[url]http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/boxing/16193191.stm[/url] Benn backs Ward to defeat Froch in Super Six final Page last updated at 07:46 GMT, Thursday, 15 December 2011 E-mail this to a friendPrintable version By Ben Dirs BBC Sport Super Six final: Andre Ward v Carl Froch Venue: Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, United States Date: Early hours of Sunday, 18 December Coverage: Live television coverage on Sky Sports 1, live audio coverage on BBC radio 5 live and the BBC Sport website Listen to Mike Costello, Steve Bunce and Eleanor Oldroyd preview the Ward-Froch fight on the BBC iPlayer Carl Froch eyes Andre Ward upset Former super-middleweight world champion Nigel Benn has tipped Andre Ward to beat Carl Froch in the final of the Super Six tournament this weekend. Nottingham's WBC title-holder Froch faces American WBA champion Ward in Atlantic City, with Ward the favourite. "I fancy Ward to win it. He's very slippery, a very good fighter," Benn told BBC Sport. "Don't get me wrong, Carl's a good fighter, a strong guy, and it will be a close fight, but Ward will edge it." Former Olympic champion Ward has won all 24 of his professional fights, including a victory over Denmark's Mikkel Kessler, who in turn beat Froch. Continue reading the main story Carl doesn't realise his own limitations - he's so strong-minded his will sometimes overcomes the other man's talent Manny Steward Legendary trainer That defeat by Kessler, in 2009, is Froch's only loss in the paid ranks and the 34-year-old has since beaten Arthur Abraham and Glen Johnson to reach the final of the tournament. However, Froch is a 2-1 underdog with British bookmakers, while most pundits expect the 27-year-old Ward to outsmart his English rival. But one man who thinks Froch has a chance is the venerable Manny Steward, trainer of heavyweight world champion Wladimir Klitschko and former trainer of British great Lennox Lewis. "Ward is the best technical fighter of the two but Froch is so mentally strong, you can never rule him out," Steward told BBC Sport. "He doesn't realise his own limitations - he's so strong-minded his will sometimes overcomes the other man's talent. "Also, the fact the fight is on the east coast will favour Froch because Andre has always fought in his comfort zone and Carl should have a lot of support from British fans." While Froch has often complained about a lack of media and public interest in his fights, Benn insisted modern fighters were partly to blame for their lack of exposure. "I wish I saw more of them, they box once every six or seven months," said Benn, who was a central figure in British boxing's last great boom in the early 1990s, when his fights with Chris Eubank were watched by millions on terrestrial television. "How are you going to get a name? Carl Froch is a great fighter but we see him once in a blue moon. You've got to keep busy and then 'bang, bang, bang', prepare for another one. "I was fighting every month - one year I had 13 fights - 'bang, knock him out, bring on somebody else, bang, knock him out, bring on somebody else'. "The British public watched us grow up because they didn't have to pay for it. Now boxing is scattered all over the place, on Sky Sports or pay-per-view, and people can't afford it."
Benn talks alot of sense, Froch fights tonight, getting a fair bit of exposure at the minute, But win lose or draw we wont see him till May, June next year. So 'the man on the street' will have forgotten half of the build up and hype from this one.
"I was fighting every month - one year I had 13 fights - 'bang, knock him out, bring on somebody else, bang, knock him out, bring on somebody else". What year was that then? Debut year 1987 with 12 fights including 'Winston Bennett' as a double KO victim. Don't get me wrong Benn is right about fighting regularly and about publicity from being on terrestrial telly, but there's no way on 2011 that anyone is going to fight the quality that Carl has been taking on every other month. Personally I'd prefer the route he has taken to the easy touches that have been put in front of other British fighters to knock over and if that's meant that widespread appeal has suffered then that's tough.
The fighters today are far too pampered and then ***** and moan like children about lack of exposure. I think Froch is disgraceful in some ways.
You don't think he has some grounds to be frustrated? He's done more than Khan or Haye did yet receives none of the money and little of the attention. If you ask me, I think it's racism.
Froch's first 15 fights were live on BBC1 on a Friday night. He's had the exposure. He's had his fair share of fights on prime time ITV1 on the weekend, too, and non-PPV Sky Sports. He had adverts on BBC1 before he even turned pro. You're not a victim, mate, you're just not interesting. Just not good enough.
No they weren't. And he's had two fights live on ITV 1, and one on ITV 4 - one of which was a riveting victory in a world title fight against a worthy, unbeaten opponent and yet this wasn't enough to convince the powers that be at ITV to get behind him. He clearly hasn't had the exposure he deserves.
