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Froch is champion again

Carl Froch became a three-time world champion when he hammered Lucian Bute into oblivion on a special night in Nottingham.

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Cobra demolishes Bute with fifth round stoppage in Nottingham

Carl Froch became a three-time world champion when he hammered Lucian Bute into oblivion on a special night in Nottingham. Froch, a former two-time WBC super-middleweight title holder, took the IBF version from the formerly undefeated Bute, who was outclassed from the outset. The Cobra, fighting in front of his home fans at the Capital Arena for the first time in three years, was in stunning form as he took charge of the fight from the second round. Landing clean shots at will, Froch hurt his opponent early on and Bute could never establish himself in the fight as the Briton ripped his title away. The end came in the fifth, with Bute trapped on the ropes after another stunning right hook from Froch, referee Earl Brown stepping in to save the outgoing champion from further punishment.

Defence

Bute had looked dangerous in the opening session with his honey punch - the left hand - clearly evident, although it was clear Froch had been working on tightening his defence with his guard noticably higher than usual. With a point to prove after losing to Andre Ward in December, Froch was busier in the second and started to establish his jab while hurting Bute for the first time with a chopping right hand. A long left hand from Bute reminded Froch not to take too many chances and a good combination to end the round saw the home fighter on top. It all changed in the third though as Froch overwhelmed the champion with his sheer strength, wading forward with Bute seemingly unable to respond as the Romanian-born Canadian took several combinations and hurtful right hooks. The fourth round round followed in a similar vein, Bute again hurt by one right hand after another as Froch warmed to his task in the manner of Ricky Hatton against Kostya Tzsyu so many years ago now.
Stunned
Bute simply wasn't allowed the time or the room to establish his jab while Froch closed the distance between them with ease, nullifying the champ's big left. Bute was stunned by the end of the fourth and it was no surprise that he didn't make it through another three minutes. Froch soon found his mark again and Bute was quickly covering up, but a jolting right hand sent his head snapping back and as the blows reined down only the ropes held the champion upright. Mercifully, the referee came between them but after he seemed to wave the fight off he began a standing count even though promoter Eddie Hearn was already celebrating with Froch in the ring. But it was clear Bute was in no fit state to continue, and his trainer Stephane Larouche calmly walked across the ring to confirm the inevitable. "After the Andre Ward defeat I was very deflated. I was here tonight to put right a wrong. I came here to do a job, I was so focused from the dressing room," Froch told Sky Sports. "A lot of people wrote me off, in the magazines, they're re-writing the script. They've got Lucian Bute ranked number one, me ranked at four, so I want that rectified. "The bookies got it wrong as well, a lot of people made money on me in Nottingham tonight. "I could not afford to be lazy. As long as I listen to the guru (trainer, Rob McCracken), nothing can go wrong."

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