By Sean McDaniel: If World Boxing Council super middleweight champion Carl Froch (25-0, 20 KOs) is unable to line up a fight with IBF super middleweight champion Lucian Bute or WBA title holder Mikkel Kessler, Froch may have the unpleasant business of having to face undefeated 2004 Olympic Gold Medalist for the United States undefeated Andre Ward (19-0, 12 KOs).
After watching how easily Ward defeated Colombian Edison Miranda last Saturday night, Froch might be better off if he makes every effort he can to set up a fight with Bute or Kessler.
Even if things don’t go right with them, Froch needs to take the short money for a fight with Bernard Hopkins, because at least Froch would get paid somewhat good before having to take on Ward. Right now, I would find it hard seeing Froch coming out of a fight with Ward with his WBC title still in his possession because Ward looks to be fighting on a higher level than Froch, and even Joe Calzaghe before his retirement.
Ward showed many different looks in his fight with Miranda last Saturday night, fighting on the outside where he jabbed and pot shot Miranda with straight left hands to the head. And then on the inside, Ward punished Miranda with short hooks with both hands.
In the 8th round, Ward beat Miranda at his own game, shoving him up against the ropes where Ward kept Miranda pinned for the entire round, making him eat short punches as they wrestled. It was like looking a Ricky Hatton fight, but without the fouls on the inside. To his credit, Ward pretty much kept it clean and didn’t report to fouling to beat Miranda.
Froch, 32, is looking for the best possible opponent to fight next. However, what Froch wants most of all is a fighter with a big name, one that will enable Froch to get a good payday. Froch probably won’t get that with Ward as of yet, because Andre still is unknown to many casual boxing fans.
But in time, Ward may end up the best fighter in the super middleweight division before he’s through. Froch defeated Jermain Taylor by a 12th round TKO on April 25th in a bout fought in Connecticut. Froch won a lot of respect in that fight for having to come from behind to win.
The knockout was crucial for Froch, because he would have lost if the fight had gone to the cards as Froch was trailing at the time of the stoppage.
Initially, there were hopes that Froch would fight 44-year-old Bernard Hopkins next, but apparently Froch lost interest in fighting Bernard, because it would mean that Froch would much less money than he felt that he deserved. Froch has been wanted to fight Kessler in a big way for quite some time, because Mikkel is considered by many boxing fans and experts to be the best fighter in the super middleweight division.
However, that doesn’t appear to be a likely option based on news that has been circulating around. Never the less, if Froch isn’t able to set up a fight with Bute, Kessler or Hopkins, Froch can’t go wrong by fighting Ward if he’s interested in fighting the best. The way that Ward looked on Saturday night, I would give him an excellent chance of beating Bute, Kessler and Hopkins.
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