Froch - on Joe Calzaghe, Pascal, and his defence

[Captain Hook]

Here you go lads and lasses...

http://www.dailypost.co.uk/sport-news/o ... -22655471/

[Chambers2]

Excellent piece Captain cheers for posting the link

Calzaghe's past his prime and he's only interested in fighting old men these days, he's got no interest in fighting prime champions. His only realistic options are Dawson and Froch IMO and he doesn't seem to have any interest in fighting either Traver and Johnson are about the right age for Joe though so he may take on one of them in a meaningless contest

[Chambers2]

Excellent piece Captain cheers for posting the link

Calzaghe's past his prime and he's only interested in fighting old men these days, he's got no interest in fighting prime champions. His only realistic options are Dawson and Froch IMO and he doesn't seem to have any interest in fighting either Traver and Johnson are about the right age for Joe though so he may take on one of them in a meaningless contest

you cant lump croch and dawson together, dawson has fought better quality of opponants than froch and is number 2 in joes divison, froch isnt even number 1 in a division joe doesnt fight at anymore

I can, Froch should get abit of preferential treatment as he's British and the fight would do BIG business over here, plus LHW hasn't got the strength and depth that the SM division has, so it's easier to get to towards the top of the 175 division

[banjo]

Dawson is by far a tougher fight for Calzaghe, I'd rather see him take that but he won't though for obvious reasons.

[Twinkle Toes]

Froch said it himself, Calzaghe is an old man - Kinda odd to then slate Calzaghe for fighting older men, when that is exactly what he wants to do, only with Calzaghe.

Nothing new in that piece, and the usual bollocks from the Froch camp.

[Chambers2]

true but he's already cleaned up 168, the top man is still kessler who he beat. and he shouldnt get preferential treatment at all, if he fights again he should fight dawson, why does froch deserve it cos he's british? or cos he's been calling joe out for years trying to make a name for himself insead of fighting himself into a position where joe cant say no, its a shame they'll never fight but carl has never been in position to ge the fight. and BIG business? lets be honest joe will do big buisness now whoever he fights over here.

if he chose froch over dawson destroyed froch and retired people will always say dawson dawson dawson, i dont think people will care as much about him not fighting froch if he fought and beat dawson, except you obviously.

I think you'll find that the majority of British Boxing fans would like to see Calzaghe man up and take on Froch, it's far from just me. The majority of British Boxing fans (yourself excluded) want to see the best fighters in Britain take on each other, it's a changing of the guard fight (or one where the master gives the student a lesson) and one that would capture the interest of the British fans imagination and would raise the profile of the sport over here in a far better way than Calzaghe VS Dawson/RJJ would/has. Carls profile has increased dramatically after he picked up the WBC belt in December in a barnstorming fight on terrestrial TV and Carl is becoming well known to the casual fans in Britain...... how many casual fans would have even heard of Dawson??


Carls not been calling out Joe to make a name for himself, he's been calling out Joe because he wants to fight the best the world has to offer, he's not satisified sitting on a bogus belt defending against hand-picked opponents.

You say that "Carl has never been in the position to fight Joe" which is rubbish considering the opponents that Joe has fought, Joe hasn't give Carl his opportunity because Carl doesn't fit into JC's risk:reward matchmaking model. Were Bika, Manfredo, RJJ, Ashira, Veit, Salem, Mger etc. in better positions than Carl was? or in positions were Joe couldn't turn them down? or was Joe just cherry-picking fights where he had a very good chance of keeping his very important O intact?

[Chambers2]

also, froch doesnt need calzaghe anymore like you said the divison is so thick right now one of the best in the sport, a couple of good wins in that division and he'd be a star in his own right

It's not about 'needing' the Calzaghe fight as Carl clearly doesn't NEED it as there are plenty of other options out there for him, but it's a massive fight that would be a fantastic spectacle and it would be great for British Boxing that's why I and numerous others want to see the fight. If the fight went out on ITV with the proper advertising then it could be up there with the Benn-Eubank-Watson fights IMO in terms of it's legendary status a decade down the line, it would certainly top the Eubank-Calzaghe fight

[jamesmcdonnell]

You say that "Carl has never been in the position to fight Joe" which is rubbish considering the opponents that Joe has fought, Joe hasn't give Carl his opportunity because Carl doesn't fit into JC's risk:reward matchmaking model. Were Bika, Manfredo, RJJ, Ashira, Veit, Salem, Mger etc. in better positions than Carl was? or in positions were Joe couldn't turn them down? or was Joe just cherry-picking fights where he had a very good chance of keeping his very important O intact?

bika would definatley give froch a run for his money thats for sure, and fair play your right, but since carl froch has been in a position he has fought much better opponents, lacy, kessler, hopkins. ok manfredo not so much but we all know that was a ridiculous fight where joe was just trying to fight a well known american face.
and yes rjj was in a better position that carl froch, egardless of his losses he is regarded as one of the best ever fighters to some, that carrys alot more weight than winning one belt against a fighter who i dont think was good enough to be fighting for it.

Don't agree about RJJ - Jones was shot to pieces and gunshy, he came into the fight looking for a payday and nothing else.

[jamesmcdonnell]

Oh right - in that sense - I entirely agree.

[Captain Hook]

Froch said it himself, Calzaghe is an old man - Kinda odd to then slate Calzaghe for fighting older men, when that is exactly what he wants to do, only with Calzaghe.

Nothing new in that piece, and the usual bollocks from the Froch camp.

I do apologise Twinkle, feel free to give him a call and do better

[Hurrah4Funk]

Personally, Calzaghe and Froch arn't even close at the moment. Calzaghe proved he was the best at 168 by holding all 4 alphabet belts at some time or the other and proving he was the man over a pro-longer peroid of time. Sure we can pick holes in who he was defending his title against but at the end of the day he beat the current number 1 at 168 and has actually proved alot more than Froch.

I do like the Cobra, but I just hope he dosen't take a leaf out of the book written by his promotional stable mate Junior Witter. Witter wasted so many large chunks of his career chasing Hatton he took his eyes off the prize and got deservedley beat by the better man in Bradley and will now never get the chance to fight Hatton. Froch needs to forget about Calzaghe and concentrate on showing to the world that he is world class. Deespite an excleent performace against Pascal, at the end of the day he wasn't fighting Taylo, Bute or Kessler. He needs to prove he is the genuine thing before being talked about seriously in the same sentance as Calzaghe. For Joe, at the moment, his next fight should be against the young American Dawson. Though he dosen't have the same "Woah" factor as a Hopkins, RJJ (Based on whio he is), he is the next generation of American Superstars with his wins over Tarver and Johnson. For me, If Calzaghe dosen't fight Dawson, then I hope he fights the winner of a Kessler-Taylor match up. At the moment, Froch hasn't done enough to be on Calzaghe's radar.

[Autobarn]

It's a natural thing to talk about Calzaghe. Froch holds a world title, and Calzaghe has been the major name in British boxing for the past couple of years.

It's quite possible that Joe might make a comeback someday and fight Froch. Provided Froch is able to make himself a big name. You never know, Joe may want the money, may want to give his promotional company a boost, or may just get pissed off if someone else at/near his weight starts stealing the headlines. It's not impossible.

It's quite ridiculous to say Froch shouldn't even talk of Joe, shouldn't be mentioned near him etc, when it took Joe 8 years to prove he was a legit world champion. If Froch - who has been moved very slowly, but who seems ready to move on - wants the big fights, wants to compete, then power to him.

[Chambers2]

You say that "Carl has never been in the position to fight Joe" which is rubbish considering the opponents that Joe has fought, Joe hasn't give Carl his opportunity because Carl doesn't fit into JC's risk:reward matchmaking model. Were Bika, Manfredo, RJJ, Ashira, Veit, Salem, Mger etc. in better positions than Carl was? or in positions were Joe couldn't turn them down? or was Joe just cherry-picking fights where he had a very good chance of keeping his very important O intact?

bika would definatley give froch a run for his money thats for sure, and fair play your right, but since carl froch has been in a position he has fought much better opponents, lacy, kessler, hopkins. ok manfredo not so much but we all know that was a ridiculous fight where joe was just trying to fight a well known american face.
and yes rjj was in a better position that carl froch, egardless of his losses he is regarded as one of the best ever fighters to some, that carrys alot more weight than winning one belt against a fighter who i dont think was good enough to be fighting for it.

RJJ has been a shadow of himself since the Ruiz fight in 2003, the RJJ Vs JC was made at least 6 years too late and it turned into a cynically made predictable mismatch with RJJ just waiting to see the final bell from the 6th round onwards, that's never gonna be the case if he was facing Carl and it would make for a far better fight. If JC had realised how dangerous BHop still was he wouldn't have been in the ring with him, George Bush has got more chance of winning the Nobel Peace prize as BHop has of getting a rematch.

[Chambers2]

lets get audley against haye instead of haye againts the klitchko's its british, surely you'd love that

If Audley was an undefeated World Champion like Carl is then yes I'd be calling for Haye Vs Audley

[Hurrah4Funk]

Yea, indeed power to him. However, I just feel he needs to prove he is a legit World beater and fighting Pascal alone won't do that. His best bet is forget about Calzaghe and to spend 2009 unifying the division and fighting (and beating Taylor). That way he could say it too him 12 months to unfy the divsion, not 10 years. That might just be the straw that breaks the camels back with Calzaghe and it just might make the super fight happen.

[Chambers2]

Don't agree about RJJ - Jones was shot to pieces and gunshy, he came into the fight looking for a payday and nothing else.

i never said different, just said his name carries alot more weight that froch's did and to be fair still does

Whats exciting about watching severely faded fighters who are clearly way way past their best??? Why is that better than JC fighting a prime up and coming fighter, as a fan I find it difficult to understand your logic

[Chambers2]

Yea, indeed power to him. However, I just feel he needs to prove he is a legit World beater and fighting Pascal alone won't do that. His best bet is forget about Calzaghe and to spend 2009 unifying the division and fighting (and beating Taylor). That way he could say it too him 12 months to unfy the divsion, not 10 years. That might just be the straw that breaks the camels back with Calzaghe and it just might make the super fight happen.

Carl could (further) prove he is a legit world beater by fighting and beating Calzaghe, in the same way that Calzaghe proved he was by beating Chris Eubank. It's supposed to be the natural order of things in the boxing world with the up and comers taking on the established fighters, it should not be the established fighter coming up with every excuse in the book not to fight the up and comer

[Chambers2]

Yea, indeed power to him. However, I just feel he needs to prove he is a legit World beater and fighting Pascal alone won't do that. His best bet is forget about Calzaghe and to spend 2009 unifying the division and fighting (and beating Taylor). That way he could say it too him 12 months to unfy the divsion, not 10 years. That might just be the straw that breaks the camels back with Calzaghe and it just might make the super fight happen.

Carl could (further) prove he is a legit world beater by fighting and beating Calzaghe, in the same way that Calzaghe proved he was by beating Chris Eubank. It's supposed to be the natural order of things in the boxing world with the up and comers taking on the established fighters, it should not be the established fighter coming up with every excuse in the book not to fight the up and comer

do you think chris eubank wouldve taken that fight if he'd have beaten steve collins twice?

Who knows, but he should have taken the fight. He certainly wouldn't have been claiming that he'd KO Joe in 3 rounds then not being willing to back it up in the ring

[Chambers2]

Who knows, but he should have taken the fight. He certainly wouldn't have been claiming that he'd KO Joe in 3 rounds then not being willing to back it up in the ring

no thats true he'd have been prancing about in that monacle shaking his walking stick at him

Eubank's Great!! One of the best showman ever, he's up there with Ali, Naz, SRL.......

[Captain Hook]

Yea, indeed power to him. However, I just feel he needs to prove he is a legit World beater and fighting Pascal alone won't do that. His best bet is forget about Calzaghe and to spend 2009 unifying the division and fighting (and beating Taylor). That way he could say it too him 12 months to unfy the divsion, not 10 years. That might just be the straw that breaks the camels back with Calzaghe and it just might make the super fight happen.

Carl could (further) prove he is a legit world beater by fighting and beating Calzaghe, in the same way that Calzaghe proved he was by beating Chris Eubank. It's supposed to be the natural order of things in the boxing world with the up and comers taking on the established fighters, it should not be the established fighter coming up with every excuse in the book not to fight the up and comer

do you think chris eubank wouldve taken that fight if he'd have beaten steve collins twice?

Yes, I do...

[Hurrah4Funk]

Yea, indeed power to him. However, I just feel he needs to prove he is a legit World beater and fighting Pascal alone won't do that. His best bet is forget about Calzaghe and to spend 2009 unifying the division and fighting (and beating Taylor). That way he could say it too him 12 months to unfy the divsion, not 10 years. That might just be the straw that breaks the camels back with Calzaghe and it just might make the super fight happen.

Carl could (further) prove he is a legit world beater by fighting and beating Calzaghe, in the same way that Calzaghe proved he was by beating Chris Eubank. It's supposed to be the natural order of things in the boxing world with the up and comers taking on the established fighters, it should not be the established fighter coming up with every excuse in the book not to fight the up and comer

For me Froch is on the cusp of proving he is the real deal. I like the guy, he has an exiciting style and can talk smack with the best of them. At the moment I feel he is about to enter that transitional peroid when he needs a big fight. For me, the sensible option is a unification fight between him and Kessler. I can't help but think that it would be a better contest than Froch's barnstormer with Pascal, and would help sell Froch to the masses.

For me, the best approach would be an "appetiser card" in the UK or main land Europe (Seeing as the US for some reason dnt want to know Froch) with both guys making mandatory defences of the WBC and WBA titles they hold and then have a super fight in later summer/autum time at the City Ground in Nottingham. Regardless of whether or not Calzaghe should Froch next or not, I just think Froch should put thoughts of Joe on the back burner and go after Kessler before heading Stateside. If Kessler and Froch put on a fight i feel they can, there is no way HBO will turn down Froch which in turn means he can go after Bute, Ward, Taylor and even Pavlik if he decides to try and step up again. However, for all this to happen (and Possibly a fight with Joe depending on retirement) he just needs a name like Kessler on his record first IMO.

[jamesmcdonnell]

I agree, I love watching Froch fight, seldom dull and always the chance of a sudden finish. His performance against Pascal was a bit ragged, but his determination saw him through, and he proved himself a physical beast in there.

A big fight is what he needs to capture interest in America. Unfortunately, Kessler is not a star stateside, as the poor viewing figures for Kessler and Calzaghe proved.

He needs a chance to shine on an American fight card - easier said than done for him to get on a bill over there, but his talent and style deserve it.

[whiskey]

Carl Froch is royally bored with that question (the C word)

Because he answers it as he always does (stating the f*cking obvious) and then you get a load of pro-Calzaghe folk who think the Welshman could knit fog and turn water into wine, get all hot and bothered that Froch dare utter his name.

I was going to state it in the first reply, but though to myself, no i will see if it's different this time.

Obviously not

[Autobarn]

I agree, I love watching Froch fight, seldom dull and always the chance of a sudden finish. His performance against Pascal was a bit ragged, but his determination saw him through, and he proved himself a physical beast in there.

A big fight is what he needs to capture interest in America. Unfortunately, Kessler is not a star stateside, as the poor viewing figures for Kessler and Calzaghe proved.

He needs a chance to shine on an American fight card - easier said than done for him to get on a bill over there, but his talent and style deserve it.

I agree, just look how different Calzaghe was regarded because of the Lacy fight. Slap a Yank 1000 times, or better still knock them out, and you've got it made.

If Froch can get hold of Taylor, his mandatory, this could get things moving quickly. Obviously, the Yanks know Taylor and that can make things move so much more smoothly. Sadly HBO wouldn't approve Froch as JT's opponent. But I feel Froch can get a tasty(ish) US opponent, and that will give him the opportunity.

Apart from Taylor, there's Andre Dirrell, who scored a couple of exciting stoppages on Showtime...And also 2004 Olympic gold medallist Andre Ward who alsy may be ready for a world title shot late this year.

Reckon all those names would get Froch "in there" more so than a Kessler fight. I imagine Joe Calzaghe's disappointing viewing figures vs Kessler would have been way different if he'd managed to get hold of Taylor or someone of that ilk.

If Froch destroys one of these German mandatories, gets ppl talking, sooner or later there'll be a big fight. The super middle champs being Kessler (Dane), Inkin (Russian), Froch (English), Bute (Romania/Canada) - I know which one is the more US friendly.

[DG.]

Froch said it himself, Calzaghe is an old man - Kinda odd to then slate Calzaghe for fighting older men, when that is exactly what he wants to do, only with Calzaghe.

Nothing new in that piece, and the usual bollocks from the Froch camp.

Interesting point you make but isn't froch 32 and JC just turned 36? Hopkins was 43. RJJ 40 and Tarver 40. Big difference I think. Lol