By Scott Gilfoid: Trainer Emanuel Steward is very impressed with World Boxing Council (WBC) super middleweight champion Carl Froch (28-1, 20 KO’s) and thinks he’s got the goods to beat WBA super middleweight champion Andre Ward (24-0, 13 KO’s) when they meet up on October 29th in the finals of the Super Six tournament at a still to be determined location.

Steward said this at the telegraph.co.uk: “Ward doesn’t beat people, he knows how to win decisions. They are trying to make him a star but he isn’t there yet. Froch is mentally stronger, and should go out there and hurt Ward….He [Froch] doesn’t know how limited he is. But he can get right up there in the pound for pound rankings.”

While I have great respect for what Steward has done to get the most out of fighters like Thomas Hearns, Wladimir Klitschko and Lennox Lewis, I totally disagree with him here about his views on Froch and Ward. I see Froch as limited, yes, but not in a good way. Ward is a much better fighter and Froch isn’t going to be coming close to hurting Ward. I know Froch needs to hurt Ward to win, but I know he’s not going to be able to do that for lack of hand speed and boxing ability.

I think Steward needs to sit down with a good cup of Colombian coffee and watch Froch’s fight with the talented Andre Dirrell again and then come back with his new appraisal of Froch. If you want to see a fighter that was stressing out in a major way take a look at Froch in the Dirrell fight. Froch looked completely disoriented at his inability to lay a glove on Dirrell. It was almost embarrassing.

You can’t watch that fight and give Froch any chance against Ward unless it’s a fight with different MMA rules. I think Froch would beat Ward if it was a wrestling or no holds barred type fight. But this is the sweet science and fought under the Marquess of Queensberry Rules and roughhouse fighting won’t be allowed. As such, I think Steward is completely off. Froch is going to take a humiliating beating along the same lines as his fellow countryman David Haye in his embarrassing loss to Wladimir Klitschko recently.