By Scott Gilfoid: With it looking more and more like IBF super middleweight champion Carl Froch will elect to fight a rematch against Mikkel Kessler in early 2013, this leaves former IBF super middleweight champion Lucian Bute (31-1, 24 KO’s) without an opponent for early 2013. However, the talented 32-year-old Bute could end up facing unbeaten #3 IBF, #5 WBC, #8 WBA, Edwin Rodriguez (22-0, 15 KO’s) in March 2013.
There’s talk that Bute will take that fight to keep busy while he waits for Froch to face Kessler and whatever comes of that fight. I expect Froch to get whipped again by Kessler, and then it’ll set up a Froch-Bute rematch in less than spectacular conditions.
Rodriguez-Bute is an excellent fight because Rodriguez, 27, has the talent to push Bute to his limit to get the best out of him. Bute fought a cautious fight in his last bout against the hard hitting Denis Grachev last month in beating him by a 12 round unanimous decision. Grachev is a huge puncher and one of the hardest hitters in the 175 pound division. Bute was wise to box him for the most part, but he made a few mistakes in that fight by going to the ropes and taking unnecessary punishment.
Rodriguez has looked really good lately, beating Jason Escalera, Don George and Will Rosinksy.
Bute, #5 IBF, #6 WBO, is still looking to get his confidence back after suffering a surprising 5th round knockout to Froch last May in Nottingham, England. Bute got sloppy in that fight and did everything wrong by fighting Froch against the ropes instead of using center of the ring to fight him.
Bute should have studied the blueprints that the talented Andre Dirrell and Andre Ward created in their impressive performances against Froch. Bute could have beaten Froch had he simply stayed in the center of the ring and played hit and run against the slow moving, slow punching Froch, but Bute fought a dumb fight and that’s why he lost.
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