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Great blog again, Ben, on a really great fighter.

When Eddie Hearn says Froch should be considered the best British boxer ever if he beats Johnson and Ward, he may be typically over-hyped, but should he win this Super Six tournament, he should undoubtedly be considered among the true legends of this nation's boxing.

Who needs the celebrity, the publicity and the rest of it when you're that good? He has fought everyone, no one can argue with his record or his bravery; Froch backs up his confidence with the performance of a champion, time after time.

Hi Ben

Given your interest in boxing (and currently in fitness) I wondered if you'd be interested in finding out more about some grassroots boxing that's going on in London at the moment. Extended schools stuff, for adults and children. Might make a good piece if you're interested.

A fellow Seven Sisterser.

Anyone know what time the first bell will go for Froch Johnson Saturday?

I like Froch, but his performances in the super 6 have left more questions that answers. He was very impressive against Abraham, but most people would agree he really lost to Dirrell and got a home cooked decision, and then he got outmuscled in his loss to Kessler. He should beat Johnson purely because of the age factor but he best hope he performs better than he did against Dirrell he's not goon get a hometown decision in the states i'm afraid

From what I recall about 75% thought that Froch won against Dirrell, although roughly half of the rounds could've gone either way. Dirrell could have won if he'd fought the first 10 rounds like he fought the last 2 but Froch was the only one throwing punches for most of the fight. Dirrell's gone off the radar since Abraham's sucker punch, I wonder if he's lost interest in the sport?

I fancy Froch to win this one, like the Abraham fight where he upped the workrate and used his stamina and for once listened to McCracken's advice between rounds. It appeared to be a more mature Carl Froch than the one who lost his gameplan and his title in Denmark. If and when he reaches the final, Froch would need a KO to get a draw against Andre '³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖr' Ward. Showtime have given him every fight at home and some of the refereeing has shown (although I must stress that Ward's in the final on merit too). I'd like to see Froch win the Super6 and then beat Kessler and Bute. Maybe that's asking a little too much after the recent company he's kept though. Either way, Froch may not be an all time great but he's a boxer Britain should be proud of and I'm looking forward to watching him off PPV again!

As a Brit living in the USA its hard to understand the lack of publicity and attention Froch gets at home. Here in the USA some love him and some hate him due to his strong personality, yet most respect him. What fighter in any division has had a tougher set off fights than Froch? As mentioned, Pascal, Taylor, Dirrell, Kessler, Abraham, now Johnson. No bums or tomato cans there. Tough fight after tough fight. I really hope "The Cobra" can win Saturday and set up a final with America's new golden boy Andre Ward.

Interesting article Ben. I first saw Froch at York Hall, in fact I used to make a point of going there to watch his early fights as they were (irrespective of who he fought) exciting explosive bouts. He fights with his heart and although many boxers would like to say that of themselves, very few actually know what it means to get off your stool knowing that unless you knock the other guy out you have lost on points (something Carl has delivered). Glen Johnson is a pro and knows it has to be the first 6 to 8 rounds if he is to get a result, and he does hit hard and walk through punches which is very dispiriting, Carl too is very heavy handed though and a tired Johnson may well make only his second trip to the canvas if he gives Carl more than a glimpse. The cobra hurts people, even in the one blot on his copy book against Kessler, he hurt Kessler several times and I for one didnt see the decision as wide as it was given. I really hope he makes it through to the final he is under the radar for celebrity yearning fools, but for fans of boxing he has been the talk since those early days in Bethnal Green.

#3: "most people would agree he really lost to Dirrell"

Would they? Not my recollection. Like a couple of others here, I recall most people on here (and some more international sites) thinking Froch had the better of the fight and Dirrell dazzled a bit in the last couple, after the horse had bolted.

I wonder from the interview with Froch whether he has finally accepted that he lost against Kessler. It does worry me when top sportsmen can't accept their failings. I thought it was closer than the final cards showed, but I definitely felt Kessler won.

For all that, I think Froch's probably the best Brit around at the moment. He fights the big names, travels wherever he has to to do it and his fights are usually blockbuster entertainment. When you think back to the grandstand finish against Taylor, that was drama, even if not his best performance. The fight against Pascal on the other hand was one of the best I've seen in a long time. Took me back to the Benn-Eubank days that first got me into boxing. How it came to be that no mainstream channels took up his subsequent fights (I ended up watching the Taylor fight on the net...) mystifies me.

All the best to Froch at the weekend. I like Johnson, and he's still a wily customer (and hard as coffin nails) at 42, but I think Froch will beat him, and may just knock him out.

On a more serious note, has anyone else noticed that Jim off the Apprentice looks just like The Cobra? Just me? Oh well....

yeah i'm kind of mystified why Froch has never really taken off, but i guess that's down to him to a large extent, in that while he has taken care of business in the ring by fighting all-commers in his division, he has had the wrong people promoting him. As others have mentioned, his win over future light-heavyweight world champion Pascal was the best fight i have seen in 20 years, and the only shame is that he never got to fight Calzaghe, which would have been a defining fight for both men, for very different reasons....

Like you say, it would be a crying shame if this guy that has been fighting at such a high level then loses to Johnson, as crafty and tough as the Road Warrior still is.

I hope he gets it all right on the night. I've followed Froch pretty much since the Valery Odin fight way back when. He's already got the resume to be considered one of Britain's best boxers of all time...I think he's seriously snapping at the heels of Calzaghe already in terms of legacy. Quality over quantity!

But it can all come tumbling down this weekend, so best wishes to Froch.

Froch along with very few others has in truth kept me enthusiastic about Boxing. The Pascal fight was such a full-hearted performance, If Carl has one thing World Class… it’s his chin and if that wasn’t enough he fought Taylor in what ended up being ridiculously exciting (I woke my Girlfriend up at 4am shouting at my PC) Though I believe he lost to Kessler (narrowly) I also believe he has the beating of him with a better tactical plan – looks like he’s learning that taking your opponents best shots doesn’t guarantee you a victory.

You have to fancy him to come through Johnson although it won’t be easy. The thought of a showdown with Ward excites, Ward is technically superior and looks like a exceptional fighter in the making (despite his sometimes controversial tactics) knowing Froch literally put’s it all on the line when he fights makes me think it will be a tremendous fight as he will be forced to attack Ward (knowing a decision is unlikely)… the prospect of this fight has me inspired.

Good luck Carl.

Good luck to the Cobra. His type are the closest things the world has to earlier generation fighters. He doesn't care who he fights, he travels everywhere and he wants to beat the best. What's so great about this fight is that Johnson has the same attitude.

Think about how good boxing could be if everyone had Froch's attitude. We would have seen Pacman vs Mayweather, Klitchko vs Klitchko, Calzaghe vs Jones Jr (the real Jones Jr) and who knows, maybe the unthinkable, Khan vs Someone In Their Prime...

I think his last mainstream fight was on itv4 against Pascal. Me and my mates were ringing each other as it was on telling each other to watch a classic in the making. I can't remember another time that had happened.

Go do 'em

Lets be honest here...

Froch was very lucky to win the fights against Taylor, Pascal and Dirrell and clearly lost the fight to Kessler.

If he didnt win last gasp against Taylor, his career would have plummetted.

However, I'm a big fan of his fights... they are always really exciting and there should really be more coverage of them.

terrible post from neilh01.

Hopme cooked, the press row scored it to froch, manny stewart, jimmy iowa dan rafael, buncey and graham houston all scored it to froch, the boxrec punch stats showed froch outlanded dirrell.

So dont make things up.

Plus imo froch didnt really lose to kessler, froch landed the cleaner punches, but his workrate was poor.

Froch is the greatest british fighter ever.

@13 lennon

Froch was going into the 12th on a split decision, hardly lucky, the 12th round was brutal one way traffic for taylor, something hes never recovered from, so hardly last gasp.

It got stopped with 30 seconds to go, if it carried on with the barrage of punches froch was landing taylor would have seriously got permanent damage.

Yet another poor post

Good blog btw ben.

#13 "Froch was very lucky to win the fights against Taylor, Pascal and Dirrell and clearly lost the fight to Kessler."


In what way was he lucky to beat Pascal? He clearly did the better work in a classic fight. If that's going to get put down to luck we might as well give up. I haven't spoken to anyone who thinks Pascal won that fight. The Dirrell fight seems to have been more contentious, but I don't see why. I don't think it was a home decision, Froch looked the better fighter to me. Dirrell was awkward, as Dirrell is, but didn't offer a huge amount IMO. Taylor was marginally ahead on the cards when he got obliterated in a Rocky-style last round. It wasn't a one-punch knock-out, so I'm not really sure you can actually chalk that up as luck either.

So I don't think "being honest" makes your opinion fact. I'm being perfectly honest when I say I believe Froch won the Dirrell and Pascal fights fair and square, and that he deserves credit for fighting his way back from the brink against Taylor.

Interesting blog, looks like a win-win training camp for all.
Froch has had exciting career and an eventful past couple of years but he's always entertaining to watch. Whether that's losing a tight one, shading a win, coming back to win or dominating from the off... He's made for TV sport.
My biggest concern for this fight is frustration, I hope he stays patient if he doesn't manage to dominate from the bell. Johnson has the experience to pose a few questions but a fully-focussed Froch can provide the answers... I have Froch to force an end to the bout around the 9th or 10th.
Best of luck to a British world champion!

Ive watched the 'cobra' for ages and he is my favourite British fighter, who is better? Khan? Not with that glass jaw. Haye? Not really proved himself yet, in a very poor div. Groves?......Hatton? Got sparked by the top guys. Calzaghe? Well this guy is a legend and it would have been a truly epic fight but i dnt think Joe had the one bomb to trouble Frochs proven chin and it only takes one punch!! Well done Karl, look back on your career with pride mate!!!

I remember when I first saw 'the cobra' when his career was first starting off-if I remember correctly the bbc showed his fights, I was impressed with him then and even more so now. I hope he gets the publicity he deserves, although even if he does not he will go down as a great fighter with ppl who know anything about the sport.

@ #18 : 'Haye? Not really proved himself yet, in a very poor div.'


Without wishing to de-rail the discussion too much, it seems to be forgotten since his move to heavyweight that Haye was already undisputed champion in another weight division before he made the permanent move to heavyweight. I would still have Froch above him in pound for pound rankings though. It's been a while since I've seen a British fighter (or actually many fighters of any nationality) have this kind of run of top class opposition. Since the Pascal fight there can be no accusing Froch of taking easy pay-days or padding his record.

About time he got the same recognition here as he's starting to get in the States. It's ironic that he seems to get better press over there than almost any other British fighter I can remember (although they warmed to Hatton in the end) yet he gets so little back home. He deserves much better than that.

@19


also remember Froch on the bbc in his early fights, he certainly caught the eye and hsowed he had some skill but was also a very tough man.

He did alot of harm in some respects disrespecting JK, who has the be the all tiime best simple by the fact that he retired unbeaten and beat a few decent fighters on the way.

But Froch deserves more, and i feel against Ward he is gonna have to be at his best, JT beat him hands down and Froch was not lucky but fortunate that he never gave in and found that bit extra right at the end, but that won;t happen again, and Ward is a very skilled and talented boxer, for me this is Froch's biggest fight of his career, because now he is proven fighter, not an up and coming fighter.

But he seems very confident in his own ability, i dont think he is to cocky, i just think he fully believes in himself, and thats a very good thing, to maintain his dedication and hunger to win more just goes to show he has that Champion mentality, unlike Haye who wants to win and then do a runner, but my guess is that Haye is pulling off a money spinner and hoping the public beg im back into the ring and he is gonna ask for another big check.

Haye for me is all about money and fame, true he is an excellent boxer and extremley confident person. I cant call who would win this fight and i have tried my best to look at every angle, its just one of them fights that will be decided who will win when the first bell rings and who is more up for it on the night.

Two very boxing matches to look forward to for English boxing fans, but there is a real danger both our best fighters could end up with nothing, and if Haye loses i doubt the Klitchko brother will even give him the time of day, and who else is left to pay the big money that Haye wants to get in a position to challenge again.