Froch wants Andre Ward after Kessler rematch – if he gets the fight

By Boxing News - 01/14/2013 - Comments

ward434By Scott Gilfoid: IBF super middleweight champion Carl Froch says he wants to fight WBA/WBC super middleweight champion Andre Ward after his hoped for rematch against WBA super middleweight champion Mikkel Kessler this year.

Froch doesn’t think former IBF super middleweight champion Lucian Bute will want to fight him after the proposed Kessler fight, so Froch wants Ward in that case. Interestingly enough, Froch doesn’t mention wanting to fight the dangerous Adonis Stevenson, his #1 IBF mandatory challenger.

Froch said to Sky Sports News “The Kessler fight is the big one, and the rematch with Bute, if it happens, it happens, but it was so one-sided the first time I don’t think it’s going to be such an exciting fight for me. The natural fight after the Kessler fight would be a rematch with Ward. That would be a big one.”

Froch went on, babbling about how Ward’s fighting style is so difficult because he knows how to fight on the inside and is so excellent at smothering long-armed guys like Froch. Froch also said he doesn’t think Ward has an exciting style.

I guess this is the best time as any for Froch to be trying to fight a rematch with Ward because Ward just came off of shoulder surgery on his right arm and he’ll be out of action until the summer, and who knows what the condition of his shoulder will be after that. By Froch suddenly showing interest in fighting Ward, he might in theory get Ward at the most vulnerable time in his career so that Froch can get an advantage.

It’s too bad Froch wasn’t acting excited about fighting Ward before his injury because Ward was trying to get Froch to fight him next but instead Froch wanted the arguably much safer Kessler fight. Ward already badly schooled Kessler in 2009 in an 11th round technical decision win, and he’s had no luck in getting Kessler back in the ring with him despite the fact it was Ward who won the fight. It should be Kessler trying to get the rematch with Ward, shouldn’t it?

I think Froch is going to be out of luck if his promoter Eddie Hearn can’t get him the Kessler rematch. Froch will then have to decide whether he really values his IBF title enough to defend it against the dangerous Stevenson. That will the only available for Froch, and he’ll look bad if he vacates his IBF title like I think he will in order to avoid Stevenson.



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