Retired super middleweight great Joe Calzaghe is giving his one-time rival, Carl Froch (28-2, 20 KOs), a shot to defeat unbeaten IBF champion Lucian Bute (30-0, 24 KOs) on May 26th in Nottingham. Before Calzaghe retired a few years ago, Froch was trying to chase him down. The two fighters buried their bad blood after Calzaghe retired.
If Froch can draw Bute into a war, Calzaghe gives him a shot to win. Calzaghe does not expect the fight to be easy. He expects Bute to give Calzaghe a very rough night.
Calzaghe told SunSport: "Bute's defintely the favorite but home advantage does count for a lot. If Froch can drag him into a war and make it a toe-to-toe affair, I can see the crowd spurring him on to the win. All I would say is that Bute wouldn't have come to England unless he was confident. It's going to be a tough, tough night, but I think Froch has got a chance."
"It's going to be another tough fight for Froch and Bute is the favorite. He's undefeated, a southpaw and is very powerful and strong, while Froch is coming off a loss where he pretty much got beaten comfortably by Ward. Fair play to Froch, he's looking for redemption and deserves credit for the fact he's been willing to travel to people's backyards in his last few fights. He's got what he deserves — a big fight in Nottingham — but it's going to be tough for him."