Ward: Bute needs to fight an A level figher like Andre Dirrell to get a shot against me

By Scott Gilfoid: WBA/WBC super middleweight champion Andre Ward has some advice to give IBF super middleweight champion Lucian Bute if he wants to fight him in the near future, and that’s to fight an A level fighter like Andre Dirrell.

In an interview at eastsideboxing.com’s On the Ropes Boxing Radio program, Ward said “I think just think Bute needs to beat some A-level guys. I mean I’ve heard Dirrell say he wants to fight Bute, and Dirrell’s on the comeback trail. I think that would be a great fight.”

I completely agree with Ward. Dirrell would be the perfect opponent for Bute to prove himself worthy to get a fight against Ward. Dirrell has a lot more in common with Ward than does Froch, and that’s the guy that Bute is looking to fight next. Isn’t that completely weird or what? Instead of going after the talented guy with the hand speed, defense and combination punching similar to Ward, Bute is looking to get two fights against Froch to try and take the backdoor way to a fight against Ward.

I see it as sneaky and clever at the same time. Bute obviously has already sized up Froch and Dirrell, and concluded that Froch is the easier mark to beat than trying to tangle with Dirrell. It’s in keeping with Bute’s habit of taking the path with the least resistance rather than doing the hard thing.

Ward just gave Bute the key to getting a fight with him by suggesting that he fight Dirrell if he wants to fight him. All Bute has to do is follow Ward’s instructions by taking on Dirrell, and if he beats him then he gets the Ward fight. It’s as easy as that. But beating a talented fighter like Dirrell may prove impossible for Bute, and I can see he doesn’t want no part of fighting a guy he can’t hit cleanly, and try to deal with punches that are much faster than his own. That’s got to be why Bute is looking to fight Froch rather than Dirrell.