By Michael Collins: The promoters for IBF super middleweight champion Lucian Bute (29-0, 24 KO’s) and former WBC super middleweight champion Carl Froch (28-2, 20 KO’s) are working to put the finishing touches on a two-fight deal between the two fighters that will see Froch traveling to Montreal, Canada to meet the 31-year-old Bute in the first fight on April 14th.
The second fight will be four months later on August 4th in Nottingham, England. Depending on how competitive and well received the initial fight is, there could be a second fight in Froch’s home town of Nottingham, England. It goes without saying that Bute gets the better deal out this compared to Froch, because the first fight is guaranteed and the second is contingent out how well the first fight goes.
Froch, 34, may need a knockout to win a fight against Bute in Canada unfortunately, because it’s often very difficult for visiting fighters to win decisions win fighting there.
Froch’s promoter Eddie Hearn from Matchroom Sport told ESPN writer Dan Rafael “At the end of the day we need the second fight to be relevant and appealing.”
Froch isn’t in a power position to bargain right now because he just lost his World Boxing Council title last month to WBA super middleweight champion Andre Ward in the finals of the Super Six tournament in a fight that was pretty much a one-sided affair from start to finish despite two very odd scores from a couple of the judges working the fight. You would be hard pressed to give Froch more than two rounds in that fight and that was against a fighter that had two fractured bones in his left hands. Ward fought with a pre-existing injury on his left hand that he suffered in training camp.
Showtime will likely show the Froch-Bute fight in April. However, they prefer to see Bute fight 47-year-old WBC light heavyweight champion Bernard Hopkins in a catchweight fight at 170lbs. It’s a more relevant fight for Showtime because Hopkins hasn’t lost in a while – if you ignore his horrible performance against Chad Dawson where Hopkins fell to the canvas and injured himself after climbing on Dawson’s back – and he’s better known to American fans than Froch. However, the WBC has ordered Hopkins to give Dawson an immediate rematch. Hopkins will either have to take the fight for try and make a deal with Dawson to have him step aside temporarily or permanently. Hopkins will likely lose to Dawson if they do fight again.
Bute want a fight against WBA/WBC super middleweight champion Andre Ward but he’s told him directly that Bute has to beat a couple of A level fighters like Froch and Andre Dirrell before he’ll ever entertain a fight against the Canadian based champion. Bute’s promoter hasn’t helped him by matching him softly for the entire three solid years that he’s held the International Boxing Federation title. There has been zero fights of risk for Bute during that time and he appeared to be knocked out in one of the fights against Librado Andrade but was given a delayed count, which enabled Bute to get back to his feet and finish the fight leaning against the ropes rather standing without assistance.