Carl Froch plays down injury concerns ahead of Kessler bout

[johnswan1]

Hope there's not too much in this...

http://www.uknetguide.co.uk/Latest-News ... 38554.html

Carl Froch has played down concerns he is carrying an injury going into his fight with Mikkel Kessler in Denmark on Saturday night.

A sell-out crowd of around 10,000 is expected for the super middleweight bout in Herning this weekend - the second round of the Super Six World Boxing Classic tournament.

Froch defeated Andre Dirrell in his first round fight and said he was unconcerned about going into tomorrow's fight not at full fitness.

"I'm never ever 100 per cent for any fight," he told BBC Nottingham.

"I've had all sorts of injuries and knocks and bangs in the past. I'm not going to disclose what injuries I've got but I'm never injury-free anyway.

"If you go back to the Jean Pascal world title fight, I had a perforated eardrum and a broken rib - it's all injuries and hindrances that niggle you until the first bell goes.

"But as soon as that bell goes and you're in fight mode, the adrenalin is pumping through your veins and it's fight time."

Froch has received the backing of a number of high-profile figures in the sport heading into the fight, including former British champion Ricky Hatton.

The former two weight world champion said he had been seriously impressed with Froch's boxing lately.

"Look at them [the quality of Froch's beaten opponents] - Jean Pascal, Jermaine Taylor and Andre Dirrell. That is the highest of the highest level, one fight after another," Hatton said.

"It shows he is a great fighter, that he is willing to fight all those champions in a short sequence of time.

"Froch is one of the very best world champions out there. If he can beat Kessler in his backyard it will be one hell of an achievement."

Hatton warned though that the Dane would represent Froch's toughest fight of the Super Six competition.

"He is the danger man, very big, very strong," he said.

"This could be is trickiest fight, but I do think he can win. If he comes through this I believe he'll win the Super Six."

Kessler has only lost twice in his career – to Wales' Joe Calzaghe in 2007 and Andre Ward last November.

[Smit]

Doesn't sound too serious although if he loses then I am pretty sure he will say what the problem is.

Hopefully he can pull it off though.

[punchers chance]

this is a new variation. normally there is an injury rumour which is denied by the boxer, but according to the BBC website 'Carl Froch has revealed he is carrying an injury ahead of his WBC super-middleweight fight against Dane Mikkel Kessler on Saturday' so he has started this one running himself?
Seems a bit strange?

[youngrell]

This, along with the travel chaos sounds like some pretty decent built-in excuses should Carl lose. Any ideas what time the weigh-in is?

[jameswilson]

We can talk about excuses but I can already forsee what the knockers are gonna say if Froch wins.

'Ah Kessler is shot, Ward and Calzaghe exposed him yadda yadda.'

[MrBoxingUK2]

froch will still win, froch is a warrior, injuries aint gonna stop him

[youngrell]

We can talk about excuses but I can already forsee what the knockers are gonna say if Froch wins.

'Ah Kessler is shot, Ward and Calzaghe exposed him yadda yadda.'

If Froch wins I will be the first to congratulate him, Kessler looked befuddled against Ward to me, not shot. I think Kessler is the same as before, maybe a little more rusty, but he's never really taken much punishment, save a few headbutts from Ward in his last fight.

If Froch wins, I believe it's against a top Kessler, unless of course Kessler does look really old in there.

Can't wait for the fight, styles should gel perfectly

[charlieb]

We can talk about excuses but I can already forsee what the knockers are gonna say if Froch wins.

'Ah Kessler is shot, Ward and Calzaghe exposed him yadda yadda.'

If Froch wins I will be the first to congratulate him, Kessler looked befuddled against Ward to me, not shot. I think Kessler is the same as before, maybe a little more rusty, but he's never really taken much punishment, save a few headbutts from Ward in his last fight.

If Froch wins, I believe it's against a top Kessler, unless of course Kessler does look really old in there.

Can't wait for the fight, styles should gel perfectly

Yeah I'd agree, I don't think Ward exposed him as being shot, it was more a case of having his own style exposed as being fallible against another fighter's in a hostile environment where the odds were already stacked against him.

Kessler's stock cerainly isn't as high as it was before Calzaghe undid him but I don't think the version Froch's going to be facing is all that far away from his form back then, obviously he might've lost a little something, but he certainly didn't look shot vs Ward, just less invulnerable when in the right (or wrong) match-up. Froch matches up well for him. He might have an awkward style, but against world class operators he's shown to be anything but elusive.

I think it's either going to go down with Froch getting KO'd in a fairly one-sided affair, or it's going to be a case of Froch managing to weather twice as much as he lands for a good portion of the fight with the balance hanging on whether the dane tires.