By Scott Gilfoid: Carl Froch’s win over IBF super middleweight champion Lucian Bute has given Froch a lot of confidence to tackle other top fighters in the super middleweight division. Unfortunately, that confidence is going to get Froch royally spanked when he tangles with Mikkel Kessler (45-2, 34 KO’s) for a second time.

Froch already got beaten by Kessler once two years ago in the Super Six touranment in April 2010, but now Froch is looking to get a second helping. Some fighters never learn, I guess. Froch should realize that Kessler’s got his number and move on to safer choices like perhaps Brian Magee, George Groves or James DeGale. Those are all beatable opponents for Froch to pad his record and milk his International Boxing Federation title for all it’s worth. But if Froch faces Kessler again, I see Froch tasting that bitter sweet taste of defeat again. A loss for Froch against Kessler will put Froch back at square one where he was after getting beaten by the talented WBA super middleweight champion Andre Ward last December in the Super Six tournament. After Froch lost that fight, he was in a do or die situation in his bout against Bute on May 26th last month.

Froch got the win, but he probably should have been disqualified when his promoter Eddie Hearn came sprinting out into the ring when Bute was being given a standing eight count by the referee in the 5th. Bute’s team didn’t make a big deal out of it, but if they had I think the fight results would have been overturned.

Froch’s win over Bute doesn’t mean a whole heck of a lot because Bute hadn’t really been tested in his career. Beating an untested fighter like Bute isn’t a big deal in my book. It would be if Bute has faced the best guys in the division and emerged victorious each time out, but that wasn’t the case.

I just wonder what Froch will do if he gets beaten by Kessler. Does Froch retire or try and pressure Kessler into giving him a rematch. I think Froch won’t bother trying to get a rematch out of Kessler, because Froch hasn’t seemed like he’s been in an awful hurry to try and avenge his one-sided loss to Ward.