Comments Thread For: Andre Ward-Paul Smith Looms For June 20th Clash

[Santa_]

Smh, he'll be ranked #1 at 168 after this farce

[aboutfkntime]

ok well ward turned down a career high payday against #1 guy. seems like a duck to me. if he wasn't very good why not take the career high payday and whoop him? defenders of duckers can never explain that one. ward said bute wasn't worthy but behind the scenes he was trying to fight dimitri sartison. please try to explain that?

He was never the #1 guy, NEVER !

He had fought nobody, and had done nothing to become relevant at 168. He collected a vacant belt, then sat out the Super-6, that was it.

IIRC, Bute had only fought one notable opponent before the Super-6 started, and has only fought two notable opponents since, and BOTH beat him.

When the Super-6 started, Bute's exclusion - for whatever reason, I am not inferring that he ducked or anything like that - ensured that his position at 168 would plummet.

How could he possibly gain/retain any type of ranking when 6 guys were about to walk the gauntlet in a knockout tournament?

As to why Ward did not fight him after the tourney..... no idea !

He should have, I agree !

But I do know this..... Ward was 100% correct when he stated that Bute needed to prove himself before stepping to the Champ.

Bute was not, and could not, have been ready for Ward, not by fighting cabbies in Montreal.

I agree with you that he should have smashed Bute, but you have to look at all the facts.....

* Ward had just taken on all comers and fought/beat much better fighters than Bute..... so it is absurd to think that he was "scared".

* Bute, in hindsight, was never a credible factor at 168, and if he had become one by beating Froch, you can bet that Ward would have fought him. (yes, most likely in Oakland, but that is a different story

Ward is clearly on a different level than Bute, and has taken on much sterner challenges..... it is reaching badly to call that a duck imho, especially considering that Ward was 100% correct when he stated that Bute should prove himself by beating a top contender.

Bute has NEVER proved himself, not to this date.

You would have a case if Bute had beat someone relevant, and then Ward still refused to fight him...... but that is not the case.

If Bute's claim to fame is..... "Andre Ward ducked me, whilst the other guys were beating me up"..... then good for him.

[aboutfkntime]

Stop making **** up, you know Ward broke his hand after the Froch fight and wasn't physically able to fight Bute! Why do you have to be dishonest to make your point?



The bold is hilarious and probaly true, Ward better step it up after this tune-up. I wonder how he'll feel about HBO from here on out?

First time I ever heard that.

I have been following Ward since before the Super-6, and I dont recall that.

You could be right, but I thought that I would have known that if true.

I know that he damaged his hand in that fight, but i did not know that it was a serious injury that required a lengthy break.

Didnt he fight Dawson immediately after the Super-6 ?

Regardless, that is irrelevant imho, because Bute was never going to be ready for Ward (or Froch) by cleaning out Montreal cabbies.

The guys who emerged from the Super-6 as top fighters, and the ones who didnt, were always going to be battle-hardened and ready to go.

[aboutfkntime]

Ward said he wouldn't fight Bute until he "proved himself" regardless of whether he hurt his hand or not.

Exactly ^^

[aboutfkntime]

I don't recall Ward saying he wouldn't ever fight Bute, he said he'd wait until his hand healed then determine what the best options were when he returned. I believe Ward's point was that most of the top contenders in the division had just got done with the Super Six. Bute didn't compete in the Super Six so Ward felt like Bute hadn't done anything to deserve a shot at the title aside from being popular in Canada.

Bute lost his next fight to Froch anyway which kinda proved what Ward said all along....

Nope, Dirk is correct !

Ward stated that Bute needed to prove himself by beating a top contender.

And Ward was 100% correct !

[New England]

The no.2 p4p against an unranked opponent coming off two straight losses.
Ward should blow him away in less than 5 rounds.

What happened to the Froch mando BTW?

froch and his flunkies want that fight in froch's garden, and they're done being shy about it.

[aboutfkntime]

The injury wasn't the excuse not to fight Bute though. Ward's reasoning was that Bute hadn't proved himself which was very shoddy and questionable.

Ummm..... no, it was not.

At that stage Bute had fought one notable opponent, thats it.

And what happened when Bute finally did step up? Froch dished him up.

He clearly wasnt ready for Froch, so he clearly needed to prove himself before walking AROUND all of the Super-6 competitors and stepping to the champ.

Also strange cos neither had he when Kessler gave him a shot in his own home town of Oakland.

Kessler did not " give him a shot ", that fight was mandated.

That was one of many poor career decisions by Ward because it was one of the biggest fights in boxing at the time and that's why now Carl Froch is a star and he's a forgotten man despite being better than Froch.

I agree it was a poor decision, it just clearly wasnt a duck.

As I said earlier.....

You would have a case if Bute had beat someone relevant, and then Ward still refused to fight him...... but that is not the case.

If Bute's claim to fame is..... "Andre Ward ducked me, whilst the other guys were beating me up"..... then good for him.

[New England]

bute was overrated. liberado andrade should have a knockout win over lucian bute.



brits refuse to recognize this because he's one of froch's best wins.

[Dirk Diggler UK]

Ummm..... no, it was not.

At that stage Bute had fought one notable opponent, thats it.

And what happened when Bute finally did step up? Froch dished him up.

He clearly wasnt ready for Froch, so he clearly needed to prove himself before walking AROUND all of the Super-6 competitors and stepping to the champ.



Kessler did not " give him a shot ", that fight was mandated.



I agree it was a poor decision, it just clearly wasnt a duck.

As I said earlier.....

You would have a case if Bute had beat someone relevant, and then Ward still refused to fight him...... but that is not the case.

If Bute's claim to fame is..... "Andre Ward ducked me, whilst the other guys were beating me up"..... then good for him.

Mandated by what? The Super Six which Kessler entered and agreed to face Ward in his home town.

It doesn't matter what Bute's claim to fame is. At that time, he was the clearest challenger to Ward and even offered to go to Oakland for the fight.

Ward turned it down and his reasoning was ridiculous. Bute was a world champion. His resume was better than Ward's when Ward got his shot.

[Dirk Diggler UK]

bute was overrated. liberado andrade should have a knockout win over lucian bute.



brits refuse to recognize this because he's one of froch's best wins.

So why didn't Ward take the huge paycheque and easily beat him?

Are all Yanks as dumb as you and Ward?