Benn vs Froch

[Switch hitter]

Apologies if this has been done before ....but just seen an interview with Benn talking about Froch and it got me thinking who would win ??

[littlepug]

The benn that fought mclellann/wharton wins on points, the benn that fought watson/eubank gets knocked out, either way a cracking matchup.

[Syntax Error]

Benn always loses to Froch as far as I'm concerned.

Assuming we're talking about the more cultured Benn post the Watson fight, who wasn't a reckless slugger, I think his speed would give Froch all kinds of trouble allowing him to build up a lead, but Froch would be relentless as ever & keep plugging away until he staggers a tiring Benn mid to late, follows up with a barrage, then the referee steps in to save Benn.

[davie]

One I'd love to see but Froch at his very best wins a war.

For me he goes in, tries to box at range, picks up some early rounds, but as Benn keeps pressure on he drags Froch into a brawl, somewhere he doesn't mind being himself.
Benn takes a few rounds as it tos and fros in the middle rounds Froch is able to take Benns best shots but the same can't be said of Nigel as Froch's strength wears him down.
Froch stops him in the 10th in a FOTY candidate.

The rematch goes to the cards 114-111 to froch with both men having to pick themselves off the canvas

[SNG]

The benn that fought mclellann/wharton wins on points, the benn that fought watson/eubank gets knocked out, either way a cracking matchup.

Don't see Benn getting stopped at all, Carl is good enough to win this but it does depend on which Benn he fights.

[Stevieb8006]

Nigel's my fav ever but froch would be just too big IMO. Nigel himself has said he was a middle who only went up for financial reasons. Where as Carl is the genetically perfect, strong SM. Nigel could look vulnerable where as Carl, although you could find him, was solid as a rock.

I think it's a fun fight, with frochs size and work rate being the deciding factor, tho Nigel has his moments with some big shots, rallying when he's in trouble.

Both me leave the ring with reps enhanced.

[Keko]

Benn small advantage but Carl is quite solid! Decision the only possible!

[Controversial]

Froch for me. As mentioned earlier Benn wasn't really a natural SMW and his power wasn't as destructive at that weight. Froch was a big SMW, 6'1" tall compared to Benn's 5'9", and had a great chin. It would be a cracking fight because Froch wasn't the hardest to hit, but I could see Froch wearing Benn down for a mid to late stoppage win.

[ClivePatrickLyons]

Benn would win a war the doctor would save Froch in round 9 from further punishment.

[Stevieb8006]

The thing is, as much as I love Benn, a clear case could be made the nigel wasn't even the best in his own country at any stage of his career (at any weight he campaigned at). so much of that era is viewed through rose tinted glasses. Benn and Eubank were undoubtedly the big draws, but you could easily suggest they were just ticket selling domestics albeit with world class abilities. Graham, Watson, Nunn, Toney, RJJ, McCallum, Collins, and kalambey were all about and arguably superior.

I don't see why boxing fans cant understand that carl froch is a hard night for anybody.

[Controversial]

The thing is, as much as I love Benn, a clear case could be made the nigel wasn't even the best in his own country at any stage of his career (at any weight he campaigned at). so much of that era is viewed through rose tinted glasses. Benn and Eubank were undoubtedly the big draws, but you could easily suggest they were just ticket selling domestics albeit with world class abilities. Graham, Watson, Nunn, Toney, RJJ, McCallum, Collins, and kalambey were all about and arguably superior.

I don't see why boxing fans cant understand that carl froch is a hard night for anybody.

Yep totally agree.

[Tuan_Jim]

The thing is, as much as I love Benn, a clear case could be made the nigel wasn't even the best in his own country at any stage of his career (at any weight he campaigned at). so much of that era is viewed through rose tinted glasses.

Benn was gipped of the decision in the Eubank fight, he held an authentic world title at the weight, and he was defeating the monstrous G-man when Eubank was losing to Collins. I would say 93 to 95 he was our top super-middle.

[littlepug]

Benn v julian jackson would be equally mouthwatering !

[Bodyshot3]

I am pretty much with Stevieb8006 in terms of being a huge, deeply partisan Benn fan but recognising that Froch was a beast at SMW in terms of size, strength and his ability to (frankly) hit people bloody hard all night long and ride out big shots himself.

Carl's achilles heel was when he got an outright slickster like Ward and (to a lesser extent) Dirrell but he could deal with any other aggressive SMW put in front of him and could also outwork the long line of very good box-punchers he faced as well.

I can see Nigel going the distance and causing his fair share of havoc but perhaps dropping a decision to Carl in a similar fashion to Pascal. And just like Pascal did he would bounce back and win a world title again.

Froch v Benn and Froch v Calzaghe remain my ultimate SMW match-ups.

[Noxy]

To me Froch was one of those fighters who was harder to beat when you were actually in there with him than it seemed from watching outside the ring. I don't think Benn had the style to beat Carl. Great match though.

[Bodyshot3]

To me Froch was one of those fighters who was harder to beat when you were actually in there with him than it seemed from watching outside the ring. I don't think Benn had the style to beat Carl. Great match though.

Good observation Noxy; throughout Carl's career there was a tendency for folk to say that he was a wee bit clumsy, basic and predictable and plenty of his ex-opponents have been honest to say that they got a deeply unwelcome surprise on fight night.

Froch could also swap things around a bit more than he is generally given credit for and he was not always the 'Captain Caveman' fighter he was fond of portraying himself as. He was sharp, quick and rangy against Abraham for example (who was far from washed-up) and was excellent in the rematch with Kessler; which I still think is his best performance.

Bit of a one-off was our Carl.

[Stevieb8006]

To me Froch was one of those fighters who was harder to beat when you were actually in there with him than it seemed from watching outside the ring. I don't think Benn had the style to beat Carl. Great match though.

Good observation Noxy; throughout Carl's career there was a tendency for folk to say that he was a wee bit clumsy, basic and predictable and plenty of his ex-opponents have been honest to say that they got a deeply unwelcome surprise on fight night.

Froch could also swap things around a bit more than he is generally given credit for and he was not always the 'Captain Caveman' fighter he was fond of portraying himself as. He was sharp, quick and rangy against Abraham for example (who was far from washed-up) and was excellent in the rematch with Kessler; which I still think is his best performance.

Bit of a one-off was our Carl.

Yeah he was definitely a fighter that was greater than the sum of his parts if that makes sense. I think people missed a lot of the things he did. Subtle shifts here and there etc.

[Syntax Error]

To me Froch was one of those fighters who was harder to beat when you were actually in there with him than it seemed from watching outside the ring. I don't think Benn had the style to beat Carl. Great match though.

Spot on.

in fact, I think Benn's style is made to order for Froch.

Attacking Carl Froch & going to war with him would be a massive error & Benn would have done just that.

[PredatorHayds]

Huge fan of both but I see Froch winning a hard fight on points.

Where would the fight be held? I'd see it at the O2.

[Celtic Chaos Cartel]

froch in the later rounds with his endurance being key, Benn wud be energetic likely dominant for the first half but froch wud weather the storm then frustrate Benn till he tires and loses the energy momentum something like Steve Collins did...

[el_grande_mauro_mina]

froch in the later rounds with his endurance being key, Benn wud be energetic likely dominant for the first half but froch wud weather the storm then frustrate Benn till he tires and loses the energy momentum something like Steve Collins did...

Steve Collins was the luckiest fighter on the planet in the 1990's - very lucky to take on Eubank after that stupid world tour of his, lucky to have took on a shot Nigel Benn.

Saying that though, Carl Froch would have been totally wrong for Nigel Benn. That would not have had a happy ending.

[Noxy]

froch in the later rounds with his endurance being key, Benn wud be energetic likely dominant for the first half but froch wud weather the storm then frustrate Benn till he tires and loses the energy momentum something like Steve Collins did...

Steve Collins was the luckiest fighter on the planet in the 1990's - very lucky to take on Eubank after that stupid world tour of his, lucky to have took on a shot Nigel Benn.

Saying that though, Carl Froch would have been totally wrong for Nigel Benn. That would not have had a happy ending.

I see where you're coming from FG, although I would say of those three Chris and Nigel were the lucky ones because they had each other and they caught on with the public in a big way. As good as Eubank and Benn were, they weren't necessarily better than other top guys around at that time and I would name Collins as one of those guys. That said, fortune did smile on Steve in the end, as he did get his time in the sun before he hung them up. And that doesn't always happen in boxing, even if you do have the skils.

[Celtic Chaos Cartel]

I didn't have much time for Collins typical Irish brute style but fair to say its effective n it works what some Irish fighters lack in skill-set they make up for in durability perseverance an the heart of a man who's just downed his last whiskey unless his opponent is beaten haha Benn had the aggressive manner guided by his passion for his hard work n his honour his mindset wasvhe deserved to be ' The Man' also with several ways to k'o someone backing it up, his ppl/supporters made him feel like he was the business an overlooked his several flaws an they gave him to much self belief sometimes an he'd lose heart when things weren't how he wanted them..
Eubank was the most capable had his own style his own swagger and he made it look like he was full of shite and he had nothing so he wud act arrogant self-elavated basically so far up his own ass it was a matter of time before every opponent he faced was going to teach n expose him, he was the most observant n self aware fighter,even tho he knew he had the skills to be how he was percieved he was far more cunning than that and used it to his advantage, truthfully he was strong as hell excellent chin extremely fit an he had lots of heart... He jus enjoyed pissing EVERYONE OFF its how he got his kicks, but all 3 of them knew their backgrounds styles mannerisms dislikes things they loved reasons they boxed where intensionally n completely opposite of the other, an soon as a straight up technical no razzmatazz bullshit soon to be champion asked for their scalps for his recognition only Eubank the most able to fight him stood up and refused to be walked-by without a fight... But then Joe put him on his ass within 20 secs at the start, credit to Eubank an ID say he fought like a true warrior an gave Joe his toughest fight...

[Celtic Chaos Cartel]

froch in the later rounds with his endurance being key, Benn wud be energetic likely dominant for the first half but froch wud weather the storm then frustrate Benn till he tires and loses the energy momentum something like Steve Collins did...

Steve Collins was the luckiest fighter on the planet in the 1990's - very lucky to take on Eubank after that stupid world tour of his, lucky to have took on a shot Nigel Benn.

Saying that though, Carl Froch would have been totally wrong for Nigel Benn. That would not have had a happy ending.

I'd have to agree with u and id say Benn himself felt Collins was lucky as well prob underestimated Collins determined all-out do or die attitude to stamp his somewhat late surge on a boxing legacy, so much so was everything almost rushed dis/organized contracts n reputation pre-fight dramas sorted that Benn must felt he deserved an got a second stab at the belt but it weren't luck as Collins only made his point with even more of a realisation for Benn, sadly he'd had his time and there was a new era about to stake better claims for the elite positions... His (benn) finest hour was his battle with McClellan and his revenge draw with Eubank a good way of putting his demons to bed as far as his own self-esteem and credibility goes

[Bodyshot3]

I see where you're coming from FG, although I would say of those three Chris and Nigel were the lucky ones because they had each other and they caught on with the public in a big way. As good as Eubank and Benn were, they weren't necessarily better than other top guys around at that time and I would name Collins as one of those guys. That said, fortune did smile on Steve in the end, as he did get his time in the sun before he hung them up. And that doesn't always happen in boxing, even if you do have the skils.

Steve always comes out of this era as the guy who just totally lucked-out and whilst the timing was certainly favourable.. even beating 90 percent Benn or Eubank is no mean feat in my opinion and folk tend to get overly harsh on him and dismiss these wins as 'gimmes.'

Two years after losing to Collins for a second time Chris still had more than enough left in the tank to give a young Calzaghe a serious examination; Joe is on record as saying that Eubank remained very live and dangerous that night.