Blimey was that taken from a parallel universe where Froch Gives credit where it is due? Ah not quite, he gives credit whilst taking it away in the same breath saying the win was ugly, aka boring in Froch speak. Thing is I didn’t actually find it boring personally.
I didn't find it boring either, I love watching effective skill, the feints and ring generalship, movement and defense of Andre as well as superior infighting and smarts was enjoyable to see. A master at work. He made Carl look amateurish.
I bet Froch was seething at that. His missus will have had to turn the cheerleading up to the max. Walking around the house fanning him, “Carl, we’re so lucky you’ve blessed this house with your presence”, “Jesus is lucky you’re so modest or you’d be the messiah”, “That nose surgeon is so lucky you picked them, you’ve made their career”. “Big Dave Price is lucky you aren’t a plumber, he’d never get any work, you’re so good”. “Tony Bellew is so lucky you’re on sky, everyone tunes in to watch you and he gets left alone with his wife and kids”. “Have you signed that Frosties contract yet, coz you’rrrrrre great!”
You know what I really struggle to grasp about Froch..... Is that so many people respect him as a fighter for the continuous tough fights he took and quality wins on his resume. He has a career which should make him so proud. Yet he is just a bitter awkward man now. He kinda reminds me of Roy Keane.
The Roy Keane comparison made me lol. I think he’s always been miserable though and has ridiculously high standards. He’s also 100x more intelligent than Carl Froch.
I was warming to Froch a bit a few months ago where he appeared to bury the hatchet with groves. George himself even said he’s a nice bloke so would think that would mean something. He said he understands him now but I think he just realised that to be around Froch you have to listen to his shite a bit, and when you get a back handed compliment laugh it off. Shows how well groves came out of that rivalry really, he doesn’t seem bitter, maybe a little regretful he didn’t do a few things differently, but he seems content, he can laugh it off now. Where’s Froch can’t seem to with anything, which is a shame for him.
His comments are both right to a certain extent and massively exaggerated. Up until 2006, Calzaghe had beaten a goodish list of fighters (Eubank, Reid, Woodhall, Mitchell, Brewer, Sheika, Starie). But he had also fought a lot of absolute dross. His record at that point for a 9 year champion was mediocre. It was the last two years of his career where he really ensured he was a fighter who would be remembered with the wins over Lacy, Kessler, Bika and Hopkins (admittedly the latter was debatable as was the Reid one but still...) Froch doesn't need to chat so much sh1t but he has earned the right to a certain extent, because throughout his title reign, he fought nothing but the best and went out of his way to get them. Calzaghe, well, I wouldn't say he ducked anyone, but for me he spent too long happy in his bubble in Cardiff and left it very late to chase greatness. Very good fighter, think he maybe gets a little overrated due to being unbeaten
Bika wasn't considered a threat. Froch didn't go out of his way, he was offered ridiculous money to be part of the Super Six, guaranteeing him fight after fight and pay day after pay day -against no huge hitters or volume punchers- even if he lost. Calzaghe didn't get an opportunity like that, boxing was dead during his reign.
Funny thing is, I do think Froch would've dropped him early, if he stayed out of range behind his shoulder to lure Calzaghe in, and threw that long uppercut from his thigh. But Joe had those powers of recovery and loved it when you came at him ala Mitchell.
It would've been a very awkward looking fight, neither had the elite slick boxing skills of Nunn or Eubank, both were highly hittable with peculiar punching technique
People talk about the Hopkins and jones wins as being meaningless for calz because they were old and shot, Jones for sure was nearly as shot as the shot old corpse of VLAD the chinny robot dug up from the cemetery to go life and death with at Wembley. No question. Hopkins though was a freak and went on to have some decent wins after calzaghe bested him (close but clear imo) but one thing people don’t seem to take into account when rating super joe is that both jones and Hopkins put him on his backside which rings alarm bells for me that when he finally stepped out of his comfort zone to take on a couple of faded legends they both had enough about them to show him something he hadn’t seen before, suggests there’s levels which calzaghe had never operated in.