Bute: I Was Never The Same Boxer After The Fight With Carl Froch

[Ruthless-RKO]

From Boxing Scene

From November 2003 to May 2012, former world champion Lucian Bute was regarded as one of the best fighters in the sport.

That all changed he traveled overseas and stepped in the ring with Carl Froch on May 26, 2012.

It took five rounds before Bute was stopped. He took a beating before the contest was waved off, losing his impressive 30-0 record and his IBF super middleweight world championship.

After suffering that loss, Bute was 2-4 in his next six fights before retiring from the ring. His last bout took place in February of 2017, when he was knocked out in five rounds by Eleider Alvarez.

"I have never been the same boxer after my fight with Froch," said Bute to The Montreal Journal.

"It was a very difficult fight. I took so many punches. My confidence was no longer at the same level. The truth is, I haven't been the same as I was before [that fight].”

Just over four years before his confrontation with Glen Johnson in 2011, Bute realized the dream of a lifetime, when he became world champion by knocking out Alejandro Berrio at the Bell Center.

"It was my lifelong dream," said the 40-year-old. "When I got here, it was to become a world champion.”

It was in 2003 that Bute decided to leave Romania to join coach Stéphan Larouche.

"I didn't know anyone here, I didn't speak French or English," Bute recalled. "It was a great adventure. I am very happy to have achieved all this."

The athlete started a family, became a Canadian citizen and made his place in the hearts of fans.

It is also partly to please them that he decided to put the gloves on Pascal in 2014.

“We have grown at the same time among professionals. When we got to a certain level, there was a little competition. Who was the most popular? Who is the best? There were questions like these. Between him and me, there was never any animosity. However, the Quebec supporters wanted a fight between me and Jean Pascal,” Bute said.

"When I lost my belt against Froch, I thought it was time for this fight. I actually climbed up a weight class to face him. He couldn't get down to 168, he didn't even want to drop a pound. We tried to offer a fight at 172 or 173 pounds, but he didn't want to know anything. I finally accepted. I did it for everyone. I thought I could beat him, but I did not succeed. I give the credit to Pascal. I was no longer the same boxer as I was before.”

[Ruthless-RKO]

Refreshing to see a bocer not sugercoating it..

The mistake he made was thinking he could stand and trade with Froch. He tried one and failed, but the bigger mistake was he tried again.

[banjo]

I always felt Bute was a KO waiting to happen after that 12th round in his first fight with Librado Andrade.

[margaret thatcher]

Who wins a BBB (battle of bitches to brits)between prime Bute vs prime Lacy

[GrassrootsMatt]

To be fair, I think it was fairly obvious he wasn't going to be the same fighter after the manner in which Carl mowed him down

[THEBUTCH]

Froch dished out a vicious beating to Bute that night.

With hindsight Bute was never actually at the same championship level as Froch, Kessler, Ward etc in the first place and his absence from the Super Six tournament was a big let down, but probably with good reason.

[Covfefe]

I always felt Bute was a KO waiting to happen after that 12th round in his first fight with Librado Andrade.

Precisely.

I didn’t offer a prediction on this fight cause literally everyone picked Bute but I didn’t get why. I didn’t want to embarrass myself.

I wish I’d have been more vocal at the time but I still don’t understand what he went out to do, Froch is not a one punch knockout artist, but why let him unload the way he did?

In BM pretty much everyone asked picked Bute as though Froch was finished and all I could think of was the 12th against Andrade, I’d like to say I’d made a great call but the conformity of opinion made me question myself so I never made a pick.

I picked Froch all wrong throughout his career. I thought Taylor would box his head off, and I genuinely believed Arthur Abraham was going to hurt him. What do I know?

I picked Groves both times too.

[Delta Jay]

My man got COBRA’D

[PredatorHayds]

Who wins a BBB (battle of bitches to brits)between prime Bute vs prime Lacy

I’d pick a Prime Bute everyday of the week.

You?

[brilo33]

this was a fantasict win for froch, i think he beat bute so badly that people thought bute was a bum, but when you see the fighters bute has faced , he is anything but a bum credit for froch on a demolition job