While most pundits now predict Arthur Abraham to be crowned the winner of the Super Six World Boxing Classic, Carl ‘the Cobra’ Froch lurks in the background ready to strike
Showtime’s revolutionary concept of pitting the six best fighters in a division against each other in consecutive bouts is certainly a novel idea in an age where many of the top fighters avoid tough fights like the plague. But it is certainly an idea that has been well received by the hardcore fans. And what drama the tournament has already provided us with!
In only the first round of matches, the bookies favorite Mikkel Kessler was stopped by the previously unfancied Andre Ward and Arthur Abraham leveled Jermain Taylor with a shot so hard it appears to have forced him into retirement. But despite all the changes that the Super Six tournament has already bought to the super middleweight division, one thing remains the same, Carl Froch is the WBC Champion.
His bout against the lively Andre Dirrell certainly wasn’t pretty but Froch – as usual – was effective and managed to protect his unbeaten record while tarnishing Dirrell’s. Yet after the first round of matches, very few seem to be tipping the Brit for the crown. Most experts claim that ‘King Arthur’ appears to be the man to beat while Ward is now the dark horse of the tournament after proving his 2004 Olympic Gold medal was no fluke. But the one man who won’t mind avoiding the limelight at this early stage of the tournament is the cobra.
Froch has always done things the hard way and is a little unfortunate to have been born a British super middleweight in the era of Joe Calzaghe. But while the Welshman has taken the plaudits over the past decade, Froch has quietly gone about his business by beating every opponent that has been put in front of him. And after his scrappy victory over Dirrell, Froch is right where he wants to be in the tournament – unbeaten and unheralded.
The bizarre thing about Froch is that in every big fight he has been in, he is usually the underdog and is usually behind at some stage of the fight yet he always finds a way to win. In his first title fight against the extremely dangerous Jean Pascal (who is now the WBC light heavyweight champion) Froch was struggling to cope with the speed of the Canadian until suddenly; the Cobra developed a wonderfully powerful jab halfway through the bout and went on to outclass his foe from behind it.
Then, in Froch’s first defence against Taylor in the American’s backyard, the Brit was battered for 11 rounds and a mile behind Taylor on all of the scorecards but somehow produced a dramatic knockout with seconds remaining in the fight. And in Froch’s most recent match against Dirrell, the Cobra could not get anywhere near his quicker and more accurate opponent for the first four rounds of the bout but somehow managed to draw the skilful American into an ugly street fight in the latter half of the contest to gain a split decision over a frustrated Dirrell. So say what you like about Froch (and there are many that criticise him for his smothering style) but the guy is a grafter who knows what it takes to win.
But despite his accomplishments, he is underestimated mostly because of his lack of obvious boxing credentials. Froch is reasonably quick but compared to the top guys in the division, he can look rather slow and plodding. Froch does have power (as 20 knockouts in 26 fights shows) but he does not possess the one punch knock out power to take a guy down in a single shot as his way is more attritional and to grind his opponent into submission.
So why is it that Froch is an unbeaten WBC Champion? Well the honest answer is that I’m not actually 100% sure! Froch has tremendous heart but unless your name is Rocky Balboa, that doesn’t usually count for a huge amount against the top guys. He also has a granite chin that can take more punishment than George Bush in the White House but surely no one can go too far if their most potent weapon is there ability to take a good punch? Well in Froch’s case, maybe they can.
Perhaps the very source of Froch’s success is that he is one tough S.O.B that simply refuses to lose to faster and more skilful boxers. And when he comes up against them (as he did in Pascal, Taylor and Dirrell) he simply charges at them with his granite chin, his huge heart, his decent boxing skills and his attrition style and demoralises them to defeat. Most top boxers, particularly young fighters, are used to facing quick, low risk counter punches with an amateur point scoring style. Dealing with Froch’s aggressive, relentless, pressuring approach is not their way. And though many may have had a game plan to cope with Froch; executing that game plan is easier said than done when you have an immovable object charging at you inside the squared circle.
Regardless of what you think of Antonio Margarito and whether his gloves were loaded or not against Miguel Cotto, it is irrelevant here because whether he did it with legal or illegal gloves, Margarito showed exactly how to wear down and beat a better boxer. And for Margarito against Cotto, see Carl Froch against any fighter in the Super Six who on paper are all faster and more skilful than the Brit.
Froch’s next fight against Kessler will no doubt be exciting because Kessler is not the type to go running or hiding anywhere when the bell rings. It is likely that an all out war will develop for a few rounds with both men coming forward and taking each others biggest shots. But whether you trade with Froch or run from him, he will hurt you eventually just like he has done with every one of his opponents before. Expect the not so invincible Kessler to be stopped late on and whispers of Froch winning the tournament to grow.
Yes, Froch is not the best boxer in the tournament but he may be the most difficult to beat. There in lies his secret to success and though he is for now lurking in the shadows behind Abraham and Ward, don’t be surprised if the immovable cobra strikes to become the Super Six King.
