By Scott Gilfoid: IBF super middleweight champion Carl Froch (29-2, 21 KO’s) is saying he wasn’t impressed with the performance from ex-IBF super middleweight champion Lucian Bute (31-1, 24 KO’s) in defeating previously unbeaten NABF light heavyweight champion Denis Grachev (12-1-1, 8 KO’s) by a 12 round unanimous decision last night at the Bell Centre, in Montreal, Canada. Froch will be next for Bute in early next year in Montreal, so it’s kind of strange to see Froch talking his opponent down rather than building him up the way he’s been doing against Yusaf Mack for the past three weeks to try attract interest to his November 17th fight against the American in Nottingham, England.

Froch said to Sky Sports News “Let’s be honest, it wasn’t the most impressive performance from Lucian Bute that I’ve ever seen. Bute didn’t really impress, but it was a comeback fight from a devastating defeat against myself, so what did people expect? He needed to find his feet again, find his confidence. I’m sure he’s done that. I think mentally he needed to get that fight in the bag.”

My, do I sense a little jealousy from Froch about Bute? The man puts in a great performance and now Froch is kicking sand on Bute?

I totally disagree with Froch. Bute may have fought tentatively in the first five rounds, but he really came on in the second half once he got comfortable. Bute would have been insane to go toe-to-toe with the hard hitting Grachev after watching what Grachev did to a very talented light heavyweight contender Ismayl Sillakh. Bute was right to treat Grachev as a threat to him because it’s clear just from watching that fight and last night’s fight that Grachev can really punch.

Had that been Froch in there last night instead of Bute, Froch would have been badly marked up, and he might have been knocked out had he tried to go right at Grachev to match him power for power. Bute fought smart, using his boxing skills and excellent defense to win this one. It wasn’t until the 12th that Bute decided to let loose with his shots because Bute saw the finish line in sight.

Bute’s loss to Froch was hardly devastating. It was more like disappointing because Bute made so many mistakes in losing to a beatable guy. Bute was more upset with himself for choosing to fight in a primitive caveman manner by backing up against the ropes and trying to slug with Froch instead of using the ring and his boxing skills to out-box the slow-footed and slow-handed Brit. That’s how you beat a Froch. Andre Dirrell, Andre Ward and Mikkel Kessler already created the blueprint in how to defeat Froch, but Bute didn’t study those blueprints and learn from them. Bute seemed like he was more interested in following the blueprint for the guys that Froch had beaten in the past instead of the ones he lost to.