Quote Originally Posted by shza View Post
Quote Originally Posted by Greenbeanz View Post
After Bute, if and when that happens, who is really going to take him into the trenches without going up a division?
Agreed on this (and on everything else in your post -- very well said). I think his toughest potential fight is against Dawson at 175, easily. There's no one else at 168 or 175 who I think is even a 50/50 pick against him. (Excluding Hopkins, since they're not going to fight, but I'd favor the 27 year-old Ward over the 47 year-old version of B-Hop anyway -- not against the 35 year-old version of Hopkins though.)

I'd like to see Bute-Froch before seeing Bute-Ward. I think it's a more competitive and better action fight. Based on the current evidence, I think Ward dominates Bute. But I'd like to see Bute in there with Froch first to better size him up.
I want to see Bute versus Froch first too before I size them up. It's too early to tell whether Ward would dominate Bute. What would you say are the main differences between Bute and Ward so far? (1) Ward has faced better opposition. Ward has faced and beat Froch and Kessler, dominating both, Bute hasn't fought either. (2) Against the same competition, Bute has looked better. Bute didn't lose a round against Bika, Ward was staggered in the twelfth. Bute got Miranda out fast, in the third round by KO; Miranda went the distance with Ward and won a few rounds on the way.

Remember Kabrary Salem. He put Calzaghe down before Calzaghe took over. Yet, in his very next fight, Bute knocked him out in 8 and dominated him. Frankly, it's just too early to tell. I'm a big fan of Bute because I love the killer body shots and I like his exciting ko's. Clearly, I'm biased, but I'll admit that if Froch looks good against Bute, I overrated Bute. If Bute KO's Froch, we have a new #1 smw.