By Enrique Sanchez: Carl Froch has divided popular opinion and also many boxing fans and critics alike, with his calling-out of Welshman Joe Calzaghe recently after his sensational last-gasp TKO victory over Jermain ‘Bad Intentions’ Taylor at the weekend. But some disgruntled fans of unbeaten Calzaghe, feel that he is not qualified to call out their retired hero, that Froch has almost desecrated the holy grave and memory of their Welsh idol by simply uttering his name.
Too often, a fighter pronounces his ‘retirement’ when the challengers surrounding him are breathing down his neck. At Light heavyweight we had the likes of Chad Dawson and Glen Johnson re-iterating their desire to fight the Welshman, even in his own back yard in Wales. Then down at his natural weight of 168lb, he had the big punching, big talking Froch declaring that the Welshman had ducked him for years.
The reality is, Calzaghe had ducked Froch and many others during his career.
Calzaghe, who claimed his WBO title in October 1997 on an undercard, was playing second fiddle to Sheffield stars Johnny Nelson and Prince Naseem Hamed. His victory over ‘legend’ Chris Eubank has been written in folklore – however, when a story is told several times in can be manipulated. The reality is, Chris Eubank was afforded little more than two weeks to a) prepare and b) shed an 18lb weight excess for the fight which saw him momentarily floored in the opener, before giving a younger Calzaghe a torrid fight for 12 rounds.
Eubank had been on a losing streak going into the last minute title challenge and then subsequently when onto to be outpointed and knocked out by Carl Thompson before he finally called it a day. Unfortunately for Calzaghe, the lion’s share of his ‘prestige’ opponents were all in the last throws of downwards career.
He then followed up his world title win with mediocrity of the highest order. His first defense was against the appalling Branco Sobot, a man not worthy of ‘journeyman’ tag. Before stepping it up a level to fight a man worthy of his journeyman tag, Juan Ferreyra – a traveler whom had shared the ring with a shabby, shell of Roberto Duran some decade earlier.
The likes of Byron Mitchell (who floored Calzaghe) and Charles Brewer were mis-sold to the unknowing UK public as big-gun American danger men. The reality is they were in the twilight of their careers – not too dissimilar to the likes of Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones in the fact they had maybe one or two fights left in them after long careers. In the case of Byron Mitchell, his services were acquired for pennies, after he’d suffered yet another loss at the hands of Sven Ottke only 2 months previously.
Meanwhile Carl Froch has not had the fortitude of a clever marketer to steer his path through the minefield of danger men and risks to the pot of gold. Froch has done things in the traditional manner. He fought for the Commonwealth title in his only 12th fight before adding the British title in his 14th fight with a crushing 2 minute knockout of Damon Hague.
A blaze of knockouts ensued with wins over Henry Porras, Russian champion Sergey Tatevosyan, Mark Woolnough and former WBC champion Robin Reid. Plus he took care of domestic rivals Tony Dodson, Brian Magee and Robin Reid. All had the potential to be banana skins for the Nottingham fighter, but he took care of all of them without the need for the judges. Magee, Tatevosyan and Woolnough had never been halted until they faced Froch, whom also handed Reid and Dodson their quickest defeats.
Calzaghe won his world title in his 23rd fight, whereas it took Froch 24 fights to win his prestigious WBC version in front of a 10,000 strong audience, in a marquee fight televised to millions across the United Kingdom.
Froch then subsequently packed his bags and flew across the Atlantic to take on Jermain Taylor, to back up his bold claims that he wanted to fight the very best and would travel to achieve this. In a torrid opener, Froch was soundly out-boxed and pounded to the canvas in the third round by Taylor whom had obviously brought his A-game. Froch toiled through the later rounds before finding the right gears to dent Taylor, before consuming him in the later rounds and giving the popular Arkansas fighter a crushing knockout loss.
As a result of this, many Calzaghe fans, whom have been mis-sold mismatches over the years viewed this valiant and genuine fight as an exposé of Froch’s weaknesses that he can be out-boxed and that their hero would dominate the Cobra and that he has no business mentioning Calzaghe’s name.
This is utter nonsense.
Carl Froch has been forged in the hottest of fights and has subsequently been galvanized by them. His iron will and determination to walk though heavy blows to land his own is a testament to his warrior code. No journeyman or granddad defenses for Froch.
A well groomed Mikkel Kessler had his opportunity to defeat the Welshman, but politely rolled over after giving his best for the first half of the fight. If a chance for Froch arose to fight the Welshman, Calzaghe knows full well that it would not be a Copenhagen picnic in there – it would be a blood and guts effort from the Cobra from the first bell until the last.
Calzaghe has a macho streak, but he has had his chin cracked several times in his career, notably in his last two fights by guys not noted as knockout artists. Froch has that unique ability to carry his heavy artillery until the final bell and can finish a fighter when he has them hurt.
Indeed, Froch is an extremely dangerous fight for Calzaghe, whose powder-puff punching would not hold him at bay for the duration. An angular fighter with power in both hands, he has stopped opponents with shots upstairs and downstairs, with either hand.
It is no surprise to see Calzaghe issue his strongest anti-fight campaign to date, even greater than the Anti-Pavlik or Anti-Hopkins rematch press releases – it’s obvious he was ZERO to do with Froch.
He has said that even if he were to return, he’d never fight Froch – and he is getting his fans to buy into his ‘how dare he call me out’ propaganda across the forums too.
The tide is however changing. Younger fans are no longer believing the folklore and are seeing firsthand what a clever managed career can yield (See Amir Khan) and acknowledge what Froch is about.
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