Carl Froch Planning Move to United States, Big Fights After Ward Clash

by Scott Christ on Oct 19, 2011 4:10 PM EDT in Boxing News Analysis

Carl Froch is planning big things for the near future. (Photo by Tom Shaw/Getty Images)

WBC super middleweight titlist Carl Froch is planning to move to the United States soon, and is eyeballing big fights after his December 17 bout with Andre Ward in the Super Six World Boxing Classic Final. This is a small excerpt from a great article on Froch at the Daily Mail:

‘I wasn’t backed by Britain even after I won the world title. That fight (with Jean Pascal) was on ITV but even then British TV never really got behind me. But now I’ve had a couple of big fights in the US, the TV people over there are so supportive.

‘Had my recent series of fights against Andre Dirrell, Mikkel Kessler, Arthur Abraham and Glen Johnson been given proper exposure, I’d have been a household name in Britain a while ago. But only now are Sky giving me the platform I think I should have been getting for years.’

Out of context, this makes Froch appear as though he doesn't care for Britain, but that's not the case. It's just he has felt a lack of professional support for years, and rightly so, from the UK TV networks, while Showtime has been making him a relied-upon star fighter for a few years now. And, of course, the missus wants to move, and it's hard to argue with that.

Should he defeat Ward in December, Froch is hoping to land a fight with Lucian Bute, the top super middleweight who did not participate in the Super Six, and then a rematch with Mikkel Kessler, the only fighter to defeat Froch in the pro game. After that, Froch says he wants Bernard Hopkins, but honestly I don't expect Bernard Hopkins to still be around for that one, so maybe he'd be looking to Chad Dawson, a rematch with Jean Pascal, or a fight with whoever else might at the time rule the light heavyweight division.

And though Froch himself is no spring chicken, he says he's not contemplating a retirement any time soon:

‘At 34, I feel 20. Never been in better shape. I feel like I could carry on forever. I know one day my body will tell me it’s time to quit. But not for a while yet.’

What Froch might do should he lose to Ward is another story entirely, but he certainly wouldn't lack for options, specifically that Kessler rematch he so desires.

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Froch is now one of my favorite fighters thanks to the Super Six. He’s one of the few really straight-talking guys in the sport, and it’s a shame that even after five tough fights in a row against elite competition, he still hasn’t gotten the hometown recognition he deserves.

by theninthlayer on Oct 19, 2011 4:27 PM EDT reply actions

froch rules, hope he wins

Manning out for season + Texans "improved" defense = Texans AFC South Division CHAMPS

by battle axe of doom on Oct 19, 2011 4:27 PM EDT reply actions

Who can blame him?

I think he has a point about his lack of recognition. The same thing happened to Calzaghe, but Froch will get his arse where ever he has to in order to fight and to face the best and the toughest. Not many people (boxinf fans aside) would know who he is. Good Luck to him, he lives a monastic lifestyle and should therefore be around for some time yet regardless of the result against Andre “what the fuck’s a passport” Ward.

by Phill on Oct 19, 2011 4:30 PM EDT reply actions

Froch has always proved to be better than I expect in any given fight, and he certainly deserves the recognition and monetary return.

Maybe, just as the US itself was (and continues to be) built on the strength and vigor of immigrants, US boxing could use a shot in the arm (or some other part of its anatomy), if the real tough guys in boxing came here. After all, they’re comfortable fighting just about anywhere in the world, and living here would also remove any excuses on the part of American fighters (too far, strange country and rules, no recognition, etc.) to avoid them.

At this point, I think US professional boxers really need to learn, or relearn, a few things about the sport and the profession. Having more foreign boxers land here at least semi-permanently could herald a real shake-up.

by DrRck on Oct 19, 2011 5:31 PM EDT reply actions

Seems strange with the Super 6 final coming up, but I really don’t think that a loss to Ward would really stop Froch getting fights with Bute, Pascal or Kessler. For some reason I just don’t think that Bute and Ward will actually fight one another if Ward wins.

Just Froch’s luck though, by the time he makes the move to Sky, Sky are pulling back on their boxing spending. He might as well move to the US, where he has a decent tv profile and good relationship with Showtime.

Nobody will read this and care and why should they?

by Eoin_not_ian on Oct 19, 2011 6:31 PM EDT reply actions