Hearn: Bute or Stevenson will be next for Froch

By Boxing News - 11/19/2012 - Comments

Image: Hearn: Bute or Stevenson will be next for FrochBy Scott Gilfoid: Promoter Eddie Hearn has narrowed down IBF super middleweight champion Carl Froch’s next opponent to either Lucian Bute or Adonis Stevenson. Hearn and Froch prefer that they get Bute next, but they doubt he’ll take the fight for a variety of reasons, one of them because they think he’s not eager to get back in the ring with Froch for a second helping of defeat.

Hearn said to espn.co.uk “It will be Bute or Stevenson next, followed by Kessler and Ward. I really think Ward would come to the UK and we could do it at an open air football stadium next summer.”

Who knows what will happen with Bute. He might choose to take his time before facing Froch in a rematch. In that case Froch will have to fight Stevenson and that’s no easy task. This isn’t a handpicked Yusaf Mack we’re talking about. Stevenson is huge talent with big power, amazing hand speed and true one-punch power. He could wreck Froch’s world with shot to the head and pole-axe him. That’s how good Stevenson is. He’s a former Emanuel Steward fighter and he’s got a lot of skills.

I can see Froch and Hearn looking to skip this fight, but I think there will be too much pressure on Froch to take the fight. I mean, Froch will look incredibly bad if he chooses not to fight Stevenson, if Bute isn’t available, and winds up fighting another Yusaf Mack type opponent selected by Hearn. Froch got his one confidence builder fight against Mack, but he can’t keep taking these kinds of easy fights because it’ll make him look like a cherry picker.

I’m still trying to understand why Froch chose to fight to fight Mack in the first place. Froch already had his confidence boosted with his knockout win over Bute, so why on earth did he need another confidence booster by taking on a soft opponent? What was that about? Froch could have selected a talented super middleweight like Edwin Rodriguez or Thomas Oosthuizen, but instead they select a guy that has been beaten every time he’s stepped up a level in Yusaf Mack. Why did they fight him?

Anyway, I guess Hearn and Froch had their reasons but they can’t keep doing this because it’s going to stink to the high heavens. It’s either Bute or Stevenson next. I sure hope Froch doesn’t dodge the Stevenson fight and take on another struggling fighter in Nottingham.

2013 is supposed to be the year of the rematches for Froch, but he might end up with only rematch this year and that’s against Andre Ward. Kessler has other things on his plate and I’d be surprised if Hearn can get him for Froch. And Bute is trying to rebuild and he choose to focus on getting his career back in order rather than jump into another fight with Froch. As such, we may see Froch face Stevenson, Ward and whoever instead of Bute, Stevenson, Kessler and Ward. Most of those guys were merely part of Hearn’s and Froch’s wish list and it was never a done deal that any of them would fight Froch, so it won’t be surprising that Froch gets only Ward and Stevenson, if that rather than the who list.



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