Earlier this week, it was reported that although their fight was occurring on June 2, Peter Quillin and Winky Wright had both agreed to take USADA testing ahead of their Showtime-televised bout, the featured undercard fight on the Tarver vs Kayode show.

It seemed strange at the time, with such a small window before the fight to get the testing in, but Winky requested the testing, ostensibly due to recent failed tests by Lamont Peterson and Andre Berto under the VADA banner, and Quillin agreed. I said then that I applauded the request by Wright, and the willingness to oblige by Quillin. In my view, this level of testing, whether done by USADA or VADA or Prada, is nothing but good for the sport of boxing. This should be done at the higher levels of boxing, period. Every fight, every commission, every promoter.

Now, however, there's confusion in the Wright camp after USADA took samples from both fighters, but two days after taking blood and urine from Quillin and a day after the same from Wright, USADA contacted Wright's lawyer and said they would not be doing the testing after all, according to MaxBoxing.com's Gabriel Montoya.

Wright says that he requested the already submitted samples be tested, understanding that if it was too close to the fight, then that's just how it is. But USADA then informed Wright's lawyer that the samples had been destroyed.

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Carl Froch left no doubt. Forget the worries of potential dodgy scoring, or Froch's age or lack of hand speed being a problem. Lucian Bute couldn't even get out of the starting blocks today in Nottingham, as a fearless, reckless, determined, and downright overpowering Froch blasted out the previously unbeaten Romanian-Canadian in the fifth round, administering a beating beforehand, to gain a major super middleweight title for the third time.

Froch (29-2, 21 KO) won the first two rounds and stung Bute (30-1, 24 KO) a couple of times, but it was the third round that sealed Bute's fate. As Froch made a mad charge at the defending titlist, Bute seemed to call him on. This turned out to be a terrible idea, as Froch opened up the proverbial can of whoop-ass on Bute, battering him for the remainder of the frame and sending him back to his corner on unsteady legs.

[ Undercard: Frampton Routs Hirales / Cote Stops Lloyd ]

In the fourth, Bute did better, getting his legs back and getting himself back into the fight, but then toward the end of the round, Froch slammed him again, sending him back to his corner with no idea where he was.

In the fifth, it came to a head. Froch came right at Bute and finished the job, wobbling Bute against the ropes. Referee Earl Brown jumped in, seemingly to stop the fight, but instead started to administer a count. Bute's corner entered the ring to save the fighter anyway, as the Froch side had prematurely celebrated. Truthfully, the only argument is that Brown shouldn't have counted. Bute was gone.

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Carl Frampton was, if you listened to the Sky Sports commentators today, facing a double-tough Mexican warrior whose lack of double toughness of warriorness was a stunner. Instead, he was facing a very limited, inexperienced opponent who didn't offer much resistance, and put in a steady if unspectacular performance over 12 rounds, winning on scores of 120-108, 119-109, and 119-109.

[ Round-By-Round Coverage: Bute vs Froch NEXT! ]

To Hirales' credit, he did do that thing where after you've been clearly defeated, you still pretend you think you won. "Yeah, these scores are for me. Yeah. From... Belfast?! WHAT. Oh no. That is not...well. I think...just..." and so on.

After the fight, Frampton's promoter Eddie Hearn and biggest fan Barry McGuigan still went on about Hirales (16-1-1, 8 KO) as if he had done anything over 12 rounds to make anyone think he was any good.

But all that aside, which just amuses me and nothing more (it's nothing unusual, not a big deal), let's talk about the fight.

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Pier Olivier Cote didn't live up to his reputation as a big-time offensive fighter for the first four rounds today in Nottingham against Mark Lloyd, but landed good, clean shots in the fifth round to get the British fighter out of there, scoring two knockdowns before a final charge forced referee Terry O'Connor to call a halt to the action at 2:45 of the round.

[ Live Coverage Continues: Bute vs Froch Round-By-Round ]

Cote (19-0, 13 KO) looked really rusty from the get-go, not like himself at all. He was twitchy, seemed a bit unsure of himself, and just didn't have the accuracy and sharpness we're used to seeing from the 27-year-old prospect. He wasn't that same bomber in the fifth either, but he definitely did the job he was there to do, landing good shots to the body and head with both hands, finishing off a challenger in what mostly amounted to a rust-shedding fight, Cote's first appearance in the ring since November.

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This afternoon starting at 5 p.m. EDT, Bad Left Hook will have live, round-by-round coverage of the IBF super middleweight title fight between Lucian Bute and Carl Froch, live from the Capital FM Arena in Nottingham, England.

We'll be here for the entire Sky Sports broadcast from the U.K., starting at 5 with a pair of undercard bouts. The U.S. telecast on Epix and streaming live at EpixHD.com does not start until 6 p.m. EDT.

[ Related: Bute vs Froch Preview and Prediction ]

Bute (30-0 24 KO) is taking the biggest risk of his pro career, traveling to the Cobra's backyard to face Froch (28-2, 20 KO) in a high-profile fight, hoping to silence critics who say he's built his record against creampuff opponents at home in Montreal.

Froch is hoping to rebound from his December loss to Andre Ward, and continues what has been the toughest schedule in the sport of boxing since 2008.

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If Timothy Bradley pulls off the big upset over Manny Pacquiao on June 9 in Las Vegas, a rematch is already set for November 10, Bob Arum tells the Manila Bulletin:

"This is the reason why I haven’t talked about any other fight with Manny other than this upcoming fight with Bradley," said Arum.

Arum checked on Bradley’s preparation in the desert city of Indio, California, and was awestruck by Bradley’s confidence level and demeanor.

It can be argued this is a sign that Pacquiao (54-3-2, 38 KO) is definitely not looking past Bradley (28-0, 12 KO), which is a good idea considering Manny's not getting younger or better anymore, and Bradley is an unbeaten athlete in his prime who has nothing to lose with this fight.

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Amir Khan doesn't believe Danny Garcia is truly ready for their July 14 fight, and the outspoken British star even sounds like he might be looking past the WBC junior welterweight titlist a bit, as he eyes a move to 147 pounds and a fight with a major name there later this year.

From the Daily Mail:

"My plan is to move up to 147 and face one of the big names up there. You've got Victor Ortiz, you've got Manny and Mayweather. There are super names there so I'll be in that mix and we'll sit down with Freddie Roach and see what route we're going to take with the big names."

... "Danny Garcia's a young fighter. He's only had 23 fights. He's unbeaten, he's strong, he's got power and he has speed. I think it's a bit early for him to be fighting me but him being a world champion, I think it'll be a good fight as he's never tasted defeat before. He's not coming into the fight just to make up the numbers, he's coming to win the fight."

Actually, Khan (26-2, 18 KO) seems like he can't quite make up his mind how to sell Garcia as an opponent here -- he compliments his power and speed, says he's strong and coming to win, but also says he's not really ready ... which is really a big deal. I mean, all of that other stuff doesn't matter that much if a guy isn't ready, right?

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Victor Ortiz has been rescheduled to face Josesito Lopez on June 23, live on Showtime, with popular heavyweight action star Chris Arreola also in action, in addition to a junior welterweight bout between Humberto Soto and Lucas Matthysse. Ortiz, Lopez, and Arreola met up for a press conference this week and gave their thoughts.

* * * * *

VICTOR ORTIZ

"I'm not taking anyone for granted at all. Josesito is a great fighter. We share one thing in common, and that's a lot of heart. It's going to be a great night. He's ready to fight, and that makes two of us.

"It's too bad (that Berto failed the drug test), but at the end of the day we have to prepare for another champion, and that's Josesito Lopez.

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