indeed styles make fights and Froch is very difficult to beat. Only Ward beat him convincingly and of course Groves gave him some good hard fists. Froch's toughness, iron chin , willingness, stamina, awkwardness , long reach and his heavy hands make him a very, very hard nut to crack.
he has stepped up once, got sparked, and hasn't stepped up since what makes you think he can beat the best in the division?
Sillakh was knocked out against Grachev yet some people think he could beat Kovalev (not me). Losing to someone doesn't mean he would beat you everytime. Bute offered no excuse after the fight like a true gentlemen, but we all know that the Bute of that night was not the Bute that we used to see. His speed, footwork, defense, etc was non existant.
that happens a lot when fighters step up in competition froch isn't a great boxer. hes resilient bute should have shined early if his skills were world class against froch
Why do ppl pretend that boxing isnt 90% mental. Bute had the world at his fingertips before the Froch fight. But in the week leading up to the fight, he was beaten mentally by Froch. Froch is a cold hearted killer. Bute is a good guy with superior skills. Froch was also at the end of his rope having just been beaten and was considering retirement. It was do or die for Froch, and we saw him fight the best he had since preKessler1. Bute may well NEVER recover from the mental letdown of the Froch fight. But he did show glimpses of his old self vs Grachev, even injured. We will soon enough see if Bute is back come the Pascal fight. If he wins that fight convincingly, and takes the shots like he did vs Bika, Andrade etc, he could well become #2 at LHW. Chances are, Bellew will be #2 after tomorrow night.:deal
yes, Froch got inside walking through Bute's power punches not by other means, Ward won't be able to do this he will be stunned by hits and pushed back and if he gets inside will mean nothing Bute will just step away he has the legs to do this all night long; do not present Froch as an argument, in this case Bute's legs were already gone. Ward can't hurt Bute that's his main problem he will have to box and it would not be that easy IMO
Bute-Pascal, you didn't get the memo? Can't. Forget it. It was too hard making 168 in his last two fights, Larouche said as much. If he fights Ward one day, it means he will have beat Pascal and another top 10 LHW, combined with Ward finally landing at 175. Agreed. Not night-and-day different, but substantially crappier. Round 12 of the Grachev fight is the only indication we could see the quick, confident Bute again. :rofl
:good:good:good Great post. Although in Wards defense, Bute's counter R hook >>>> Wards upjab. And Ward could keep it outside and potshot Bute. Bute's best chance would be to get inside Wards jab/hook and get to his body with an UC.......depending on how Ward approaches this fight, would depend on the outcome. Ward looked a MUCH smarter fighter last time out than I'd ever seen. He's truly grown as a fighter. Bute OTOH may have lost all confidence in his abilities. We'll see:think
There is a huge difference between a Froch vs Bute fight, a Ward vs Bute fight and a Ward vs Froch fight. This is one of these triangle fight predictions (Boxer A pretty confortably beat Boxer B, and Boxer B easily beat boxer C, so in conclusion Boxer A easily beats boxer C) that won't hold up, and most people here know that. Froch could use his biggest strenghts against Bute, who completely did a "deer in the headlights" imitation as soon he felt Froch's power and went after him like he was some 2nd rate journeyman. A Ward vs Bute fight would be completely different because he doesn't have the 2 traits that Froch used to win the fight. Ward certainly would be the favorite in my book, but he isn't Bute's poison like Froch is at all. His trademark clinch the opponents strongest arm and hit him with your other would not work against Bute I think, due to his punchangles and the (bodyshot) power in both hands. So he can't exactly bully Bute. It probably would be a tactical fight wich would end in a decision for Ward if Bute can't find a way to take him out.
agreed, but if bute wants to get on the SMW map again he'll probably have to beat a puncher to earn his shot
Bute can't make 168. If somehow Bute beats Pascal, A PUNCHER, and maintains a high ranking or wins a title, Ward will NEVER move to LHW. EVER.:nono Bute and KOvalev are Ward's kryptonite. Both KHTFO at LHW.:deal