Former world champion Carl Froch has produced some of the greatest performances in British boxing history.
Froch’s epic rivalry with George Groves is just one of the reasons why ‘The Cobra’ will be remembered among English boxing fans for years to come.
With an incredible finishing ability and a huge personality, Froch has created plenty of headlines over the course of his career.
However, none of Froch’s moments may be as impressive as his 2012 world title fight.
Carl Froch faced Lucian Bute as a huge underdog in 2012
2011 would see Froch lose his WBC World Super Middleweight title to Andre Ward. The loss was just the second of his career, having lost the same title to Mikkel Kessler the year prior.
Despite losing his title twice in two years, Froch would get another world title opportunity immediately after his loss to Ward.
Being made the mandatory challenger for Lucian Bute, Froch would get another world title opportunity. However, he was considered a huge underdog going into the fight.
The pair competed for the IBF World Super Middleweight title in May 2012, as Bute was looking to make a 10th defense of the title. As well as this, the Romanian had a perfect 30-0 record going into the fight.
With the two men’s recent form taken into consideration, Froch went into the bout as a sizeable underdog. However, the odds would not represent how the fight played out.
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Carl Froch caused a huge upset against Lucian Bute
Fighting in Nottingham, UK, Bute was expected by many to defend his super middleweight title. However, that was not what occurred.
The first round would indicate that the fight was not going to be as one-sided as people thought. An impressive opening from Froch would elude to the direction the fight would go in.
A hearty performance from Froch against Bute would be one of the finest of his career.
Catching Bute with some big punches from early, with each shot generating huge noise from the crowd, the Romanian was never able to get going against ‘The Cobra.’
Pressure, placement, and movement were the key traits that allowed Froch to have an excellent showing against the undefeated Romanian.
To round off the dominant performance, Froch would earn a stoppage in the fifth round. Bute was given a standing count after being on the receiving end of huge punches, however, the referee deemed him unable to continue.
The win would mean Froch would become a three-time champion, following an electric performance.
Froch would retire two years later, as ‘The Cobra’ left the sport as a champion. Despite Froch getting an offer to fight a UFC star, he has not returned to the ring since 2014.