Hearn: I am in talks to make Froch vs. Hopkins fight

By Boxing News - 02/12/2015 - Comments

froch1111By Scott Gilfoid: WBA super middleweight champion Carl Froch’s promoter Eddie Hearn is saying that he’s in talks with boxing legend Bernard Hopkins (55-7-2, 32 KOs) to try and setup a fight between them. However, Froch (33-2, 24 KOs) recently said that a fight against the 50-year-old Hopkins is a “lose-lose” situation for him due to him not getting any credit from boxing fans if he wins, and him taking a lot of heat from fans should he lose.

Froch made it pretty clear that he’s not interested in facing the wily old veteran Hopkins. This is why it’s interesting that Hearn is now saying that he’s trying to make the Froch-Hopkins fight.

“I am still in talks to make that fight [Froch vs. Hopkins] between two legends of the sport,” Hearn said via the Dailymail.co.uk. “Hopkins has such an awkward style, but I can’t see any way how Froch would lose a fight in Nottingham supported by 40,000 of his home fans. I would say in that environment that he would be virtually unbeatable.”

Well, I don’t see how Froch’s fans in Nottingham can help him in the ring with Hopkins if that fight goes down. I mean, I do think the screaming that Froch’s fans may have an effect on the judging of the fight with Froch getting credit for his shots more than Hopkins.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dI9QzpqgjdI

If you look at the Froch vs. Andre Dirrell fight from 2009, which took place in Nottingham, UK, I saw it as a clear win for Dirrell when I had the sound off. But with the sound on, you’ve got all the screaming from Froch’s fans that erupted each time he would badly miss Dirrell with his punches, I can see how Froch’s fans and the judges would be under the illusion that Froch did better than he actually did. I wasn’t blind though, and I scored it 8 rounds to 3 with 1 even in favor of Dirrell even with Froch’s fans screaming nonstop each time he’d throw a punch.

I thought Froch should have been disqualified for the fouling he did in the fight starting with the body slam he did in the 5th round. Froch got away with an awful lot of rabbit punches to the back of Dirrell’s head in that fight, as the referee seemed to turn into a spectator in failing to take charge of the fouling.

If Hopkins faces Froch in Nottingham, he’s going to need to be prepared to fight Froch at his own game if he finds himself battling him at close quarters. Hopkins will also need to realize that the judges could be effected by the screaming from Froch’s fans.

Unless Hopkins is able to completely smother Froch the way Andre Ward did in their fight in the Super Six tournament, Hopkins could see Froch winning rounds where he’s done very little. If the crowd is screaming for Froch something fierce, then Hopkins will need to really take charge of the fight on the inside to give the judges no other choice but to score the rounds for him.

“That Hopkins fight and one against Julio Cesar Chavez Jnr in Las Vegas remain the only fights that have Carl interested. I am in talks on both,” Hearn said.
It’s going to be interesting to hear what Hopkins will say about the news of him being in negotiations with Harn for the Froch fight, because Hopkins has been saying that Froch is a coward for him not wanting to fight him. Indeed, Hopkins said this to Skysports.com this week about Froch:

“You should put pressure on that coward that calls himself one of the greatest European fighters of all time,” Hopkins said about Froch.



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