Froch Talking up Hopkins fight

[josh fg]

Hmm not sure if he's trying to play hard ball with Bute but will look a bit silly slagging off Calzaghe fighting him then fighting him himself. However on the other hand fighting probably the second best lhw in the world would be good

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/boxing/8083939.stm

[whiskey]

Froch, along with planet earth slagged off Joe for fighting Roy Jones.

He did pick on Hopkin's age and the fact his best years are probably behind him, but he didn't stick the boot in.

I think it would be a really good build up !

[alexpaterson]

Good interview he seemed quite humble there i think Hopkins would be the wrong fight for him it would be good finacally and for attention but complete clash of styles and Hopkins would be far to clever for him and outpoint him imo but Bute would be a good fight for him a unification bout but again good interview

[finchy36]

even at his advanced years I reckon Hopkins might have the right tools to take out Froch. Hope I'm wrong. Carl would beat Bute imo. Carl vs Kessler - that would be a mega fight.

[WildWaylon]

Hopkins is an exceptional fighter by still being at the top at 44. Maybe he isnt quite what he was but there are not many who could beat him. Its not a fight I think Froch should take because there is every chance of him comming unstuck if Hopkins can give the same performance he gave against Kelly Pavlik. His choice of course and a chance to be among the few to have beaten Hopkins. Bute is another thing altogether and I cant see Froch losing that. Kessler has to be the ultimate goal, and I may be wrong, but in my opinion Kessler would win and win it by several rounds. I thought the interview was good. I like him a lot more when he is humble. Saying he could be KOd in sparring if he didnt concentrate is a far cry from all the "I am am too good to be beaten by anyone in the division" shit he used to spout. I remember him saying arrogance and confidence are the same thing, and they are not. To win fights you have to have confidence in yourself, but that doesnt make you arrogant. Interviews like that will win Carl Froch fans who will watch to see him win rather than watch to see him beaten.

[Rocky Balboa]

Froch has guts, heart, power & determination in abundance! However, his defence is virtually non-existant & unless it somehow dramatically improves from his last outing against Taylor, Hopkins will expose the weakenss in his defense!

I say, style-wise, this is bad match-up for Carl. Even if he were to win, I can't see him looking good doing it & I say its a near-certainty he will not win by stoppage even if B-Hop is 44 years old!

[Spud]

Read this - probably already known by all of you though:

Article - Hennessy/Froch & ITV

[Spud]

Another article on Froch:

Froch for London?

[fluxstuff]

apparently Carl fought a great fight against Taylor. I thought he took a sustained beating for 11 rounds before landing blows on Taylor when he was tired.

But some people seem to have forgotten how badly Carl was losing early on.

[Dioufy]

Froch was shocking for the first five rounds, maybe more. He didn't fight a great fight and was lucky he was fighting someone who has no stamina. Get him in with Pavlik then Bute. He will lose against the next slick fighter he faces, whether it be Bute or Hopkins.

Although Bute has shown he can fade late on.

Bute next, or Pavlik - the fight I prefer. Or even Abraham.

[Deadendgeneration]

Froch started pretty badly but no way was he 4points down like 2 of the judges had it. For me if it had gone to the cards with the knockdown in the last round it should have been a draw. Irrespective, as already stated, a fight with Hopkins would be a pretty poor decision. With the state of his defence he’d do well to not get picked off all night and lose a wide UD.

[Dioufy]

Froch was four down on my card.

[Autobarn]

Froch was a couple down in my book.

Sensational finish, a win in hard circumstances, a lot of pressure for him to win.

However, he was boxing so poorly for the bulk of the fight, and clearly needs some serious polishing up. Hopkins fight would be a disaster. Bute would be the next sensible step up, because if Froch falls behind he could score another late KO.

I appreciate Froch's ambition, God knows British boxing needs more of that, but Hopkins is a terrible fight for him. Froch would have to knock Hopkins out to win. The thing is, would he actually believe he can stop Hopkins, after a few rounds of Hopkins' defensive mastery? A bit of belief went out of his boxing v Taylor, and late in the fight he didn't seem to have belief in his power until the last ditc ending. Turns out scruffy pressure, lots of quick scraping shots - Calzahge, in other words - is the way to beat this Hopkins. Win ugly, win fvcking ugly. If you throw one power shot at a time, "Hugman" Hopkins will laugh at you - it's the only way Bernard can actually WIN impressively, these days.

[Dioufy]

I honestly can't see a single way Carl could beat Hopkins.

[Poncey]

I honestly can't see a single way Carl could beat Hopkins.

I can. Hopkins has to age at some point. PLus he's ever great being inactive for 12+ months.

Although Naz Richardson will have a field day with Froch's low left.

[Dioufy]

Let me rephrase that. I can't see how Froch can win if the BHOP that fought Pavlik turns up, which has to be more likely than an 'old-over-night' Hopkins showing up. The guy is a freak, and would eat Froch up and probably stop him after five or six in my opinion.

[Poncey]

I agree. In fact I'd reckon he'd KO him with an overhand right, which appears to be Naz's special move. Worked for both Mosley and Hopkins.

[Dioufy]

Did Naz show teach Mosley that shot where he kinda twists his left fist when he lands? Look at the final punch Mosley lands on Mayorga and the shot that really had Margarito hurt. I can't say I have ever seen him land that kinda punch before the Mayorga fight.

[Poncey]

Think so. Not 100% sure mind.

[Dioufy]

It's an amazing punch. If Mosley lands that cleanly on anyone from 140lbs to 154lbs then they are going down. That's why I want to see a Cotto rematch.

[Poncey]

Maybe it was Jack Mosley that trained him for Mayorga actually.

[whiskey]

Upon reviewing the fight againm Froch vs Taylor is a lot closer than you think.

Taylor was trying to blag the latter 6 rounds.

On Carl's site (close the gaps)

http://www.cobra b o x i n g.com/forum/index.php/topic,1129.0.html VIDEO

[Poncey]

I had Carl down by 2 going into the 12th.

[Autobarn]

had it gone to pts, i would have had froch winning due to the big last round

kind of like toney-nunn: yes toney was behind, but he was getting there in the last half and he had a massive last round that SHOULD have put his nose ahead

[nobby_nobbins]

Well if Froch struggled early on against Taylor, what does that say for Hopkins who lost to him twice? I'm sure Hopkins would mess Froch around for a while, but Froch is the one who really wants it and is prepared to fight for it. When it comes to actual fighting, Hopkins doesn't really want to know and you can be sure that Froch has the skill and drive to draw him into a real fight.