By Terry Arthur: After a successful amateur career including a bronze at the world amateur championships. Carl Froch turned pro in march 2002. He then went on to capture the English super middleweight belt in 2003 and the British and commonwealth belts in 2004. These belts took him up the rankings and earned him the chance to fight the then unbeaten Jean Pascal for the World Boxing Council (WBC) strap.

At the Trent FM Arena Nottingham in one of the fights of 2008 I was on the edge of my seat as both men threw caution to the wind in an absolute toe to toe brawl. Round after round they exchanged bombs that might’ve put lesser fighters on the canvass. In the middle rounds Froch began to get the upper hand and won a unanimous decision.

Next up the newly crowned WBC champion Froch decided to go and defend his title away from home in Connecticut USA. When was the last time you heard of a newly crowned champ going to a different continent to defend his crown? In the third round Froch was put down for the first time in his career as an amateur or professional. Going into the final round he was down according to two of the three judges on the scorecards. In the final round he scored a spectacular knockout and the fight was stopped with seconds remaining.

He then joined the Super Six tournament to compete with some of the best super middle weights around. First up was the slick Andre Dirrell. The fight was an ugly affair with an elusive Dirrell holding, running, complaining and spoiling throughout the bout. Dirrell did have some success in the later rounds, but at the final bell the judges scored 115-112 for Froch and 114-113 for Dirrell with Froch retaining the WBC strap.

Continuing the super six, Froch was to fight Mikkel Kessler in Herning, Denmark. In a close fought and frenetic fight, where both fighters had good moments, Kessler was on the front foot and took the impetus from Froch beating him by a unanimous decision in a fight which was closer than the score cards suggested- 116-112 115-113 and a ridiculous 117-111, but Kessler had beaten Froch for the first time in his professional career.

In the final rounds before the semi’s, Froch faced Arthur Abraham in a neutral venue in Finland for the recently relinquished WBC title. The boxing media and the betting odds were favouring Abraham in this fight, largely because of Froch’s supposed lack of defence and Abraham’s ferocious power. Froch turned back the clock and fought in a manner to which we had seen in his amateur days and used the jab and boxed clever, so clever in fact that I gave him every round in a totally one sided affair. This came against the man that had hurt Dirrell and put him on his backside.

So Froch has regained his title to become a two time world champion and that is still not enough to get his fights shown on British TV or indeed for the British public to take him to their hearts. More often than not a British fighter will gain a title and defend it at home to some mediocre opposition, and after they have made some money go looking for a marquee name. Froch has fought the best from the start and been involved in some of the most exciting fights of recent years.

Perhaps part of the problem for Froch is his confidence, seen as arrogance, and we British do not like that one bit. Also the lack of TV coverage, terrestrial or otherwise, and little mention in the media in general. When you consider other British boxers with lesser achievement and bigger tv coverage bemoaning their lack of popularity you realise just how the marketability of boxing in Britain has gone downhill.

I think it a crying shame that Carl Froch is not given the credit he deserves. I think the calibre of his last five opponents speaks volumes – Pascal, Taylor, Dirrell, Kessler and Abraham. I cannot remember the last time a British fighter fought so many top level fighters and won most since Lennox Lewis, who wasn’t fully accepted by the British public for the fact that he moved away from Britain at a young age and returned after fighting for Canada in the Olympics.

Next up for Froch in the super six is the Road Warrior Glen Johnson. Johnson is a pressure fighter who never lets up and is coming of a knockout win over Allan Green. I think Froch will get a win over Johnson probably by way of a unanimous decision or a late knockout. That will then set up a bout against Andre Ward. Few people give Froch a chance of beating Ward, but I think you underestimate him at your peril.

Looking to the future, I do hope Froch can become more popular in Britain, but it’s probably not going to happen.