Boxing: Froch defeats Bute to lift IBF crown

LONDON: England’s Carl Froch stopped defending champion Lucian Bute of Romania in the fifth round to take the IBF super-middleweight title in Nottingham. Froch was coming off a rare defeat to Andre Ward and went into the fight against the undefeated, Canadian-based Bute as the underdog. But he took command from the opening bell to take possession of the IBF belt to go with the WBC one he held twice in the past. The win brought Froch’s career record to 29 wins against two defeats. For Bute it was a first defeat in 31 fights. Froch said he believed the emphatic win made up for the defeat at the hands of Ward. “After the Andre Ward defeat I was very deflated, I was here to put right a wrong,” said Froch.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 28^th, 2012.