In 2012, we had two super middleweights who were viewed as the best. Andre Ward and Lucian Bute. A slew of things kept the two apart during their prime. Carl Froch was unique to his era, a craft pro, who used awkward technique with incredible endurance to outlast opponents. His only two losses were to Mikkel Kessler and Andre Ward. 

Coming off the Super Six World Boxing Classic, Froch was ordered as the mandatory from the IBF for Lucian Bute’s super middleweight title. 

The bout would end up taking place at the Capital FM Arena, in Nottingham, U.K., with Matchroom Boxing and Interbox Promotions co-promoting the event. 

The fight was not shown on Showtime despite Bute and Froch having appeared on the network previously, as it was shown stateside on Epix and Sky Sports in the United Kingdom. 

The outcome was Froch dropping and stopping Bute in a fight that Bute was never all that competitive in. Despite being the favorite, Bute never mounted much in this fight and his career somewhat dim after this night. 

The fifth-round TKO victory for Carl Froch made Froch a three-time world champion. After the fight, Froch confessed if he had lost this fight - he would’ve retired from the sport of boxing.

Froch’s career

Froch would have a stay-busy fight afterward, before avenging his loss to Mikkel Kessler. That would set the stage for his two fights with George Groves, which would end in a historic record-breaking rematch. Though Froch will be most remembered for his fights with George Groves, it was his fight in which he defeated Lucian Bute that elevated him to becoming a superstar.

Bute

Lucian Bute was touted as the only viable competition for Andre Ward, who won the Super Six. Yet, that fight never came to fruition. After Bute, was hounded for having what some perceived as a weak resume, Bute decided to travel to England and face Froch. 

This would cost him. Bute entered the fight as widely considered the best contender in the super middleweight division. After this loss, Bute would only win more fights against hand-sleeted opposition. Bute would fight for five more years, but go 2-4 in that time.

Buried on the undercard

Future world title challengers and champions were featured on the undercard, as Carl Frampton was the co-main event, John Ryder was also on the card and Leigh Wood was the second bout of the evening. 

A fun thing to look back upon eleven years later. This card was not just one of the biggest moments of Carl Froch’s career, it proved a pivotal moment in British boxing history as it clearly laid the foundation for future stars of the sport of boxing.

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