Ok, so he's as smug as they come, has a big ego, big annoying nose, and has killed the 80k joke. But come on, what a fighter he was! He wasn't the most skilled, but you'd need a gun to keep him down. And he kickstarted British Boxing again. The Kessler fights, the Taylor finish, the Bute beating, the amazing events with Groves (I always picked Groves & Degale to give Carl his hardest fights, but everyone was obsessed with Ward & Dirrell), his willingness to travel and fight anyone. A true throwback. Only Usyk is doing the same now. And he re-started the big stadium fights. He gave us plenty of memorable nights.
I was a fan after the Matthew Barney fight. shame Carl and calzaghe never happened, would’ve been a good fight
I think he was may fav fighter of the last few years. Improved after Kessler 1 and was a handful for anyone. The Bute fight where he had him well scouted (watch the smile when Bute tries his first body uppercut early on) was a great too especially as he was apparently on the slide then. It was supposed to be 50/50 and he straight up batted him. Slightly disappointing he didn't fight Chavez Jnr at the as it was thought he might do and maybe grab another belt in another division but Groves 2 was probably a fitting end.
He couldn't have picked a better way to end his career. Still wish he'd would have fought Degale & GGG.
I used to stay at mates house from time to time in Nottingham, before he got famous he popped in once to do some DIY as he was my mates landlord. But yeah, he was a big part of what I see as a golden era of British boxing. Always loved following the British SMW over the years, always been my favourite division. Ducked no one. Always in a good scrap, I actually think he isn't as unskilled as some think, the Abraham fight was a good technical victory, also the trap he set up for Groves in the second fight was pretty nice.
Froch was a ****ing warrior and a true throwback of a fighter..... never shied away from fighting the best, look at his run of opponents back to back. Superb. Hard as nails and gave us so many entertaining nights over the years..... the Bute demolition, the 12th round comeback against Taylor when down on the cards away from home, the two Kessler battles and of course 80,000 at Wembley where he landed an absolute nuclear bomb of a right hand in the biggest fight of his career. It is funny how people who slate him don't seem to realise that he's actually taking the **** and clearly loves being a wind up lol
Definitely a better boxer / boxing brain that he's given credit for. As you say, the shut-out against Abraham behind the jab was a classy performance and drawing Groves onto that right hand after he set it up with feints. You don't medal at the World Amateur Championships, especially around the time he did, if you can't box.
Forget now that he struggled to get a good tv deal/exposure for a good while. Sure I remember watching the Kessler I fight on some obscure channel on Sky.
He was as tough as they come in the ring and you have to give him credit for who he fought and beat when he was practically always the underdog. But the last bit about him being on the wind up as a **** take is nonsense. The man’s a grade A bellend and if he was a bar of chocolate he’d eat himself!
And the Taylor fight was on ITV4 24 hours after the fight took place! Still one of my favorite fights