The Eubank/ Benn/ Collins/ Watson era threw up some great fights and the protagonists were real characters who could sell tickets and keep boxing on terrestrial telly. The issue though, in terms of legacy, is they were fighters that made a lot of money off fighting each other for the fledgling WBO title and didn't have to go out and take on the best in the division i.e. Roy Jones James Toney Bernard Hopkins Montell Griffin Sumbu Kalambay Julian Jackson Herol Graham It seems to me that the legacy of the Eubank and co is based on Benn beating McClellan and Barkley along with Collins and Watson doing ok in defeat against The Bodysnatcher. I think there is a bit of smoke and mirrors around the Eubank gang and this is backed up by Collins arriving on the scene and being dominant after having been a nearly man in the States. Collins saw an opportunity to make good money in the smaller English pond and took it. Collins first victory against Eubank was against a fighter who was still operating close to his peak. Eubank was gifted a few decisions in his time against journeymen, such as against Ray Close, because of his name. Froch has fought better fighters than Eubank, has travelled to get the best fights and has in no way been protected. His resume contains bigger name fighters that Eubank's and he is not relying on wins other fighters have got, such as Benn's victories over Barkley and McClellan, to justify how good he is. For me Eubank is Top 15 as an all time British great while Froch has now entered the Top 10. I am in full agreement with Froch's boast that he is greater than Eubank.
Ultimately, if Carl Froch was in Eubanks era he would NEVER allow himself not to fight Jones and anyone else who wanted. Win or lose, Carl Froch has proven he will just go after the biggest fight out there. If he fights Kessler next this will just prove that notion to be even more true.
I just want to point out that Eubank himself claimed that he would only fight Jones if the fight was forced upon him via a mandatory. Keeping in mind he only had interest in defending the WBO belt, that is clearly tantamount to avoiding the good fighters, who would have had zero interest in fighting for such a worthless belt and at the time having the belt would automatically exclude him from the other rankings. Just saying....
Not that I think he will come back but Joe always walked around at between 14 and 15 stone. He's a big chap!!!
would froch be so gung ho about fighting PRIME ROY JONES though calzaghe, hopkins, eubank, benn, etc... THEY ALL RAN.
Possibly not, he doesn't really want to have a rematch with Ward, so.... Then again, he wouldn't as cynically avoid it as Eubank did.
Eubank claims it was Jones who wouldn't fight Him, and that Jones admitted it to his face years later.
What chance do you think there was of Jones giving up his belts to fight for the WBO belt? Because that is what he would have had to do.... There is one thing more than anything that we both know about Eubank, and that is that he is full of ****.
Froch's resume is better. Eubank would have needed to face the likes of Roy Jones, James Toney, Michael Nunn and Gerald McClellan. The less said about Calzaghe's resume the better. All credit to Nigel Bennfor facing McClellan not just winning and Watson for facing McCallum. Froch has fought everyone in his era no questions asked.
Rewatched Eubank Watson 2 recently and I have to say, I don't think there is a 168 pounder ever who could have taken that right uppercut and remained upright. Absolutely perfect punch to the chin and the technique of Eubank was just awesome. He got full leverage into that one. He was being beaten up badly, just got up off the canvas and like a cornered cat he mustered up every ounce of strength he had and delivered it all directly onto the chin of Watson. Probably the hardest punch ever thrown by a 168 pounder.
Yeah he looked Tubbeh!! Looked like someone had trimmed his eyebrows too haha....did better than he did in that stupid bloody dance show he did :-(
How can you even begin to compare 'today's era' with the fighters that were around (at 160-168 ) ten to fifteen years ago? There's no comparison. Only Ward and maybe a prime Kessler would have have done well in that era. Froch would have been destroyed by JC, Eubank, Benn and Watson. I ain't even going to mention fighters from overseas. Who the hell has Froch beaten? People seem to equate his opponents (even those who have beaten him) as a measure of his greatness. He has balls but he's the ultimate overachiever.