By Sean McDaniel: IBF super middleweight champion Lucian Bute (29-0, 24 KO’s) and former WBC super middleweight champion Carl Froch (28-2, 20 KO’s) are negotiating a two fight deal for 2012 that will see each fighter fighting in the other guy’s home city.

Bute, 31, has done well in dominating his opponents since he captured the International Boxing Federation title three years ago. However, he’s not always done well when facing pressure fighters and he could have some serious problems with the pressure that Froch is going to put on him when they get around to fighting.

Bute doesn’t move as well as Andre Ward and doesn’t have his same hand speed. He’s not going to be able to elude punches from Froch like Ward did. Bute has become used to taking out his overmatched opposition with uppercuts early in his fights. In his last bout against Glen Johnson, Bute’s uppercuts were useless and he took some big shots in that fight.

But Johnson didn’t have the power or the work rate to really trouble Bute. But Froch could give Bute a lot of problems with his counter punching and his ability to cut off the ring.

Bute will probably look to hit and retreat like he used to do when he was a little younger and faster on his feet. He doesn’t move as well now and could have problems backing away from Froch’s attacks.

Bute should be able to stay away Froch initially but as the rounds go by, Bute will have more and more problems keeping out of the way of the equally big Froch. And that brings up another thing; Bute, 6’1 ½” is always bigger than his opposition and this gives him a huge advantage in his fights.

But against the 6’2” Froch, Bute will be facing someone his own size and this is going to keep Bute from dominating with his jab like he’s been doing against shorter fighters. We could see Bute taking a lot of jabs to the head.