By Scott Gilfoid: Challenger Yusaf Mack (31-4-2, 17 KO’s) sees IBF super middleweight champion Carl Froch (29-2, 21 KO’s) as a poor copy of former super middleweight champion Joe Calzaghe as Mack heads into his fight with Froch on November 17th at the Capital FM Arena, in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom.
Mack said this about Froch on Sky Ringside “He’s [Froch] a fake Calzaghe he wants to be Calzaghe. He wants to fight like him, do all the moves like him, but he can’t. There’s only one Joe Calzaghe. I’m going to show the world where I’m supposed to be at. He [Froch] looks at my losses when I faded in round 8. What’s he going to do when I’m still standing up?”
This is an interesting outlook by Mack. I never thought about it this way, that Froch was trying to ape Calzaghe. However, I just don’t see it. If Froch is trying to copy Calzaghe’s style, he’s a really, really poor quality copy without the hand speed, the slick moves, quick reflexes, high work rate or all the punching angles that Calzaghe used to throw from.
Froch can’t do any of those things, so I don’t see how he could have tried to copy Calzaghe. I was never really impressed with Calzaghe because he retired just when Andre Ward and Andre Dirrell emerged on the world scene and chose to not fight them. However, I think Calzaghe was on a different plateau than Froch for sure. It’s like comparing Picasso with an art student that is still painting by then numbers. Froch is so far behind what Calzaghe was doing in the ring that it’s not even funny.
Mack shouldn’t worry about what Froch isn’t, and focus on what he is – a guy that will be looking to slug it out with him on November 17th in front of his British fans in Nottingham. Mack can’t let Froch back him up against the ropes like he did with IBF super middleweight champion Lucian Bute. Mack has to keep the action in the center of the stage so that Froch can’t trap him along the ropes to butcher him like he did with Bute.
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