This weekend when Carl Froch (28-2) takes on the undefeated Lucian Bute (30-0), you can expect to see a real good clash. Froch the Cobra is a fighter that I feel doesn?t get the props that he truly deserves. Yes, Froch has two losses, but one of those losses was to Kessler, a fight that could have gone either way, and his most recent loss was to possibly the most complete fighter in the sport, Andre Ward.
Bute on the other hand, is a very dangerous fighter in the sense that he can hurt you with short punches. Bute doesn?t need to fully extend in order for his punches to make a mark. One must make Bute fight at a fast forward type of pace in order to force Bute to rush his shots. You must provide very heavy pressure and cut off Bute?s wind pipes to make him feel uncomfortable, much like Librado Andrade did in their first match.
So who wins? Will it be Froch, who at times can be so awkward that it can take an opponent completely out of his game? Or will it be Bute, who has proven time and time again that he no longer needs to depend on his Sunday punch to get the job done, Bute now has various ways of getting his opponent out of there. Many people are a bit turned off by the very wide stance in which Froch fights in, but in my eyes, that wide stance helps the Cobra strike fast and hard because that wide stance brings leverage and power. Will the stance alone be enough to make Bute think twice about coming in? Probably not.
I know that it will for sure be extremely loud in the Nottingham Capital FM Arena, and the noise will at times be too much for Bute to handle, so Bute will need to calm himself down and will have to completely shut everyone out. This fight is so tough to call, you are better off flipping a coin to pick a winner in this one. For now, I am slightly leaning towards Bute, but come fight night, I may be forced to flip a coin myself. The fight will air on EPIX 6 pm EDT and 3 pm PDT. Buckle up and enjoy the show.
