By Scott Gilfoid: WBC super middleweight champion Carl Froch (27-1, 20 KO’s) isn’t all that impressed with IBF super middleweight champion Lucian Bute (28-0, 23 KO’s), and notes the 31-year-old Bute still hasn’t fought anyone yet that you would consider impressive in his 8-year pro career. I’m in agreement with Froch on that.

Bute recently beat Ireland’s Brian Magee by a 10th round TKO on March 19th. This was the same fighter that Froch stopped Magee in the 11th round five years ago in 2006. Magee had done little since then other than beating a handful of second tier fighters. This wasn’t an opponent that Bute was going to get much credit for beating obviously. Unfortunately, Magee is kind of typical of the type of opponents that Bute has fought since he captured the IBF title in 2008.

In an interview at boxingfutures.com, Froch said “He’s [Bute] ranked no #1 in the division but who’s he fought? The referee had to pick him up off the floor against [Librado] Andrade. All that fight with his hands low and chopping uppercuts. He’s probably molded himself on me. I’m his hero.”

I wouldn’t go that far, Froch. Bute probably has seen one of the talented fighters like Andre Dirrell or Andre Ward and decided he wanted to pattern his fighting style after them. While it works for them, it makes Bute vulnerable as heck because he gets hit a lot with his hands low. He doesn’t have the blazing hand speed or the amazing quickness to get out of the way of shots the way that Dirrell and Ward. Bute is still winning, but look at his opposition. He’s basically fighting mediocre opposition fight after fight and is only talking about stepping it up against quality opposition finally with a possible fight against Mikkel Kessler in 2011.