CARL FROCH BATTERS BUTE TO BECOME THREE TIME WORLD CHAMPION
By Ronnie Nathanielsz
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 27 May 2012
Britain?s 34 year old Carl Froch battered Canada?s Lucien Bute to win the IBF super middleweight title before a joyous hometown crowd at the Capital FM Arena in Nottingham, England, Sunday.
Froch who was a clear underdog had far too much power for Bute whom he savaged in the third round and had the defending champion in deep trouble before being saved by the bell in round four.
Froch continued to hammer Bute at the start of the fifth before Bute?s cornermen jumped in to save him from further punishment as referee Earl Brown was giving Bute a standing eight count.
It was Bute?s tenth defense of the title he won in 2007 but it was only his second defense outside his adopted country, Canada while Froch was fighting for the first time since losing a twelve round unanimous decision in the finals of the Showtime Super Six tournament to the classy American Andre Ward on December 17, 2011.
Froch won the vacant WBC title with a twelve round unanimous decision over Jean Pascal on December 6, 2008 but lost in his third title defense by a twelve round unanimous decision to Mikkel Kessler on April 24, 2010 before regaining the title with a twelve round unanimous decision over Arthur Abraham on November 27, 2010.
Froch told BBC Sports in a post fight interview "A lot of people wrote me off. The bookies got it wrong, and a lot of people in Nottingham have won some money tonight.?
He said "I could not afford to be lazy and flat-footed. Big respect to Lucian, he can punch, and he hit me with some good shots in there. But I came back."
BBC Sport believes that Froch's victory cements his place in the pantheon of British greats and one of the greatest 168lb fighters in history.
Bute had a rematch clause in his contract in case of a defeat but given the one-sided nature of the fight, it is doubtful whether he will want to face Froch again, even on home turf.
After the bout Froch announced he had considered retiring if he lost but BBC Sports reported that the stunning nature of his performance suggests he still has plenty of options.
Should Bute choose not to take the rematch, a meeting with Denmark's Mikkel Kessler, who beat Froch in April 2010 would fit the bill, while the Englishman's ultimate goal is a second fight with Ward in Las Vegas.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Ronnie Nathanielsz.
Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:
Inoue and Akhmadaliev Make Weight for Sunday's Battle, Watch it LIVE on Facebook!
By Carlos Costa, Sun, 14 Sep 2025IIEE North Cotabato and Metro Central are the Golden Champion on 3x3 Basketball and 3x3 Chess
By Marlon Bernardino, Sun, 14 Sep 2025Sydney Sy Tancontian is Female Awardee of Sports Hero of the Year
By Lito delos Reyes, Sat, 13 Sep 2025Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford: Size Matters
By Chris Carlson, Sat, 13 Sep 2025BOOTS TALKS SPARRING WITH CANELO IN ‘DAY IN THE LIFE’
Sat, 13 Sep 2025WEIGHTS FROM LAS VEGAS: CANELO - 167.5 LBS., CRAWFORD - 167.5 LBS.
By Dong Secuya, Sat, 13 Sep 2025BELFAST: WEIGH-IN RESULTS AND FIGHT NIGHT RUNNING ORDER
Sat, 13 Sep 2025Canoy cancels title fight due to child’s death
By Lito delos Reyes, Sat, 13 Sep 2025Vietnam’s Pool Revolution: Hanoi Open Pool Championship
Sat, 13 Sep 2025SUNDAY: Naoya Inoue vs. Murodjon Akhmadaliev Undisputed Super Bantamweight Showdown to Stream Exclusively on Top Rank’s Facebook Channel in the U.S. & UK
Fri, 12 Sep 2025National Shelter Month Run on October 25 in DGT
By Lito delos Reyes, Fri, 12 Sep 2025Canelo-Crawford: Betting Odds Reveal a Battle of Money vs. Public Opinion
By Dong Secuya, Fri, 12 Sep 2025BELFAST PRESS CONFERENCE: EVERYTHING LEWIS CROCKER AND PADDY DONOVAN SAID AHEAD OF HISTORIC WORLD TITLE SHOWDOWN
Fri, 12 Sep 2025GABRIELA “SWEET POISON” FUNDORA TO DEFEND UNDISPUTED CROWN AGAINST HIGHLY RANKED NEW FOE ALEXAS “IRON LADY” KUBICKI
Fri, 12 Sep 2025Chino Sy Tancontian is Sports Hero of the Year 2025
By Lito delos Reyes, Fri, 12 Sep 2025