Froch latest on 'No intentions' aka Jermain Taylor!

[jeej]

you have to admire froch for going to the states for his first title defence. it would have been easy im sure to fight a lesser opponent in his home town especially when the talks seemed to hit a snag. i hope he brings the belt back home. its good that he is talking about fighting the other top super middleweights. the more good and competitive fights we get to see the better.

Definitely. But Froch is ambitious and afraid of no-one. He also realises the big money is stateside and he is no spring chicken. Nothing to gain by taking mandatories in Nottingham for the next four years and he knows this all too well.

[nobby_nobbins]

Strange comment by Taylor on Froch:

"I'm going to take him in deep water and I hope he can swim."

Surely he means he hopes he'll sink?

[MightyWarrior]

Strange comment by Taylor on Froch:

"I'm going to take him in deep water and I hope he can swim."

Surely he means he hopes he'll sink?

Well that's what he's really thinking, but if he says that he hopes he sinks, he's not gonna sound too confident.

It's unusual to see a home town hero like Froch making his first defence, of a hard won title, in the other guy's backyard.
I wonder how much extra he stands to make, and is it really worth it?
I guess Mick lost the bidding war, because home ground could make a hell of a difference in a 50/50 fight like this.

Taylor, when firing on all guns and motivated, looks a really special fighter. No way, as Carl's promoter, would I want him to be going to Taylor's home ground for a make or break fight like this.

Whoever has home advantage looks the favorite here.

Taylor will probably look to keep this at range, breaking down Froch with ramrod jabs and big right hands over the top. I can't see Froch outboxing him, he'll be looking to bring it to the trenches.

It's a fascinating fight.

[THEBUTCH]

It is unsual to see a Brit, in his first world title defence, venture to the US and take on an established American star in his 1st defence.....and it's been sadly lacking for long a time . I thank my lucky stars that Froch is re-writing the cosy rule-book where some of our guys stay at home for years, picking off cannon fodder.

Win or lose, Froch deserves all the credit in the world.

[jamesmcdonnell]

It's a high risk strategy. Froch knows that a belt is no guarantee of making a name for youself. He's seen Witter end up losing his title against Bradley without ever making a big splash or a big payday.

If Froch loses in a thriller, he will get to come again, and will get chances to appear on US cards, all being well.

I wish Carl nothing but the best of luck - win or lose, he's prepared to take the chances, unlike some other super middleweights we could name.

[MightyWarrior]

All true, but I don't think anyone would be accusing Froch of playing it safe by taking on Taylor in Nottingham.
It's a fantastic fight, wherever it's held, and the real credit it that Carl is willing to risk it, in his first defence, against one of the biggest talents in US boxing. Just seems he's stacking the odds against himself, by going over there...

I gave Dunne a good shot at beating Cordoba in Ireland, but if he'd been heading over to Panama to take him on? Forget it...

Can't fault Froch though, he's walking the walk, just as he promised.

[robdog]

No matter how the Taylor result goes (Froch KO9) as a fan it's impossible to fault Froch's attitude to the game. At the end of Carls career nobody is going to be left in any doubt of how good he was, good or bad. Froch and Haye are guiding lights in how this sport should develop to keep the likes of UFC in their rightful place.

Excellent post and totally agree.

To be honest ive doubted Froch and Haye in the past BUT they have gone on to prove me wrong and at least they have the balls and the hunger to take on the best to prove they are the best and not just cash in like alot of other big names.

Froch will beat Taylor imo, it will be close for the first few rounds but Froch will break Taylors heart and stop him late in the fight.

[jamesmcdonnell]

All true, but I don't think anyone would be accusing Froch of playing it safe by taking on Taylor in Nottingham.
It's a fantastic fight, wherever it's held, and the real credit it that Carl is willing to risk it, in his first defence, against one of the biggest talents in US boxing. Just seems he's stacking the odds against himself, by going over there...

I gave Dunne a good shot at beating Cordoba in Ireland, but if he'd been heading over to Panama to take him on? Forget it...

Can't fault Froch though, he's walking the walk, just as he promised.

Think Froch realised that if he wanted the fight in Nottingham, he'd never have gotten it without offering Taylor sums of money that the fight simply wouldn't have supported.

The money on the table will be far bigger if it is staged on Taylor's turf. Taylor gets money from Gate receipts, Froch gets slice of TV money, everyone is happy - except possibly Froch if he loses of course.

[Asterix]

Has Froch faced any guys with hand speed comparable to Taylor's?

[whiskey]

I think Taylor is a great all rounder.

Not sure if Pascal was as fast as Taylor or not.

Only thing about Taylor is he fights in bursts.

Dont get me wrong, when he puts them combo's together he looks the biz, but Froch is going to take everything he throws and is going to manhandle him, make him work every moment and then the gasket will blow and he gets tonked or runs.

Personally i think if Carl wins, it's possibly on points as Taylor will not allow himself to gets knocked out again.

Be great if he did stop him though.

[Asterix]

Taylor's faster than Pascal, which is why I was wondering. And I doubt Taylor will slug it out with Froch like Pascal did.

[nobby_nobbins]

Has Froch faced any guys with hand speed comparable to Taylor's?

Pascal was no slouch. Similar speed to Taylor I reckon.

I don't think speed is one of Froch's assets, but timing is, and a boxer with great timing can often beat a boxer with better hand speed. Chavez chopped down Meldrick Taylor despite being light years slower, and George Foreman beat many a quicker boxer to the punch, including the lightning fast Holyfield - so yeah - timing trumps hand speed.

[Bard of Boxrec]

I dont think home advantage will be as consequential as you guys think. It's not like Froch will be going into an intimidating lions den like Hatton's crappy opponents had to face, or going to Italy or Germany to get robbed. Fighting in America he is going to get a fair shake and I imagine the crowd will seem relatively impartial. Taylor never had a huge fan base to begin with plus it's miles from his home. It's not like Lacy in St Petersburg or Pavlik in Youngstown. this is a pretty level playing field.

As to the fight, it's a fascinating one but I think Taylor will take it on points in a nailbiter, hope I'm wrong as I like Froch a lot.

[nobby_nobbins]

Taylor is a terrific fighter and he has clearly been brave in the past. But his decision to fight an eliminator when he could have gone straight for the title and his subsequent attempt to fight the man Froch had just beaten, made him look bad in the run up to this fight. I've no doubt he'll come to win and put on a good show against Froch. I'm picking Froch to win but can see Taylor is a class act.

[whiskey]

I spoke to Carl last night for about 20 mins on his way back from training.

He is sparring George Groves at the moment and really rates him. He is also sparring Barker and I think he's done some rounds with Sutherland too. Froch still rates the Cuban, Luis Garcia as good as spar as anyone else.

He basically said that it didnt matter what 'Team Taylor' were planning for Jermain - and that he viewed this big entourage as a weakness. That only Jermain was in the ring on the night.

He's watched Ouma, Winky and Spinks as well as the other videos and thinks he's classy in spells but when it comes to a straight up 'fight' - Taylor will come off 2nd best.

I wrote it up.

[Chambers2]

I spoke to Carl last night for about 20 mins on his way back from training.

He is sparring George Groves at the moment and really rates him. He is also sparring Barker and I think he's done some rounds with Sutherland too. Froch still rates the Cuban, Luis Garcia as good as spar as anyone else.

He basically said that it didnt matter what 'Team Taylor' were planning for Jermain - and that he viewed this big entourage as a weakness. That only Jermain was in the ring on the night.

He's watched Ouma, Winky and Spinks as well as the other videos and thinks he's classy in spells but when it comes to a straight up 'fight' - Taylor will come off 2nd best.

I wrote it up.

Cheers for that.

Stamina issues and a question mark on your chin are not to the 2 traits you want if you're facing Our Carl. Taylor either fights Froch and gets the KTFO or Taylor goes into his shell and loses a wide decision, either way Carl's gonna be a superstar on April 26th 8)

[DG.]

Has Froch faced any guys with hand speed comparable to Taylor's?

Pascal was no slouch. Similar speed to Taylor I reckon.

I don't think speed is one of Froch's assets, but timing is, and a boxer with great timing can often beat a boxer with better hand speed. Chavez chopped down Meldrick Taylor despite being light years slower, and George Foreman beat many a quicker boxer to the punch, including the lightning fast Holyfield - so yeah - timing trumps hand speed.

I agree re: Pascal and Taylor speedwise....

But the thing is Taylor does not have Pascals chin or stamina.

No way at all!

[jeej]

FYI, tale of the tape...

Name: Jermain Taylor - Carl Froch
Won: 28 (KO 17) - 24 (KO 19)
Lost: 2 (KO 1) - 0
Drawn: 1 - 0
Rounds Boxed: 210 - 139
Age: 30 - 31
Height: 6'1" - 6'0"
Reach: 78" - 76"
Av. Wgt Since 2007: 163lbs - 167lbs

[THEBUTCH]

For me it's Froch's second 50/50 fight on the trot .

I think if Froch is going to win this one he should make better use of the jab and reduce the toe to toe exhanges. With Taylor's better experience, he could exploit Froch defence even more than Pascal. Don't get me wrong, I'm not asking Carl to shun his exciting fighting style, God love him, but use his noddle and make things a bit easier for himself. Can't wait

[Chambers2]

For me it's Froch's second 50/50 fight on the trot .

I think if Froch is going to win this one he should make better use of the jab and reduce the toe to toe exhanges. With Taylor's better experience, he could exploit Froch defence even more than Pascal. Don't get me wrong, I'm not asking Carl to shun his exciting fighting style, God love him, but use his noddle and make things a bit easier for himself. Can't wait

Yeah I agree about him using his noddle abit more early doors in this one. He decided he was going to run through Pascal straight from the off and he got tagged with alot more than he should have done, hopefully he'll box JT for the first half then steamroller him in the second half

[DG.]

Aye, will be more a test of his prep.

So he beat Hoopkins twice say the judges,1 and a draw if you ask me...maybe he even lost both!

Feasting on career light middles or a Welter in Spinks then getting knocked out by Pavlik and then running from Froch to fight Lacy and then still running from Froch...


Froch KO 9 No Intentions..