Froch shows big testicles

Holding out for home advantage would have meant he wouldn't have got Taylor at all, who travels for no-one, not even for Calzaghe.

I do like mandatories. I am glad that Froch is fighting his mandatory. Of course, he'd have to, because right now, his only holds a vacant belt that needs to be defended twice against two selected mandatories before he can call it his own, as a proper WBC Champ. Obviously, anyone would want to fight a mandatory like Taylor...especially in Froch's shoes. Taylor, on the other hand, wasn't really under an obligation to fight for this title or any title at this stage, with one proper fight in the division, but I'm glad he's fighting a non-American (it's a start) and I'm glad he's fighting someone a bit better than Allan Green. The styles match-up will be interesting too, so I'm not complaining. Froch is a very lucky lad. He struck gold and he should count his blessings. If Taylor wouldn't have agreed to fight him, Dirrell or Ward would probably have taken the fight, and since either has a decent chance of beating him too...it makes much more sense to fight the much better risk/reward fight in Taylor. Froch's very lucky to get a fight against Taylor. But courageous? How?:huh

 

He'd have had to fight two mandatories imposed on him by the WBC before being allowed to fight a voluntary. It's because he won a vacant belt against a fellow prospect, so that's what the WBC rules require. These are the rankings - the boys at the top get first shout, in this order. If Dirrell or Ward had not taken it (unlikely), Johnson (??) and Pascal would have, or you're going down to Bika and Berrio, and they would definitely have taken it...and they're not good risk/reward fights for Froch at all!

1 .- Jermain Taylor (US)
2 .- Andre Dirrell (US)
3 .- Andre Ward (US)
4 .- Marcus Johnson (US)
5 .- Jean Pascal (Haiti/Canada) NABF
6 .- Sakio Bika (Cameroon)
7 .- Anthony Mundine (Australia)
8 .- Alejandro Berrio (Colombia)

...in other words, Froch is fighting the best risk/reward of the lot in Taylor. Losing to Taylor is not the end of the world. Hopkins lost to him twice, at least on paper. It's for good money and you get exposure and then you're in the mix with the Americans too...so...it makes perfect sense. Kessler, Bute, anyone at all in the division jumped at the chance to fight Taylor, and they'd have travelled too, but Taylor didn't fancy them because they were too risky for him. So...he went with Froch, whom he rightfully thinks he will beat. At least he's not fighting yet another American...

 

That's a long way of saying Taylor is a good fight for Froch.

It seems like you're desperate to criticise Froch but you haven't got any real ammunition.

 

Yes, Froch definitely deserves major kudos for this. In his first defence he's done what Taylor has yet to do his whole career and jumped on a plane to go and fight one of the best contenders out there in his own back yard! Contrast to Taylor who was going to turn the shot down if he couldn't get everything his own way and turned down an eliminator with Eastman because he would have to travel and might not be the HBO poster boy with the whole establishment at his backing! I doubt Froch will win, but good on him! As for Taylor, this sort of **** is why he'll never be remembered as a truly great fighter, great fighters are not afraid to take on the odds without everything tilted in their favour!

 

Yeah, long way of saying Froch's never done anything to show he's got big guts during his career - on the contrary, in fact, and that he's certainly not showing guts in agreeing to fight Taylor, giving his actual options, if he wants to not be stripped of the belt. Desperate to criticise him? Criticise him for what? For being lucky to get a shot at Taylor and for taking it? No, I was "criticising" the people who thought he should be given a medal for wanting to fight Taylor - seems a very strange argument to me...:huh

Everyone knows I don't like Froch and that I have very good reasons for not liking him. And I'm not the only one either. Also, I am allowed to comment on his professional choices and on the comments he makes about other fighters, on a boxing forum, right? But who cares whether I or anyone else like him? He's making very good money right now and his prospects in the business are very good given his actual talent and skills and level of performance, because the way he's promoted seems to be working very well for him right now. Good luck to him! I enjoy his fighting style and will watch his fights with great interest as usual. So why would my views of him as a person or on anything else matter to Froch or his fans, particularly? I'm onboard. Boxing is a business and it's just the way things are. He gives his all in the ring and comes to fight, and he doesn't use underhanded tactics in the ring to gain an unfair advantage - that in the end is the most important thing - he's not shortchanging the fans; on the contrary, he's great value for money in the ring. Or are you suggesting I'm straying into Betty Swollocks teritory with my "obsessive hatred" of Froch? Hope not. And just because I think he is "not a very nice person" it doesn't stand in the way of me looking at his game objectively, does it? As to giving him respect for his choices, I said it and I'll repeat it: I'll put up an avatar of Froch for two weeks if he gets into the same ring as Kessler whilst still unbeaten. There. Happy?

 

Don't agree with most of this in the slightest, but no you're nowhere near Betty territory, you are rational and don't sound like you belong in the nearest loony bin!

I am no massive fan of Froch, however, to be fair to the guy he has not had a lot go his way. Inkin pulled out twice on him, followed by Berrio and Rubin Williams for his last bout. The fight was also offered to Edison Miranda who declined. Pascal was an undefeated prospect who he had to go through to get the belt. Having done so, in his first defence he is taking his passport and flying to face Taylor, a mere contender, in his own backyard.

I don't get all this **** about Froch "getting a shot" at Taylor. Froch is the titlist along with Kessler, Bute and Baloszay. Taylor is a mere contender who has done nothing at super middle and is last really remembered getting knocked cold and then beaten again by a fighter who has proved to be very beatable by a guy with good fundamentals. Taylor needs either this fight or Kessler/one of the rest, otherwise his only alternatives are a series of who-cares domestic level bouts with guys like Miranda and Allan Green. I don't see what Taylor brings to the table at 168, admittedly he is HBO's poster boy but as a fighter there are a lot of question marks over him at the moment. Bearing in mind that Taylor would have turned the shot down had he been forced to travel, I would think there are easier defences out there for Froch, especially given that he's probably going to have to knock Taylor out and stamp on his head to get a draw over there!

Guys like Dirrell and Ward are unproven (but do have the "0" and the hyped prospect status) and would probably have come over to the UK to get their shot. Johnson I don't know much about, but Pascal has already been beaten, Bika is good but loses to top-level opposition and Mundine is supposed to be moving down to middle. I think Froch will lose this one especially in Taylor's backyard, but should be given props for wanting to take the best fights this side of a unification.

 

[quote="TKO";3391456]Froch has not had a lot go his way. Inkin pulled out twice on him, followed by Berrio and Rubin Williams for his last bout. The fight was also offered to Edison Miranda who declined. [/quote]

So many people say that, and it's utter bollocks!

Froch's made a career of picking his opponents when they were well past their best (Reid) or on very short notice after a massive beating (Tatevosyan) and then blowing these wins out of all proportion, comparing them to the way Calzaghe did against Reid and Bute against Tatevosyan, for example. This is one of the reasons I don't like the guy.

Where Berrio and the others were concerned, again, he/they was/were offered the fight at 3 weeks' notice, after Inkin pulled out with flu for the second time! Don't know about the money offered him either, but why should Froch always get to fight good quality opposition on short notice, when it suits him, all the time? So, of course Berrio didn't dodge him when he didn't accept the offer. Froch would never have fought Calzaghe or Pavlik or Jones Jr. or anyone else for that matter, no matter how big the name, at 3 weeks' notice either. But he still went ahead and said Berrio and the others had ducked him, didn't he!

So...we're left with Inkin, who dodged him twice...I'll give you that...But Froch should be the last person to talk about people ducking/dodging him given that he ducked Bute for the IBF eliminator to get a shot at Berrio's IBF title, only to then say that he'd have KOed both Bute and Berrio on the same night, when the IBF route was the only route to a title. Of course, he then said he didn't fight for the IBF because he had been targeting the "prestigious WBC" belt all along, even though that was impossible - the belt was with Kessler at the time, and he was planning to fight Calzaghe, after Andrade, not Froch.

So he goes on saying how he cannot get any of the big boys to fight him because they're all scared of him, when he was the one who did his utmost to not step up and prove himself for as long as possible. See, this is why I don't like the guy - he lies and he is hypocritical beyond belief and he puts his betters down whilst his career choices stink to the high heavens.

Anyway, enough of the "Froch hatred" from me. Don't have much time and it's best used talking boxing, not boxers, whilst I'm on ESB...so forgive me if I don't continue with this conversation.:good

 

So Decabel.......why don't you like Carl Froch

 

Fair enough, but just a couple of minor points from me. Firstly, I think you're picking an argument which doesn't exist here. You're preaching to the choir on Reid, I'm fully aware that he was way past it and Froch's win bears no comparison to that of Calzaghe (who I prefer to Froch in all honesty). And I have never said those guys dodged him (I don't remember him doing so either). Not wanting to take the fight on three weeks' notice is fair enough, however, you can't blame the guy for offering it. It is perfectly possible for a fighter who is in the gym and in shape to be in shape for a fight on a couple of weeks' notice. See Klitchko V Lewis for example. OK so it only gives short notice to train for your opponent's style but then that's the same both ways.

I don't really know the inside story on the whole Bute thing, but yeah Froch does run his mouth off too much in relation to what he's accomplished in the ring, which is one of the reasons I'm not massively keen on him. Peace :good

 

If anything he talked the Reid win down.

 

Is Froch taking short money for this fight? Usually a champion who is will to defend in the challengers country holds all the aces and gets the fat end of the wedge.

 

No ****ing way did Taylor beat Hopkins more convincly than Calzaghe.

Anyway, that was the old Hopkins at 160.

 

Wrong Decebal.

Neither Froch or Bute ducked each other. Bute in fact was due to face Froch in a WBC eliminator, and Bute declined and went the IBF route. Not that I'm saying Bute ducked Froch at all, they both just took seperate routes.

 

froch is UK's junior witter, he has no class and has if you look at his resume, one name pascal which is come not exactly elite level is he?? for froch to go and shoot of his mouth he should achieve something first