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I really would like to see Froch do well, I do think he needs to tighten up his defense, as I don't think he looked his best against Jermain Taylor especially in the early rounds.

Froch is not a household name for two main reasons; His lacks exposure on TV and other fighters like Calzaghe, Hatton and Khan have some history. And yet again, Froch won't be on mainstream TV.

This is a great tournament. Both difficult fights to pick. Froch, Dirrell and Ward have the weaker records. You never know which Taylor will turn up. Abraham has fought at 166 but its still a step up in talent and that leaves Kessler as the favourite. Can't wait to see Abraham vs Kessler.

Dunno why but I really can't stand froch. I always support british boxers (even the much hated Amir Khan), but for some reason I really wan't to see froch get sparked. I think its just the way he carries himself, the smugness and the obsession with calzaghe. Plus I don't really rate him as a boxer - too slow and no defense. So yeah, I kind of feel bad for wanting a british boxer get beat, but when I'm watching tomorrow and carl gets ko'd I'll struggle not to let out a little cheer. The big nosed goon.

Ben,

Is any of this available on the ´óÏó´«Ã½?

It is very well put that it is a 'crime' how undervalued Froch is in Britain.
He's a very honest fighter, he'll take anyone on with scant regard for the consequences that a loss imparts on a modern fighter's record: One 'L' is a big blemish on a boxer's cv. When he does get inside the ring there is no hiding there either, he just keeps coming with incredible determination and power. That is his trademark, and he does what it says on the tin.
So, I certainly disagree that he has one of the weaker records as it says above, and I take him here to get Dirrell out of there inside 8 at the very most.
An innovative and exciting event for boxing and the British tv companies have utterly failed to deliver. It won't stop Froch making the final, and possibly upsetting Kessler too.

Hi Ben,

I agree with many of the sentiments in your article, specially: '....the Nottingham fighter, who remains criminally undervalued in his own country....', and the above comments such as: 'Dunno why but I really can't stand froch' only point out how inanely prejudiced are many of the so-called supporters of boxing, if they can be called that. It seems that the average boxing supporter puts more value on whether he likes or dislikes a personality than on any objective evaluation of a boxer's skills. It's very discomforting. Fans of other sports recognise good play and skills from the opposition or in other sportsmen, not so it appears your average boxing fan...

Froch is doing just fine, he has his strengths (power, heart, resilience) and his weaknesses (defence, low hands), but all boxers have their strengths and weaknesses. Froch is champ is well-spoken and composed in his words, in my opinion he is exactly the opposite of 'smug and obsessed', as the poster above comments...

It will be a great competition and many of these bouts will be hard to call - all for the good.

A balanced and interesting article Ben.

Im pretty sure I said I didn't rate him as a boxer as he's too slow and has no defence. Yep I did. I hate the way he fights, he makes boxing look ugly, with that weird little swagger be does before throwing his slow and telegraphed ugly punches. Everything about him is ugly and awkward, thats why I don't like him.

Yes Ben, couldn't agree more with either yourself or Robaza above. Deckard doesn't like him, fair enough.

Personally apart from his calling out of Calzaghe (which he knew was the only way to get him in the ring) i don't see any reason to him. Not only he is one of the most iron-willed and bolt hard fighters we've produced in recent years, the guy actually does have a personality to speak of.

Articulate and interesting yes, but he's also one of the most quick-witted and brightest athletes around across any sport. We bemoan this 'lack of personality' in modern sport and here's a guy who not only has it in spades, but he can back it all up where it counts as well. And he guarantees entertainment.

That said, I've got a horrible feeling that this Dirrell is going to produce something special on Saturday night. He really is phenomenally fast, and even though he's displayed vulnerability in the past, he's always been expected to win and has looked a little complacent at times.

With a raucous, hostile fight crowd to silence (8,000 packed in to the Ice stadium for a 2am start!!) and Froch tearing after him, he'll be anything but that on Saturday. I really hope Froch does it, but even if he does, the chances are he'll not get the credit
he deserves.

One poster above said, Khan, Hatton, Calzaghe had history. Well everyone has to start somewhere. The mainstream didn't know Hatton before Tzyhu or Calzaghe before Eubank. And Froch has arguably already done more than Khan in the pro-ranks.

Good luck Carl, should be a great fight.

That should be "don't see any reason to dislike him", apologies.

I wouldn't class his fight with Taylor as a "classic". He was schooled for most of the fight, and knocked out a gassed fighter in the 12th round who has a history of stamina problems and a lack of heart. Fair play to him, he showed a lot of heart to stay in the fight, but he was badly outclassed for most of it, and he was still making his mouth go and obsessing over calzaghe again at the end of it. Plus he has a big nose.

11. At 1:12pm on 16 Oct 2009, Deckard2014 wrote: The big nosed goon.
Very mature mate

thank you

deckard2014 you obviously dont rate Froch , but is there any need for you to reply to everyones comments regarding him , you've said your piece now let others discuss it

to stay in a fight with a man of Taylors ability is an achievement in its own , to go on and be able to knock him out after taking a decent beating shows guts determination and a bit of class .

As another poster said Pascal has now won the lightheavyweight belt and defended it , to beat Taylor and Pascal looking at ther past and present records should automatically give him respect

I'm replying to post aimed at me. Isn't that how a discussion on a message board work?

Carl Froch; 25-0-0, 80% wins by KO. Wins over Pascal (now WBC light heavyweight champ) and Taylor (too many former belts to mention).

Amir Khan; 21-1-0, 70% wins by KO. Wins over Barrera (disgraceful that it wasnt ruled no contest) and Kotelnik (good win).

Im not attacking Khan, he is young and is promising, but I dont think there is any argument who has had the better professional career so far edmatic. Cant believe Froch is still struggling for publicity.

He isn't on TV. That is why. Maybe its a Nottingham thing. Its pretty non-descript itself.

I like Froch and dont understand his detractors. I don't think he is that skilled and I don't rate Pascal that highly. LHW is a weak division right now.

But Froch is professional, brave and somewhat skilled. He can afford to keep his hands down against Dirrell who lacks power but do that against Abraham or Kessler and he'll get KO'd.

#7 "Everything about him is ugly and awkward, thats why I don't like him."

you keep banging on about how ugly he is! are you trying to come out of the closet on a forum? just because you dont fancy him doesnt mean he doesnt deserve respect!

I meant the way he moves and fights is ugly. I actually find him quite fetching.

Good piece Ben I think Froch's a decent fighter but doesn't do himself any favours with some of the rubbish he comes out with, see here for example, claiming he doesn't need to study the guy he's fighting to knock him out and, more outlandish, that he is "undisputed super middleweight".



I think some people think he's claiming greatness he hasn't earned, and by harping on about Calzaghe he's invited unflattering comparisons.

He should shut up and get on with proving himself in the ring, and the Super Six gives him the perfect opportunity to stake his claim for greatness.

Anyone have any idea why Lucian Bute isn't involved? The Ring rank him No. 2 in the division...

I have to agree with deckard and say that i cant wait to see Froch on the floor. He was so lucky against Taylor, he must have used his 9 lives up in the one night. There is a reason why his nose is so mashed up and i predict it getting even flatter if he comes across Kessler later on in the tournament. We will see how good he really is in the next few fights, but cant see him getting far! Calzaghe would have outboxed him in every department if he hadnt gone into retirement. FACT!!!

Froch had every right to call out Calzaghe, he went through the old school route of domestic and European titles before winning a world title that was Joe's World title.

Which IMO is better than the new-school route of getting spanked by a Columbian nobody in a round and somehow getting a title shot in a divsion you have never fought in 2 fights later.

I doubt Calzaghe will come out of retirement for anyone now but Froch is at least taking steps so that he puts himself in a position to make it feasible if Joe came back (Fighting in the States, taking on unbeaten guys).

What was Joe doing when he "Claimed" he wanted the top guys? Oh thats right, beating Tocker Pudwill at the 50% full Newbridge Ice Rink! Anyone who dislikes Froch for his pursuit of Calzaghe should dislike anyone who has ever called out anyone when they had a right to.

I personally don't think Froch could beat Joe, but he has defo done enough to warrant a shot in the ring with him. Unlike Peter Manfredo!

Girls, girls. Calzaghe is retired. Period. There is no 'calling him out'. He's no longer around to call out. There is no negative because he doen't jump at the 'school yard bully' verbals. And Froch himself is getting some of that thrown at him in the picture here.

And what is all the rubbish about Froch is no good? Sure. Coming from a wuss sitting at home on the couch screaming ' go on Carl, smack him!' whilst sipping on your Vodka Red Bull. Froch hasn't won all those fights by being rubbish. And you can only fight who is in front of you. And you know how politics in boxing works.

I personally would love to see Froch on TV. And when it happens I hope all you doom mongers get back in your cots.

Good blog. This should be a great tournament....The way of the future perhaps?
Assuming it's all on pay tv - anyone know if UK terrestrial telly has any plans for replays/highlights over the following days? I'm living in Germany so will get to see the Abraham fights live on terrestrial TV on the ´óÏó´«Ã½ equivalent. Real shame for Froch if none of his fights are to be shown on home networks..live or otherwise.

Maybe Henessey is just a rubbish promoter...any thoughts from those in the know? When you think of the attention lavished on Fraudly and the thrill factor of Frochs last two fights...Im no boxing expert but even Frochs critics must admit that he served up excitement.

I think he is a likeable guy and hope he does well - if he cuts out some of the unnecessary talk in his interviews which seems painfully uncomfortable I think he would increase his appeal.

I get the impression that Froch is not the most natural with all the mouth and posturing that goes into boxing and he doesnt cut the most glamorous figure with his set up....better for him not to get involved in what smacks as desperate self promotion (maybe understandable) - just tell it as he sees it and get on with sparking that mouthy yank out

joeyjojo618

I was actually backing Froch on that score mate.

#21 - I'm sorry mate, but you don't go 12 Rounds with Taylor and then get a knock out simply by luck. Yes, he took a battering. So does every boxer at some point and being able to stand up to it is one of the skills of the sport. Its why the term 'glass jaw' isn't a compliment!

More to the point, at the end of those 12 rounds it wasn't a lucky punch that did the damage. The fact that he finished the fight in the manner he did is testament to his skill as a boxer. Not many people currently in the ring could have survived that long. Even fewer would have had the fitness, strength, presence of mind and mentality to win.

I'm not saying he's one of the greats or anything but I think to put his win down to luck is disrespectful.

I feel a bit sorry for Carl Froch, he does deserve more attention. For me, he has to be one of the most entertaining and exciting British boxers of the last decade. Although there have been a number of negatives in his last couple of fights - for example he got pummelled by JT for the first 9 rounds and, against JP, he only won by a small margin - he has got a heck of heart and can bang. His style is a bit ridiculous and invites punishment, but by doing this it invites his opponents on and makes for an entertaining spectacle. Each time Froch enters the ring I always feel like there is a real chance that he will lose. However, this makes his fights even more entertaining!

When I used to watch JC, with his superior boxing skills, "busy-ness" and decent chin, it felt like he would always find a way to win, come what may. But towards the end of JC's career, Manfredo aside (what a waste of time that was!), it never seemed like JC had the power to knock his opponents out. Undoubtedly Calzaghe was a greater boxer than Froch, but arguably, depending upon personal preference (technical, point scoring boxing vs brawling, knockout boxing), his inability to knock opponents out in the later part of his career made JC a less entertaining fighter to watch.

With regards to the other British world champs in the last ten years, David Haye aside, the fights of JC and certainly Froch have generally made more exciting viewing than those of the likes of Khan, Rees, Woods etc and, for me, Hatton in particular. Whilst Hatton achieved much in the ring and remains one of the most likeable sporting personalities Britain has ever had (there's no shame in losing to MP or FM jr), his ugly grab and jab style was a bore to watch in comparison to Froch.

Anyway, know I've all bored you to tears with my ramble. Vive le Froch, I hope he knocks out Dirrell's "yankee doodle", and let the endless debates on boxing continue!

nice one ben!

Should be a good tournament, especially with four of these guys having never lost!

For me Froch does come across as smug and arrogant, but then I'm not sure I'd like to see a shy retiring boxer. Yes he does go on about JC a bit too much and I think he should probably leave that alone now and see where he lies at the end of this.

I think maybe his style in the ring is not what gets people too excited and the Pascale fight looked far too close and he was a little lucky in the Taylor fight. Someone with that power is always going to stand a chance. I don't hope he gets beat, but I think he looks like he could lose and I can't help but think a prime JC or B-Hop would box him out of the ring.

#25 sorry if my post was poorly worded such that it sounded confrontational edmatic, I was agreeing with you :)

Froch does have the better record, and I cant believe that he gets a fraction of the publicity that Khan does (no offense to khan, whos record I expect to improve dramatically in time.)

The 'Super Six' is a great format for boxing and one that i sincerely hope catches on in other weight divisions. It will help the sport to maintain its respect given the pressure applied to it by MMA in regard to handpicking opponents.

I grew up watching the likes of Hagler, Hearns, Leonard, Duran and Benitez tearing it up on a regular basis. Amongst these warriors, no quarter was ever given. There was no hiding behind a promoter and his calculator for these men, just a burning will and desire to prove who was the best fighter. A loss here meant nothing other than a damn good reason to come back stronger, to give the victor a thrashing next time out.

Whilst i dont think any of the current 'Super Six' could come close to defeating one of the aforementioned, it does give them all that opportunity to prove that they are the best of their time. If nothing else, it should provide a solid platform for an entertaining series of boxing events. Something i feel has been missing from the sport since those heady days of the early eighties.

As for Froch, i like the guy, whatever the shape of his nose. He is honest and entertaining. I hope he wins through in the end and gains the respect of the British public, though i suspect that still won't be enough for some people.

It was a shambles that the Taylor fight wasn't shown on British TV. The man was our only world champion and taking his hard-earned world title, won in what many observers immediately called one of the fights of the year, over to America to make his first defence against a genuinely world class opponent whom he stopped with the most dramatic late knockout you could ever see. How is that not worthy of some major coverage?

Hopefully Froch gets some good results and recognition in this tournament, because the latter is long overdue.

Ben I heard you're coming to the Sporting Words festival at Headingley in November with Tom Fordyce. I'm going to be there as part of my Journalism course. Any chance of any inside gossip? Anyway see you there fella!

Can't understand some of the negativity towards Froch. He is a worthy world champion and we should be getting behind him. Yes he has his flaws in terms of his defence, but it makes for an interesting fight and also draws fighters in making them more susceptible to his undoubted power!

I don't know if Froch will finish this tournament undefeated, but he's one of them fighters who can end a fight at any point. To stop Jermaine Taylor when he did after soaking up a fair bit of punishment was no mean feat, regardless of the repeated sentiments that claim Taylor cannot last 12 rounds.

As for the Joe Calzaghe arguement, Froch was more than justified in calling him out. He wanted to prove himself and believed he would beat Joe who at the time, was receiving all the acclaim. And while I doubt anyone would believe me, I really do believe Froch would have dismantled Calzaghe. There is no way Joe would have been able to put Froch away, and Joe had been dropped by fighters much weaker than Froch!

Like I say, I'm not confident Froch will finish this tournament unbeaten, but I don't think any of the other 5 would chose Froch as an opponent given the choice.

Carl Froch is one of the worst British world champions in history. So im going to break down his characteristics before the Froch lovers pounce

Heres the Good

1) Good Chin - he seems to eat shots at will and he has to be able to with his diabolical defence
2) Decent punch - he doesn't hit that hard, if i was to fight 20 homeless people, there is a chance I could knock out 3/4 of them. But his power is unknown. He didnt KO taylor, Taylor ran out of stamina and lost because of that.
3) Stamina appears to be okay as well, he hasn't looked tired in many of his fights so i'll give him that.

Here is the Bad

1) He has the technical boxing skills that are comparable to Gavin Rees/ Steffy Bull/ Enzo Mac
2) Horrifically bad defence, Taylor landed at will at his face and so will any other decent fighter he faces.
3) He is incredibly arrogant for a boxer with bums on his record. He said he could beat Hagler, Hearns and Sugar Ray Leonard!?!??! In what sport froch!?! Mario Kart!?!? Hagler would have paralysed him, Hearns would have dropped that killer right hand of his on froch face soo many times, he would have ended up looking like Susan Boyle. And Sugar Ray leonard, well Sugar Ray would have outboxed his ears off for 12 rounds and showed him up like an average journey man
4) For those of you that have seen the Jermain Taylor fight, you will all agree that Taylor completely outclassed him until he ran out of stamina and the sad thing is, if Taylor had a good enough stamina to last those extra 14 seconds, we would have never had to hear from this douchebag ever again......

Yeah the sheer outrageous arrogance of the man turns my stomach, here is what he said;

"Top fighters at top level can fight each other 10 times and it isn't going to be 10-0 to one man. I would have been in the mix with Hagler, Hearns and Leonard."

He backs himself to not get beaten ten times out of ten, disgraceful. Its the most arrogant quote from any boxer in the history of the sport.

Great read Ben. Thank-you.

One question. Would you be able to explain why the ´óÏó´«Ã½ is not screening any of these fights. Surely cheaper than the rights to F1 and much better than some of the obscure athletics/snooker fare that seems to receive plenty of coverage.

I agree with you that Froch is top class and his fights are always exciting, so why not get him on terrestrial and let everyone enjoy his talent.

Comment #35 from CheckHook - Poor list there lad. Sorry.

If he has fought 25 'bums' with such horrifically bad defence would'nt you expect at least one of them to have a chance of knocking him out? The 'bum' Jermain Taylor has knocked out 17 men, yet despite hitting Froch in the face at will, as you say, he still could'nt manage it. Jean Pascal, with 16 KO victims could'nt manage either. Where does that figure in your assessment? Hands alone do not complete a boxers defence and Froch makes good use of the shoulders, aswell as his 'ok' stamina.

He may not be the most technically gifted, but neither is Ricky Hatton. A champion does not have to be technically superior to win a boxing match.

As for arrogance, well it goes with the sport does'nt it? He would hardly turn round and say Hagler or Leonard would have smashed his head in now would he? (although here i do agree with you because they would have smashed his head in, along with most other like weight boxers since their era)

And IF Jermain Taylor.....yeah IF.

And the beating Hagler and Leonard thing, that article was in the News of the World boys...need more be said?

The problem for Froch not being valued, is ironically similar to the problem that Calzaghe had. It's the problem of there not being any true world class fighters around to make a name out of sparking out.

If Froch sparks out a legend, on worldwide tv, this problem goes away.

Problem with that is, boxing has been short on legends for a while and there's nobody he could fight and beat to attain that status.

Thats why he went so hard after Calzaghe. He was the only one. The last one.

So Froch has got it hard in the value stakes, and has to set about becoming a legend off his own back by building a career from scratch, instead of taking a shortcut by beating a legend.

There is an upside. If Froch is still unbeaten after this tournament and ends up winning it, that may give him the status that killing a legend would have brought quickly.

Maybe then, people will start believing in the value of Carl Froch, WBC World Super Middleweight Champion.

I believe this will be a tough, tough fight for both fighters. I think we're about to see another spectacle on the same level as the Taylor fight, and it will be close, whoever wins.

P.S I live on the same road as Frochy, and have spoken to him about this problem with the recognition before. So my opinion is based on actually speaking to the bloke.

I simply don't understand the mentality of those who criticise Froch for his so-called lack of boxing skills, given all the positives - WBC champ, exciting fights, and now putting it all on the line in the Super Six.

I also don't know how some can say he's arrogant. He really doesn't come across as that to me. My interpretation of his comments regarding Haglar, Hearns and SRL, are that he would fancy his chances against them. For a current world champ, that seems ok to me.

Steve Bunce just said on 5Live that the promoters would like to see a Froch-Ward final, which is interesting, bigs-up Ward (do they know something we don't yet?) and for me gives more credit to Froch's boxing abilities.

For me, the Froch Taylor fight was one of, if not the most exciting fight I've seen this year - despite having to watch it on a terrible quality, laggy, tiny screen on my laptop. It was like something out of Rocky at the end : ).

I wish him the best of luck against Dirrell and through the rest of the competition - I'd much rather watch him fight than more 'technical' fighters like the Klitschkos.

Whatever you think about Froch, the travesty is the fight is only being shown on some remote Sky platform and not mainstream TV. The number of comments on this blog clearly show there is an interest in boxing in the UK, yet no professional boxing is shown on terrestrial TV

As a license payer, I feel the ´óÏó´«Ã½ has an obligation to represent all forms of sport. The excuse that big fights cost too much to screen must surely be justified by the potential viewing figures. If you agree, please sign the Boxing News petition at:



We've got some fantastic established world champions/future champs in Froch, Haye & Khan as well as up and coming potential champs in Cleverley, Murray, Moore, Munroe, Macklin, Brook, Mitchell (maybe even Fury?!) - it would be nice to get the opportunity to see them fight live instead of reading reviews in magazines and on websites.

Good luck tommorrow Froch!!

Comment #38. At 5:46pm on 16 Oct 2009, foxinredsox

I know he can't face world beaters from the start of his career and all boxers are expected to face a certain amount of journeymen to learn their craft. But he has only fought Taylor (who was knocked out by Pavlik) and pascal - a tough fighter with limited skills. How can beating those two justify his comment that he would beat Hagler, Hearns, Sugar Ray Leonard, Nigel Benn and Collins!?!?!

The reason he hasn't lost any of his previous fights is because he has a good chin and manages to slip 1 out of every 10 punches thrown. He wont beat a big puncher and a fast technically skilled boxer that can go the FULL TWELVE ROUNDS! Don't get me wrong, I think his fights deserve to be shown on television, and he fought hard against pascal to win the title but let's face it, he wouldn't have beaten Calzaghe for the title, not even close. Froch is not a great or even a good fighter. After the Taylor fight, he said "the fight went to plan and I knew i would catch him eventually". That is an absurd comment, so he planned get his ass boxed for 12 rounds and hoped taylor would get tired of hitting his face!?!?

You mention "IF Jermain YEAH If", anyone that watched that fight could see Froch didnt have chance of beating Taylor, and the only reason froch won was because TAYLOR RAN OUT OF STEAM IN THE LAST 14 SECONDS!! Taylor was ahead on the scorecards!!!it wasnt like froch was doing an ALI vs FOREMAN and trying to rope-a-dope unless you call using his face as a shock absorber.

A boxer has to be confident but by bringing up legends and saying he would have beat all fo them after 25 fights of poor opposition is ridiculous. I don't remember hatton saying he would beat legends after 25 fights.

Btw my last blog was in relations to Comment #38. At 5:46pm on 16 Oct 2009, foxinredsox.

I notice that CheckHook has posted precisely the same vitriol on eastside boxing, under the name "calzaghe fan". He is entitled to be a fan of Calzaghe, one of Britain's top 5 boxers of all time, but to denigrate Froch's achievements seems a little silly. Joe certainly hadn't beaten too many people of the calibre of Pascal and Taylor after 25 fights - indeed, he had still to go through his embarrassing learning experiences against men such as Starie and Thornberry by then.
Ultimately, Joe became the butterfly bursting out of his chrysalis, but let's not pretend that he was always the finished article. Far from being "one of Britain's worst ever world champions", Froch, by his last couple of victories, is already up into the top 40 or so British boxers of all time. His victory over a live opponent such as Taylor on foreign soil, in his first defence, will be viewed as one of the finest ever by a British fighter overseas. Froch may not be Calzaghe, but he has his compensations; he richly deserves to start favourite on Saturday night/Sunday morning.

CheckHook - You say Froch didn't have a chance of beating him until Taylor ran out of steam as if those two things weren't connected.

Taylor tired because, no matter how many times he punched Froch in the face, Froch just kept coming.

So, really, the only reason Froch won was because he made Taylor run out of steam in the last 14 seconds.

And...(sorry I hit send too early)...scorecards mean nothing if you don't get to them. Froch knocking Taylor out made sure of that.

Just posted this on the 606 site on one of the many threads dedicated to the Super Six.

Re tv showings... I'm v lucky in that I'm in Poland, and Polsat Sport is showing all the fights, it's a monthly fee but is included in the basic rate for 550 tv channels... so I'll be watching live at a mate's place. Polsat has an interesting stance on buying tv rights for sports: they go with what is (more) popular, all boxing 'galas' as they call them - from many countries - are shown live here. Brill! They don't cover minority sports (bowls, fly-fishing etc...) but listen to their 'clients'' wishes... the ´óÏó´«Ã½ couldn't put on such things on ´óÏó´«Ã½1 or 2, but then they have 3,4,5,6 and 7...(?)!

So I'll be watching and credit to Polish TV Directors who seem more in touch with their 'consumers'' wishes!

Just to say that.

Hi Ben,

A nice article which, along with the comments it has prompted, highlights how certain fighters can split the boxing public. Froch is a very acomplished fighter but he is in a sport where money is king, and unfortunately all too often that means Don King!

Boxing bouts are promoted purely for the ticket and television revenue with little regard to anything else, and as good as Froch is he just does not come across as "exciting" in the ring. Promoters and broadcasters believe that the boxing viewing public value excitement over technique and until Froch can find that sparkle the promoters and broadcasters will not risk money on him, no matter how fanatical his local support is. The main reason Hatton got the exposure it the states wasn't due to his record but due to his all-action fighting style. Even Calzaghe had a very long wait for acceptance outside the UK and he was a far more flamboyant fighter than Froch.

Excitement sells and that is a fact. Simon Brown had the most defensive, boring style that has probably ever been seen in a boxing ring and even though he had a fantastic record nobody wanted to watch him box. Froch is nowhere as bad as Brown but he has to recognise that excitement is parament to all sports and cannot expect his record to automatically bring admiration.

When I think of boxing over the last forty years the names that come to mind are those that were exciting to watch - Ali, Foreman, Frazier, Hagler, Leonard, Hearns, Tyson, de la Hoya and Pacquiao to mention a few. As all of these boxers lost fights it is possible that Froch will finish his career with a better record than many, or even all, of these greats.

But unless he changes his style you will not hear many people say "how I wished I saw Froch fight live in his heyday". In fact he may win on Saturday and find his star diminishing further because if Haye manages to beat Valuev he will get all of the media coverage for months to come.

I'll be watching the fight here in the states, just got a free Showtime trial, perfect timing. As a Brit abroad I am fully behind Froch, over here all the Americans are predicting a Dirrell victory. I watched Froch's win over JT and it was one of the most gutsy performances I've ever seen. Froch is a bit cocky but most Boxers are. He's beat two excellent fighters, JT has a great pedigree, he beat Hopkins. We need to all get behind Froch like all the yanks are getting behind Dirrell. The great thing about this tournament is we will find out alot about the 6 fighters, there is no hiding or running away anymore.

£13 for this fight.
Not on your nelly. I like Froch & think he can be a great world champ, but I refuse to cough up this sort of dough in a recession to watch it.
Sorry Carl.

I'll be listening or watching tomorrow nights fight no matter what. Froch is probably one of the better British fighters to appear in the last 10 years or so, and he knows it. When he has hit a bad patch, or met an excellent opponent in the past, he has come out and acknowledged those failings, unlike some 'beefier' boxers who will remain nameless.

I actually find myself agreeing with the majority of the comments posted on here, Froch has found himself coming to the top at a time when the majority of fighters aren't the household names that they once were.

All of the opponents that Froch will face in this tournament (Which is undoubtedly the best thing to happen to worldwide boxing in years) are worthwhile, and I'm certain that each one will provide problems in each match. Taylor will definitely be out for revenge on Froch given the circumstances of Froch victory earlier on in the year (which was one of the finest attritional matches I've seen in a long time, and no matter what some people will say, it was a true slugfest), but I feel that the only fighter that will come close to him is Kessler.

I'm a Nottingham lad through and through. In fact, I grew up less than half a mile from the area which Carl Froch calls home, and the feeling around the city is that the Cobra is on the verge of greatness. There has been a lot to malign Nottingham for in the past 15 years or so, but for a fighter the calibre of Carl Froch to rise out of the city is a great way to put itself back on the map, and the Ice Arena is one of the more partisan crowds in British boxing.

Heres to the entertainment.

This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the house rules. Explain.

I've been a big fan of boxing for many years now, and i think one of the reasons why Froch isn't really "cared for" by the British public is because he's a mouthy sod! OK, in the build up to a fight you expect some trash talk from both parties. But Froch is constantly whinging and b1tch1ng about something throughout the year, even when he hasn't got a fight coming up for months. If he just kept his mouth shut, trained hard, and did his talking with his abilities then he'd be liked a lot more by his own country. Mayweather has got possibly the biggest mouth in the world, but he always backs it up with impressive victories over big name stars. Plus, he generally keeps his mouth shut when he's not building up to a fight!

Calzaghe has got nothing to prove by coming out of retirement and fighting Froch. Calzaghe has proved to everyone that he was a phenominal talent and rightly retired with an unblemished record. He didn't fight Froch because, let's face it, he would have killed him. Froch wouldn't have stood a chance.

I do think Froch is a good boxer and it's nice to have a British world champion, but he won't win the Super 6. No chance. Kessler is going to walk away with this. Mark my words. Of course i'll be rooting for Froch as he's the home boy, but my money will be going on Kessler.
I actually think Dirrell will cause some problems. I've seen a couple of his fights and he looks good. He's a bit raw and hasn't really fought the quality of Kessler and Froch before, but Dirrell will see this as his launch pad to greatness and he will want this big time. He'll come out fighting and will go for it.

I wouldn't be surprised if it was a Dirrell vs. Kessler final.

I asked this at the end of an earlier post (#21) but don't think anyone has touched on it. I was wondering does anyone know why Lucian Bute isn't involved? Any ideas Ben, perhaps?

He's the IBF World Champion at super middleweight and ranked No.2 in the division by The Ring. Was it contractual wranglings? Seems hard to see what meaningful fights he might have over the next 2 years when these 6 fighters are tied in with the Super Six.

I really can't wait for these fights. I think it's Froch to win but you just never can tell.

He'll win tonight no probs and fingers crossed he'll be undisputed within 2 years. then maybe Calzaghe will have another regret under his belt.

At 12:32pm on 17 Oct 2009, Chardinho wrote:

"I asked this at the end of an earlier post (#21) but don't think anyone has touched on it. I was wondering does anyone know why Lucian Bute isn't involved? Any ideas Ben, perhaps?

He's the IBF World Champion at super middleweight and ranked No.2 in the division by The Ring. Was it contractual wranglings? Seems hard to see what meaningful fights he might have over the next 2 years when these 6 fighters are tied in with the Super Six"
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I think in a perfect world Cardinho, both Bute and M'baye would replace Ward and Dirrel, I'd love to have seen Lacey or Pascal in there too, perhaps making it a larger tourament, but alas, they're pursuing careers with the Light-heavy's now.
I think Bute would have loved to be a part of it, but in boxing it is completely viewing figures. Froch has increased his reputation in the states through the dramatic Taylor win, Kessler is argurably the best Super-Middle on the planet and Abraham is VERY popular in europe, especially with the germans, who adore their fighters. These will draw in viewers. However, as all 3 are not American it was vital for Showtime to throw in a good bunch of Americans which will have viewers from all over the country tuning in to watch, boosting viewing ratings and rolling in the money. Unforunately, Bute was probably sacrificed for an American.

If Carl wins tonight will you bump him up to first in the ´óÏó´«Ã½ P4P rankings finally Ben?

Drivel aka Dirrell will be walking around Nottingham on Sunday with a metal cage around his head, holding his glass jaw together!!!

Be, a case could be made that there were marquee names in the States earlier in Calzaghe's career, though they never happened, for many a reason I guess. In Froch's case, as he is so young, relatively, there might well be future marquee names for him later on, should he come through this tough tournament in tact.

Interesting that many are going for Agraham tonight, including Jimmy Jr amongst others. Just to say also that Pascal thinks Froch will simply be too tough for Dirrell tonight, though he concedes Dirrell's speed will make it v interesting a bout.

I like Carl Froch and I have a lot of respect and admiration for his professional approach and application. However, I think his style is easily exploited by slick fighters and for quick fighters he's quite easy to score points against.

Having watched his recent progress I think it fair to say he may have "left something behind" in the ring against Pascal. His victory over Taylor was a great display of mental fortitude when things are going wrong - but it was also a bit of a fluke (because of Taylor's lack of professionalism). If Taylor had refused to engage he would have had a comfortable points victory against Froch.

I think Froch will be outpointed in the fight tonight - unless he shows up totally re-invented. He's had a great stint, though, whatever happens tonight.

Idai Makaya

RE "" the only reason froch won was because TAYLOR RAN OUT OF STEAM IN THE LAST 14 SECONDS!! ""
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------ Froch won because he adjusted in the last half of the fight and started to knock all the steam out of Taylor.

So Froch is a bit borish and mouthy as he finds himself at the top, small potatoes really. He puts on some good fights and is clearly enjoying being top dog of all he's faced. However he is 32 should take note of that if he wishes to continue with success.

Dirrell is a great testing fight for both, win/win/win for everyone, so cheers all for some good fights........

I don't like Dirrells chances in this fight, he's ended up on his seat against the likes of Rocha, and he seems to me the sort of fighter that likes to back off and lets fighters hit him, theres no doubt he will get caught, and I'm not sure he has the chin to match his mouth.

I actually think Dirrell is tailor made for Froch, and I can see Froch getting him out of there in six or seven rounds. Dirrell may well have faster hands, but I see him getting mauled for a lot of the fight and not being able to use it, moreover 13 ko's from 18 against pretty poor opposition doesnt suggest to me he's a concussive puncher, and I'm not convinced he'll have the power to keep Froch off, nor the experience to cope when Froch takes him into deep water.

I'm sure it'll be a cracker, although there are arguably better boxers out there, Carl Froch and David Hayes because they guarantee awesome fights. I sometimes wonder what people think box office means, to me its putting on sensational performances like Frochs last two performances, a fight of the year contender against jean Pascal and another classic against Jermain Taylor. To those who are saying Froch was schooled for most of the fight, this is an urban myth I want to put to rest right now.

Most reporters at ringside had Froch leading going into the final round, or Taylor up by a round. The commentators at ringside had it one to froch, one to taylor and one even as I recall, and had Taylor even managed to get to his feet and stay on them it would have ended a split decision, hardly a schooling. But the point is he couldn't continue, and it wouldn't matter if it was nine seconds before the end of the last bell or nine seconds after the start of the fight. When a fighter can't continue, he just can't, that's it.

I'm surprised Froch didn't smack Dirrell (Riddick Bowe style) at the press conference. Dirrell is a be*l end, and may get himself killed in this fight!!!