I noticed many people on ESB thought Bute looked relaxed and comfortable in the ring before the fight. I thought he looked completely confused! First when someone threw a romanian flag in front of him when he was standing on the podium. His eyes was fixed on the flag for many seconds. When he entered the ring he made humble gestures towards the crowd (he did that on several occasions). And when the camera was focusing on Bute he couldn't take his eyes of the lense just standing there looking goofy. And then right after the national anthem Bute looks up in the air with a baffled expression... Maybe thinking (What the hell is happening here) Froch on the other hand seemed focussed and ready.
Sounds like you're describing someone with Alzheimer's I will rewatch the fight when I get home to check this out. In all the fight week build up I thought he seem incredibly confident a excited about the fight.
Sounds like you're describing someone with Alzheimer's I will rewatch the fight when I get home to check this out. In all the fight week build up I thought he seem incredibly confident a excited about the fight.
He wasn't ready. Anyone who thinks he was is delusional at best. He was surprised by Froch on punch power, style, determination. He was overconfident but at the same time emotional. He lost the plot after being hit and went crashing. His team did not help one bit. He was let down by his attitude and by his trainer and promoter. He wiped clean his CV in the eyes of the world and transformed himself from champion to schoolboy in less than 20 minutes. It was a colossal beating that will haunt him for the rest of his life. Not one boxing fan who saw it will forget it. Even if he beats Froch and Ward, he will not manage to get all his fans and boxing critics back on board. Too many have been shocked by his latest performance.
For me no he wasn't. That is the thing about fighting away, you never know how you will actually react until you get there. Bute didn't react very well now he has a crushing defeat to deal with heading into the latter stages of his career.
Well, he certainly had a slick shiny lather worked up - so you can't blame it on the old truism espoused by George Foreman that a bone-dry fighter isn't prepared to dance.
One writer in Quebec described it nicely. He said : only one of the fighter feared he could lose and was totally ready to make sure he wouldn't be embarrassed in front of his family and friends. Froch had lost fights before and knew he needed to fight the fight of his life. Bute didn't think he could lose, which explains why he tried to stay on the rope and wait for an opportunity to KO an iron chinned warrior with single shots... Froch was so focused that he didn't even blinked when he felt Bute's huge lefts. When you're a knockout puncher and the other guy doesn't seem to feel your shots, you act stupid. What a demolition....
No amount of preparation could prepare Bute for someone like The Cobra. Froch is an A-level fighter. Bute's not. It's really that simple. :smoke
Ward is an elite P4P caliber talent. Froch isn't on that level, but to me he's still an A-level fighter. He truly does represent EVERYTHING that is good about boxing! I wish there were more guys out there like The Cobra.
Froch is a true warrior who makes fights happen. No doubt about that. We need more fighters like him :good