Andre Ward vs. Lucian Bute.

Not a soft touch. It really depends if Ward is still the goods.

 

Andre should have agreed a CW, but Chad had already showed his cards at that point and offered to fight at SMW.

 

He's hardly fought anybody since then.

It's been a travesty.

 

They should have fought at a CW.

I'm just looking at the theory that Andre was scared of Bute. Again, I don't believe it. Because if he really had've been, I don't think he'd have signed to fight Chad at any weight.

 

It doesn't matter if their styles were different.

A fighter who was genuinely scared of facing a big southpaw with speed and skills, wouldn't then go out and fight another one straight afterwards.

It's illogical.

 

That's right.

He changed his mind. It happens.

You're entitled to your opinion, but I'm ruling out a duck.

He said the winner of the Super Six should fight Bute. But again, when he'd won the tournament, he was more than happy to sit back and let Carl take him on.

I believe that if Carl hadn't destroyed him, the fight would have happened at some point. That's what I truly believe. If Carl hadn't have destroyed him, I don't think he'd have fought Dawson.

If you don't agree, I can respect that.

 

Andre was never scared of Lucian Bute. He just didn't want to go to Canada. Business 101 tells you that a Ward vs Bute fight in the summer of 2012 would have been a huge money fight. But it would have to been in Montreal and Ward just doesn't like to fight away from home. Its that simple really. But no he let Froch steal the glory and get back into winning again.

 

Who was the best SMW then?

 

That decision was truly disgraceful in my opinion.

 

Chad had decent power and very good skills.

He's also a big southpaw.

You can't say Andre didn't want to get it on with a skilled southpaw, when he immediately went out and fought another one.

Chad was more proven than Bute at the time.

Any guy who genuinely feared Bute, wouldn't then go out and sign to fight Chad.

It's illogical.

 

Ward turned out to be the best but that wasn't proven until after the tournament when Froch beat Bute. Even then we don't know how Ward would have done against Bute and Dirrell as triangle theories don't work in boxing and styles make fights.

 

Why would it have had to have been in Montreal?

 

It's a shame Bute wasn't in it and Dirrell dropped out.

I tipped Dirrell to win it, before really knowing much about Ward.

I can't see Dirrell doing much now.

 

Chad was a more proven light heavyweight. At 168, Bute was more proven than Chad and would've beaten the Chad that Andre dominated.

Andre had a chance to become lineal and Ring champ at Light Heavyweight, but refused to budge when Chad was pleading for a couple extra pounds catchweight. Dawson may have popped off at the mouth in an interview about being able to make 168, but he was a shell of himself there. Making the weight wrecked him, which is why even Edison Miranda knocked him out in sparring in the lead up. Andre and Adonis finished the job. Chad had to lose around 9 pounds in 2 days because the weight just wouldn't come off (according to Scully. He may have been exaggerating by a couple pounds IMO, but the narrative remains the same).

Look at it this way, with an extreme example to make the point in an over-the-top way: Chris Byrd fought Holyfield and Shaun George. Evander is much more proven than George, and even fought around Light Heavyweight to start his career. Byrd beat the ATG and got knocked out by the fringe contender.

Take Evander at the time Byrd fought him, put him at 175, and George might actually permanently injure or kill him.