Froch vs Kessler II: Hearn believes win for Froch makes him all-time great

Matchroom Boxing's Eddie Hearn believes that if Carl Froch beats Mikkel Kessler today in London, he will have to be considered "one of the all-time greats":

"This is a fight that will make him one of the all-time greats, especially among the Brits. You would have to put him right up there among the golden greats of the past if he wins this. He is such a superb guy to work with and is so unassuming. He trains like a Trojan and lives so well and is so fit that he is certainly a one-off."

While Hearn obviously has a bias toward Froch given that he's his promoter, it's not as big a stretch as it might seem. Our own Dave Oakes already ranks Froch behind only Joe Calzaghe as far as British super middleweights go, and with the short history of the 168-pound division, Froch is realistically one of the best to ever ply his trade at the weight already. So is Kessler, for that matter.

As far as his standing among the Brit greats regardless of weight class, I think he's set a standard for the post-Hatton/Calzaghe generation for sure. I've no doubt he'll be remembered fondly as one of the standout fighters -- maybe the standout fighter -- of the time period.