Lucian Bute vs Carl Froch Preview May 26th
IBF Super Middleweight Champion Lucian Bute travels across the Atlantic Ocean to take on former two-time world champion Carl Froch in his hometown of Nottingham, England on May 26. The undefeated Bute, who was born in Romania and now fights out of Canada, is hoping to take care of Froch and then take on WBC champion Andre Ward, while Froch would like to take the belt home with him and then meet Andre Dirrell or Mikkel Kessler in a rematch.
The 34-year-old Froch will enter the ring with a record of 28-2, with 20 KOs. He’s pretty tall for a super middleweight at 6-foot-1 and has a 75-inch reach. Froch has fought the cream of the crop in the super-middleweight and light heavyweight divisions over the past few years. Froch has been one of the top fighters in the world over that period of time, losing just once, to Ward. Froch is regarded as a good boxer-puncher who has pretty good power and an excellent chin. He sets most of his attacks up with an effective jab.
The 32-year-old Bute has an excellent record of 30-0, with 24 KOs and is half an inch taller than Froch, but has a three-inch reach disadvantage. Bute has beaten everybody who’s stepped into the ring with him, but hasn’t fought the level of boxers that Froch has. However, he’s still considered to be a top-five contender in the division. Bute’s toughest opponent to date has arguably been Glen Johnson, who he beat by decision.
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Bute’s also a powerful and quick boxer puncher, but he doesn’t have the same granite chin that Froch has. He’s generally an aggressive, fluid fighter who moves in for the kill when he senses his opponent is hurt. Bute, being a southpaw, has the style to frustrate Froch, much the same way Jermain Taylor had, but Froch managed to pull out a last-round KO win over Taylor when it looked like he was on the way to losing a decision.
Bute has a speed advantage over Froch, but he’s never been in the ring with anybody as good as the Englishman. Froch has the experience over the champion and fighting in his hometown will be a great boost for him. In addition, Froch should be able to take Bute’s best shots due to his superior chin and won’t hesitate to turn the boxing match into a brawl the first chance he gets.
Bute will need to fight from a distance, but will find it difficult because of his shorter reach. He can’t really afford to mix it up on the inside with Froch as he’ll be fighting his challenger’s style if he does. This is the champion’s biggest fight of his career and taking on Froch in enemy territory won’t help him. However, if he manages to pull it off he’ll open a lot of expert’s eyes.
Prediction
There’s a lot on the line for both boxers here, but Bute can probably handle a loss at this stage of his career better then Froch can. At 34, Froch could be looked upon as a fading veteran if he’s beaten here. If both fighters perform up to their potential Froch should have the edge because he can box as well as fight on the inside. Look for him to take Bute’s title by a close decision.
Odds
Online sportsbook 5dimes.com has the latest odds of a Froch win at +175 and a Bute victory at -210. The odds of the contest lasting more than 9.5 rounds are -320 and the odds of it finishing under 9.5 rounds are +240. Visit 5Dimes.com to bet on this fight.
Carl Froch betting • Lucian Bute betting