By Scott Gilfoid: Photo: Tom Casino/Showtime: WBC super middleweight champion Carl Froch (27-1, 20 KO’s) is going to try his best at hurting 42-year-old challenger Glen Johnson (51-14-2, 35 KO’s) on Saturday night in their important Super Six tourney fight to get a winner to meet up with finalist Andre Ward (24-0, 13 KO’s). Froch says he wants to inflict pain and he’s going to take pleasure in inflicting it. It seems that Froch is forgetting that Johnson is going to be attacking with his own shots, and we’ve seen in the past that Froch backs off when he’s under attack.

Froch said this to thesun.co.uk: “When it comes down to it, Johnson is going to be stood in front of me with little 10 ounce gloves getting smashed in the jaw, around the back of the head, on the temple, in the ribs and the kidneys.”

You did notice Froch said “around the back of the head.” He’s talking about rabbit shots, and, yeah, Froch throws those kinds of shots from time to time. Take a look at his first fight in the Super Six tournament against Andre Dirrell. Froch went rabbit crazy in that fight, landing a lot of rabbit punches while in close. The referee stood and did nothing. On Saturday night, Froch might have problems if he tries to throw rabbit punches because the fight is being held in the United States and referees tend to run a tight ship and take points away from fighters in the U.S.

Froch continues “It sounds brutal and it is brutal. I am there to hurt him, do him some damage with rock hard shots. And before you ask, yes, I do like doing it. Ok, it’s not always about hurting somebody and being nasty and venomous.”

I don’t buy it. I think Froch is talking just to hear himself blab. I think he’s trying to convince himself to try and psych himself past the fear he has of Johnson. I saw their weigh-in today and saw their face off stare. Froch looked scared, and seemed to be un-nerved when the two stood there meeting eye to eye. I think Froch feels fear and it’s causing his lips to move automatically. He probably hates the fear and it causes him to yack a lot.