Huh? I guess you didn't see Cotto/Margarito. Froch is a quality fighter. Where the hell have you been? Froch handily beat Pascal who went on to beat Dawson and gave Hopkins fits in the first fight. Froch is the real deal. Maybe not the best, but he is more a victim of time (Ward existing) than lack of talent. He is a champion.
These are the boxing "connoisseurs" of our age. Some of them see Gods in the ring that can do no wrong and some others see bums and cabbies everywhere. There can be only one winner but that little otherwise important fact escapes most so called fans of boxing.
I'm glad Gene Tunney took that advice after Harry Greb beat him half to death, and that Duran quit after Hearns destroyed him, too.
I don't think Bute is necessarily finished. But he took a different type of ass whipping Saturday Night. It was a little worse than a single punch. It was worse than a 12-Round drubbing. He actually had the look of confusion, panic, and fear as he was being attacked. It was as if he in above his head. I'm not exaggerating when I say he looked like an amateur child in there. I didn't see anything that indicated he would do any better in a rematch. And I didn't see anything that leads me to believe he could have been competitive in the Super 6.
If he does so, can he live with it? Would he be able to open a TV set 20 years from now and hear the comments of "Look at this KO, it's almost as bad as Bute being used as a floor mat by Froch". He was a belt holder for more than 4 years, I don't think he's able to live with that.
If he's been fighting at this level this long, he has a certain type of pride that will not allow him to be made someone's *****. I think all fighters have that, regardless of what people on ESB say about them. But this is different. I don't think I have ever seen a champion just flat out not belong in the ring with the other guy. It's one thing to be technically schooled. But it's a completely different thing when you have the look of fear and clinch up every time your opponent tees off on you.
I'm not sure it was plain old fear at work. If he was afraid, why go back in when Larouche asked him if he wants to go back for the 5th? If it was plain old fear why not put a knee down in the corner instead of standing there taking the beating of your life that could've actually ended your life too?!
I agree fighters get labelled bum far too easily today but those are terrible examples to use and those two results would be viewed exactly the same today. Lewis and Tyson where dominant undisputed champs when they got beaten by men they shouldn't have. Bute was a title holder who had never fought at the elite level and got trounced! Not beaten by one shot, or because he was unprepared or unmotivated. He was crushed by a more seasoned fighter who had been fighting at a higher level than him. We will see now how he comes back from such a crushing defeat. Personally i wish him all the best because he is a classy guy.
I really am perplexed by Saturday.I'm finding it hard to even break the fight down because I was so shocked by Bute's performance. I'm a fairly hardcore Froch fan,and I was very impressed by Bute in the build up.I wanted to hate him,but he was such a reasonable guy,and some of the best laughs and discussions I've had here have been with some of the Bute fans,and much as I feel sorry for them because they're a fantastically loyal bunch,but when you get clinical here,the prognosis is not good... I think it got a bit lost yesterday just how badly Bute performed.He genuinely looked frightened to me.And although I still think ability-wise,he beats most SMW's,I think this is one of those defeats that ruins a fighter.He looked absolutely broken to me.Imagine how he'd feel going back in with Golovkin now?(if GG moves up) I wanted to follow Bute's fortunes regardless of Saturday's result,but how do you move on from a defeat like that? It wasn't the worst performance,but it was his (apparent) mindset that was deeply worrying. I think he should retire.He achieved more than most dream of.