larouche. “He knows that people may spit when he goes to the ring. They might throw beer, yell and insult him. He won’t get positive energy. But when the fight starts, it’s one against one. That’s what fighting should be about. Quebecers are funny. They blame Lucian for fighting at home and now that he’s going away, they say we’re stupid.
“I think he has the ability. It’s a matter of delivering and execution.”
Froch won the vacant title against Jean Pascal in December 2008, in what was considered a savage encounter. After the bout, it was revealed Froch had suffered a perforated eardrum and cracked rib in his final sparring session.
Against Jermain Taylor, Froch survived a third-round knockdown, the first of his career. Trailing on two scorecards heading into the 12th and final round, Froch rallied and scored a stunning KO. A tall and rangy boxer, Froch takes some punches, although never leading with his face, and usually gets the better of most exchanges.
Bute, a southpaw, has power, a vicious uppercut and hook, and works the body with precision. He’s unpredictable, working the angles inside the ring to his favour.
“We’ve got a major task on the table. We know that. We’re not stupid,” Larouche said. “In boxing, most of the time, speed is hard to beat. We’ll rely on our speed.”