Eddie Hearn confirms Bute rematch for 2013, Froch needs to take interim IBF mandatory bout

By Jordan Stoddart

Former IBF super-middleweight ruler Lucian Bute and his team at Interbox have confirmed that a rematch with Carl Froch will take place next year. March 2013 has been pencilled in for the sequel of a two-fight series which did not end too well for the Montreal based fighter, ending in a merciless 5th round stoppage. The Romanian (30(24)-1) had successfully defended the strap on ten occasions before he ran into the Nottingham man who is widely recognised as the second best boxer on the planet around the 168 lb mark.

One has to admire Bute for activating the rematch clause so soon after the mauling he received at the hands of Froch last month. You could argue the home fighter had an unfair advantage, fighting in front of 10,000 of the his fans, but you do also sense that the result of a sequel, regardless of the location, would be academic. Many were left red faced when Froch (29(21)-2) dished out the beating of a lifetime to such a  highly touted opponent. Many said it was a 50/50 fight, but a fair proportion also rated Bute as on the fringe of the world pound-for-pound fighters.

Froch is currently being managed excellently by Matchroom, and their main man Eddie Hearn appears to have a fine plan set in place for the Briton who currently possesses arguably the finest resume in world boxing. “I think if I looked at mapping out Carl Froch’s next three fights from a financial and career-prolonging point of view, I would take a top-10 defence this autumn, perhaps at the Nottingham Arena, then fight Bute in Montreal and go and do a job on him again, then in the summer have a big outdoor fight with (Mikkel) Kessler, stated Hearn.” The Matchroom ruler also stated that he will announce details of his mans next opponent over the coming weeks.

There had been much talk of Kessler coming over to England sooner rather than later, but judging by the recent signals from Hearn and the Danes promoters Sauerland, it would appear that the bout has been put on the boil, for now at least. “That Kessler fight will happen, 100 per cent. Whether it’s October or spring or summer, that fight will happen. It’s too good a fight not to happen. It’s just a case of getting all the financial details in place and making sure both boys are happy. Carl is a lot easier to deal with in that respect than Kessler but they have both got their demands, their numbers that they think they are worth. It’s a huge fight which we know will sell out every stadium in the country. It’s probably going to sell out every football ground in the country. When you’ve got that kind of interest and that kind of money involved it is a fight that has to happen.”

In the meantime, super-middleweight giants Froch and Bute will take interim fights before another blockbuster showdown in Montreal, Canada. The Brit will need to fight a mandatory as he is the current IBF champion, but expect Bute to fight maybe even two warm up bouts, although I would suspect no man within the 168 lb arena can prepare the former champion for another night in the ring with the Nottingham fighter. Do not get me wrong, a fight with Kessler is not totally out the realms for this fall. The Danish legend is coming off a stunning potential KO of the year over former SuperSix participant Allan Green, and is nestled in 7th spot over at the IBF’s ratings. Other possible contenders who are rated in the organisation’s top ten include  Librado Andrade, Andre Dirrell and Kelly Pavlik. I personally feel it will be the latter named boxer who is fighting this weekend, and with the American openly touting a showdown with Froch of late.

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