Golovkin’s promoter: We never asked Froch for a catch-weight, we’re clear at 168

By Boxing News - 07/02/2015 - Comments

By Scott Gilfoid: In response to the report from ESPN earlier today about WBA middleweight Gennady Golovkin (33-0, 30 KOs) making demands to Carl Froch (33-2, 24 KOs) about a catch-weight if they were to fight, Golovkin’s promoter Tom Loeffler took to Twitter to refute those claims by saying that they’re were asking for a catch-weight. They were and still are willing to fight the 37-year-old Froch at the full 168lb weight for the fight, and they’re willing to take the fight in the UK.

This is what the ESPN.co.uk said earlier today:

“Froch also revealed that the demands made by Golovkin, including dropping down substantially in weight, mean that he is more likely to face DeGale if he takes on either.”

I’m just wondering why Froch would have told ESPN that Golovkin was asking for him to drop down in weight for a catch-weight. Was this something Froch was confused about? Did Froch’s promoter Eddie Hearn tell him this information, or did Froch just come up with it on his own? It makes absolutely no sense for Froch to say that Golovkin is demanding a catch-weight handicap for the fight when he clearly isn’t, at least according to his promoter Tom Loeffler.

Of course, we don’t know what goes on behind closed doors at the bargaining table, so anything is possible. However, I seriously doubt that Loeffler would send out a Tweet saying that they never asked Froch to fight at a catch-weight if it weren’t true. I mean, Loeffler is putting himself on the line by sending out a Tweet like that, and he wouldn’t want his rep to be tarnished if what he was saying wasn’t true.

Well, if Froch and his team don’t want the fight against Golovkin, then they’re going to need to come up with a heck of a lot better excuse than him not being willing to fight at the full weight for the 168lb division, because he clearly is willing to take the fight.

Now that Golovkin’s promoter Loeffler has made it clear to Froch – and to his promoter Eddie Hearn – that they’re not asking for Froch to come down in weight, I don’t see there being anything else standing in the way of Froch taking the fight with Golovkin. If you take away that claim that Golovkin was asking Froch to come down in weight, what other reason is there for Froch not to take the fight?

Yeah, he can just flat out say he didn’t want to take the risk due to Golovkin’s amazing punching power, and didn’t want to risk being starched in front of a huge crowd in Nottingham or London. I think boxing fans, Loeffler and Golovkin would certainly respect Froch if he just flat out laid on the line by being brutally honest. I mean, Froch did that with Andre Ward in saying that he’d probably lose to him in a rematch, so I think it would be nice to see Froch do the same with Golovkin if he feels that he doesn’t like the fight due to what could potentially happen to him if he signed up for it.

Froch says he’s leaning towards a fight against IBF super middleweight champion James DeGale rather than the talented Golovkin. DeGale just barely beat Andre Dirrell in a fight in which Dirrell won more rounds. DeGale got a clash knockdown in the 2nd round followed by a push down. Those two knockdowns enabled DeGale to win a fight that he clearly would have lost without those knockdowns.

“I think its James DeGale or its Gennady Golovkin, probably in that order,” Froch said to ESPN.co.uk. [I would have to “actually fancy getting in there again and fancy a challenge, fancy the training and want to go in there and do it once more.”

If Froch doesn’t fancy the job, then what does that tell you about Froch? I know when you fail to make a decision on something, it suggests that you might not believe that you can accomplish that task. Is that what it is with Froch? I think boxing fans will draw their own conclusion with many of them figuring that Froch didn’t have the nerve and didn’t like his chances against a talent like Golokvin.



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