By Scott Gilfoid: WBC super middleweight champion Carl Froch (26-0, 20 KO’s) is very proud of his physique and conditioning. In an article at thisisnottingham, the 32-year-old Froch went on at length about both his physique and his conditioning, saying “You saw when I stood there with James DeGale and Tony Jeffries and we took our tops off, you saw the one who was in shape. “ I actually didn’t see that, but I’ll take Froch’s word for it. I just hope Froch isn’t confused about thinking that the best physique amounts to a fighter being the better fighter.

If that was the case, then Froch should have lost his fight with Andre Dirrell last October. Dirrell has a better physique than Froch. There’s plenty of fighters in boxing who are carved up and well defined but can’t take a punch or fight worth a lick. Froch should focus on fighting ability, not how much better his physique is compared to younger fighters. Froch could be kidding himself, especially when he goes up against Mikkel Kessler next month on April 24th. Kessler isn’t totally buffed. He just knows how to fight and Froch can brag all he wants about how could a shape he’s in, but he’ll probably lose to Kessler.

Froch says “I am a very consummate professional and strict with my diet. I eat well. I have the Eastern European gene, my grandparents are Polish. So that helps with the weight-lifting, genetically I gifted in that area.” Oh brother. Now I’ve heard it all. Man, it doesn’t matter if a person is Polish, German or whatever. If they lift weights, watch what they eat and take care of themselves, they’ll stay lean and put on muscle.

I’m glad that Froch is proud of being part Polish, but seriously anyone can put on muscle and stay lean.
“It’s all about getting myself into super fit shape, from my long distance runs, my short runs and my sparring,” Froch says. I think Froch’s conditioning is probably the best thing the guy has going for him. I’ll give him that. Without his stamina, Froch would have lost to Jermain Taylor and Jean Pascal.

However, in Froch’s fight with Dirrell, it was Andre who was the stronger fighter in the final three rounds, so I’m not sure what happened to Froch’s stamina in that fight. Could it be that Froch is starting to get old on us? It could be. I think it’s more of a case of Dirrell’s incredible talent kicking into gear in the 10th, 11th and 12th rounds of that fight, and Froch was found wanting.

Like I said, it’s good to have conditioning working for you, but you have to be able to be able to fight well or it means nothing. Froch should be working on trying to protect his lantern jaw for his fight with Kessler. I suggest that Froch use the clamshell defense that Abraham used against Dirrell to try block some of the incoming fire from Kessler. If Froch plods around the ring with his guard down all fight long like he usually does, Kessler is going to pound the living daylights out of Froch and send him back to Nottingham in defeat.