Former super-middleweight world champion Carl Froch may well be one of the most perfectly placed to speak on IBF 168 lb champ, James DeGale’s next opponent, Lucien Bute, and claims today in his Sky Sports column that the Romanian simply isn’t the same fighter that he was before being “Cobra’d” by Froch in 2012.
Froch was fantastic that night in his hometown, entering at the time as a slight underdog and facing the cold reality that a defeat could really put the skids on his career at elite level, as he’d just come off being soundly beaten by Andre Ward in the final of the Super Six and was thus, belt-less.
Bute was coming off 9 straight defences of the IBF strap and was beset by injury and inactivity following the loss to Froch, looking average against Jean Pascal when he returned in January 2014 after 15 months out. He then had another 19 months out after that before returning in August against the over-matched Andrea DiLuisa (tko 4).
They are facts that have not escaped the attention of ‘The Cobra’, who ostensibly vacated that very same IBF title rather than face DeGale, who became his mandatory challenger at the end of last year.
“He [Bute] is simply not as good as he was. There is no way he is the same fighter that walked in to fight me back in 2012,” Froch said.
DeGale will however travel to Bute’s adopted Quebec backyard for the fight on November 28th, this following his title winning effort on American soil in May against Andre Dirrell – something Froch IS impressed by given he travelled to the US and beyond in his own career;
“I’ve got to say I am impressed with James DeGale’s decision to go out there [to Canada]. It shows that he is prepared to travel and prove that he belongs at world level.”
Yet, either way Froch thinks it could well be a damned if you do, damned if you don’t situation for ‘Chunky’ – especially to the UK fans – who he feels will seek to compare and contrast the two performances, and in his eyes there can only be one winner.
“People always make comparisons in boxing and people will compare his performance with that five-round battering I gave Bute. I am not being big-headed but he will find it hard to do better than that,” Froch added [no doubt gleefully and with a big smile on his face.]
It was a magic night for British boxing….
DeGale fights Bute, Nov 28th on Premier Boxing Champions from the Videotron Centre in Quebec, Canada. Sky Sports will screen in the UK.
Twitter @Undilutedpoison
