Carl Froch's Top Five Super-Middleweights Of All Time

[Isaax]

Oh dear!

[Isaax]

We'll never know

[jamesmcdonnell]

I'd have picked Froch to beat Benn and eubank, he'd have outlasted abd out boxed Benn, and out worked eubank, and survived a scare.

I think Watson would have been a big task as he had a great all round skill set and threw a lot of punches.

[Isaax]

Froch didn't move his head and threw long slow punches, any fighter with speed and power unless short or static or shot wins round after round beating him up basically

[coneye]

Was Froch good ,,, Course he was you don't bec ome world champ unless your good and i mean REALLY GOOD , was he exciting , course he was , he had a granite chin , and backed it , was prepared to go to war and back himself ,

Was he in the all time 5 ,, Nope , no where near it , and neither is Kessler ,, who he only puts up there to cement the place he picked for himself .

Is he super confident , and really believes in his own bollocks , COURSE HE DOES , that self believe is what seperated him from a lot of others with limited skill sets , and thats what won him a world title , He had the self believe , he backed himsef , but Groves , Kessler , certainly were not on the level of your , Toneys , and Roy Jones , .

In fact i'm not so sure he would of beat Eubanks or Benn , interesting though , and slapper Calagzie would off been too quick and slapped him silly , was'nt a great fan of Joe's , but he was tough , he was fast , he was clever , and he was technicly a far better boxer than Froch , , given in there primes i would pick Calagzie , 9 out of 10 over Froch .

Basicly Froch in worlds top 5 super middles ,, NO WAY , in Britains TOP 5 definetly ,,,, but like i said its that confidence that made him what he was .
,
So thoughts on Britains top 5 super middles ,, its got to be in no paticular order .

Calagzie
Collins
Benn
Eubank

Personally , i would have it

Calagzie ,,, obvious reasons , unbeaten ect ect

Collins

Eubank .... On his day he had the smarts to outbox , Froch

Froch ,,, Think Calagzie would of had the speed to outbox him , Collins out tough him , Eubank out smart him , change pace up and down and catch him

Benn ,,, what a tear up , but Froch would of out toughed

Froch makes number 4 on my list of Britains best , and you could make a good case for Benn to jump over him , but i doubt he would , Froch probably a little too tough for Benns styles

[Isaax]

Think what Gerald McClellan would do to Carl. Jeezus H

[Dean B]

Steve Collins has thee best wins at the weight, vs Eubank TWICE. Eubank was unbeaten going into his 45th bout vs Collins and coming from off that masterful showing against Wharton. Then in the rematch Ronnie Davies said he'd trained harder than he ever had since the Benn first fight, yet Collins completely changed his style to terrorise Eubank with aggressive assaults and bullrushing him / bullying him.

Steve showed that ability to adapt after actually out-boxing Eubank @ Millstreet, waiting for his lunging leads or one at a time potshots before countering with sneaky shots and rallying then stopping and waiting again..

Great run at super-middle Collins had, bashing up Carr and Brown with brawling tactics, taking Benn's best bombs without blinking, forcing Nigel to quit twice, intimidating Seiller who looked good against Graciano R and Frankie L, getting off the deck to take out that guy in his last fight with the most perfect right hand you'll ever see thrown.

Collins
Calzaghe
Ward
Eubank
Toss up

Froch, Kessler and Toney lost to the best, RJJ and Nunn didn't do near enough at the weight, and Ottke lost most of his official wins! Liles is in with a shout of 5th as are RJJ for that one Toney win, and Benn and Froch

Have to have Joe over Ward for longevity. Collins was much more dominant against a prime Eubank in their return than Joe was against a returning Eubank who was ill-prepped.

[margaret thatcher]

erm

[Dean B]

erm

Tricky isn't it, mate?

[margaret thatcher]

Not for me matey, sorry if you're a bit slower though

[Dean B]

If we were to ask Steve, Steve would certainly say he was the greatest super-middle of all time, and maybe even the greatest fighter of all-time (in his mind).

Toney would say he was the best, by far, and that all the others are bums and RJJ knew he'd lose a rematch.

RJJ would say look what he did to Toney, who was numero uno P4P.

Benn would go with Calzaghe. Creams over him.

Eubank would merely say 'I'll leave you with this. I won a fight that I could not win, and that's all I'm saying on the matter'

[Dean B]

Not for me matey, sorry if you're a bit slower though

Bless you.

[margaret thatcher]

[Dean B]

Benn would also talk about spliffing, the little fellas, and they only brought McClellan over to bash him up and 'nah mate, not on my watch'.

Love em all. Froch is hardest to tolerate though.

[Dean B]

Haha

[Dean B]

[Isaax]

Collins was in dreamworld, he was actually at his v.best v Reggie Johnson & Sumbu Kalambay in 1992 if you watch the fights; looks quicker and sharper back then, I thought he won both fights in their backyards. High tempo countering v Johnson and high tempo combos v Kalambay, not messy and scrappy and slow IE Eubank & Benn fights. Those other lads were tremendous operators, smooth as lard both of them; Johnson a southpaw who might've beaten Toney when they fought and Kalambay had beaten everyone in his time- even Schooling fkn McCallum! That was Stevie's peak he had just shit luck with management etc

[Nightmare Roy]

In many ways, Carl Froch was one of the more unlikely star stories in recent boxing memory, but he made the absolute most of his ability, becoming a three-time super middleweight titleholder and facing basically everyone tough there was to face during his time as a top-tier contender and champion.

Recently, Sky Sports sat down with Froch and asked for his top five super middleweight fighters in history. It’s still a relatively young division, of course, really only coming around in the mid-1980s, with the IBF creating a title for the 168-pound division in 1984, and the WBA and WBC adding belts in 1987 and 1988.

Froch has never been one to not speak his mind with his honest opinions on fellow fighters, so it was entertaining, as he usually is.

5) Mikkel Kessler

“His results, the way he fights. I’ve shared the ring with him over an hour and 12 minutes of punching holes in each other. When he fought Joe Calzaghe, I know for a fact — and a good friend of mine, Darren Barker, can also back this up, he was in his camp sparring with him. He had to listen to him screaming in training camp when he was on the pads because his hand was hurting that bad. Mikkel Kessler, for me, deserves the number five spot.”

4) Joe Calzaghe

“He won the WBO belt on an undercard of a Prince Naseem Hamed card in Sheffield. He fought an old, faded Chris Eubank, who was weight drained. He won the WBO title and then he defended it for 10 years against ... I don’t even know, I can’t remember the names of the guys he fought for 10 years. But he’s unbeaten in 46 fights, Hall of Famer. You can’t argue against his record, but he had 10 years of mediocrity defending that title. Probably his best win was against an injured Kessler. Many say Jeff Lacy, but let’s be honest, Jeff Lacy was a hype job.

“Then the Hopkins win pretty much said, ‘Right, Calzaghe’s good, he can fight,’ and Hopkins went on to achieve quite a lot of things after that loss. But the Hopkins win was so close, so debatable. ... That’s maybe one he was lucky to get the win. Then he fought a totally shot to bits Roy Jones Jr, and he even said himself a couple years before that in an interview I read, that beating Roy Jones Jr proved nothing because he’s so finished, so past his best. Then of course he went and fought him and beat him and claims to have beaten a great legend.

“But yeah, Joe Calzaghe deserves to be at No. 4. He was a top super middleweight, top fighter, many good attributes. Tough, strong, fit, real good work ethic, refused to quit. But there’s a couple of flaws in there for me. The Robin Reid fight was so close, as well. He could have lost that Reid fight, many had Reid winning that. That deserved to be an immediate rematch. Guess what? We never got the immediate rematch. Didn’t happen. So that stains it for me.”

3) Carl Froch

“The Cobra deserves his No. 3 spot, he’s got to deserve a No. 3 spot! Anyone who wants to argue and debate me and tell me I don’t deserve to be at No. 3, I’m all ears! I’m not getting hard behind my computer screen, I don’t fancy a fight because no one can throw any punches at me, but I’m open for debate. And I’m sure it will create a bit of debate, but that’s my opinion. I’ve got Kessler at five, I’ve got Joe Calzaghe at four, I’ve just writ him off, probably undeservedly, to be honest...”

2) Andre Ward

“He has to be at No. 2, just because of his results. And I’m not gonna talk about Andre Ward, because I’ll fall asleep.”

1) Roy Jones Jr

“He’s just amazing, he’s supremo, he’s the creme de la creme. Unbeatable, untouchable. Forget losing a fight, he never lost a round — he never lost any second of any round at super middleweight. Roy Jones Jr, what a fighter. He’s No. 1. To me, you can’t even argue.”

There you have it, straight from “The Cobra” himself. There’s much more to the video, too, with Johnny Nelson and Matthew Macklin discussing Calzaghe-Froch along with Carl, which is also pretty fun.

No James Toney

[Isaax]

In many ways, Carl Froch was one of the more unlikely star stories in recent boxing memory, but he made the absolute most of his ability, becoming a three-time super middleweight titleholder and facing basically everyone tough there was to face during his time as a top-tier contender and champion.

Recently, Sky Sports sat down with Froch and asked for his top five super middleweight fighters in history. It’s still a relatively young division, of course, really only coming around in the mid-1980s, with the IBF creating a title for the 168-pound division in 1984, and the WBA and WBC adding belts in 1987 and 1988.

Froch has never been one to not speak his mind with his honest opinions on fellow fighters, so it was entertaining, as he usually is.

5) Mikkel Kessler

“His results, the way he fights. I’ve shared the ring with him over an hour and 12 minutes of punching holes in each other. When he fought Joe Calzaghe, I know for a fact — and a good friend of mine, Darren Barker, can also back this up, he was in his camp sparring with him. He had to listen to him screaming in training camp when he was on the pads because his hand was hurting that bad. Mikkel Kessler, for me, deserves the number five spot.”

4) Joe Calzaghe

“He won the WBO belt on an undercard of a Prince Naseem Hamed card in Sheffield. He fought an old, faded Chris Eubank, who was weight drained. He won the WBO title and then he defended it for 10 years against ... I don’t even know, I can’t remember the names of the guys he fought for 10 years. But he’s unbeaten in 46 fights, Hall of Famer. You can’t argue against his record, but he had 10 years of mediocrity defending that title. Probably his best win was against an injured Kessler. Many say Jeff Lacy, but let’s be honest, Jeff Lacy was a hype job.

“Then the Hopkins win pretty much said, ‘Right, Calzaghe’s good, he can fight,’ and Hopkins went on to achieve quite a lot of things after that loss. But the Hopkins win was so close, so debatable. ... That’s maybe one he was lucky to get the win. Then he fought a totally shot to bits Roy Jones Jr, and he even said himself a couple years before that in an interview I read, that beating Roy Jones Jr proved nothing because he’s so finished, so past his best. Then of course he went and fought him and beat him and claims to have beaten a great legend.

“But yeah, Joe Calzaghe deserves to be at No. 4. He was a top super middleweight, top fighter, many good attributes. Tough, strong, fit, real good work ethic, refused to quit. But there’s a couple of flaws in there for me. The Robin Reid fight was so close, as well. He could have lost that Reid fight, many had Reid winning that. That deserved to be an immediate rematch. Guess what? We never got the immediate rematch. Didn’t happen. So that stains it for me.”

3) Carl Froch

“The Cobra deserves his No. 3 spot, he’s got to deserve a No. 3 spot! Anyone who wants to argue and debate me and tell me I don’t deserve to be at No. 3, I’m all ears! I’m not getting hard behind my computer screen, I don’t fancy a fight because no one can throw any punches at me, but I’m open for debate. And I’m sure it will create a bit of debate, but that’s my opinion. I’ve got Kessler at five, I’ve got Joe Calzaghe at four, I’ve just writ him off, probably undeservedly, to be honest...”

2) Andre Ward

“He has to be at No. 2, just because of his results. And I’m not gonna talk about Andre Ward, because I’ll fall asleep.”

1) Roy Jones Jr

“He’s just amazing, he’s supremo, he’s the creme de la creme. Unbeatable, untouchable. Forget losing a fight, he never lost a round — he never lost any second of any round at super middleweight. Roy Jones Jr, what a fighter. He’s No. 1. To me, you can’t even argue.”

There you have it, straight from “The Cobra” himself. There’s much more to the video, too, with Johnny Nelson and Matthew Macklin discussing Calzaghe-Froch along with Carl, which is also pretty fun.

No James Toney

Laughable stuff. Toney would straighten this fool Froch out if he sees him, even at 55 or whatever. Teach him a lesson

[Twinkle Toes]

This is a reductive and silly way of judging a fighter's capabilities. Nunn was The Man at super middle at the same time as Toney was IBF champ, and Toney had already KOd him. Toney was later regarded number 1 in the world. Benn and Eubank wouldn't fight him. Who else should he have fought? Give names. Vinny Pazienza? Cornelius Carr?

He fought Roy Jones, a man Benn, Eubank and Collins wouldn't fight. So he got schooled. It was by one of the best ever. Froch would have got schooled by Jones too. Calzaghe as we all know wouldn't fight him in his prime.

Calzaghe's toughest fight was a win over Chris Eubank, a man who was too scared to fight Toney.

Saying 'he only beat Tim Littles' is nonsensical. Why would so many people fear a man who only beat Tim Littles? It's almost as if everyone else knew how good Toney was.

What a load of old bollcoks.

It's not a question of capabilities, that's a completely different debate - It's about his record at super middle, the actual facts. I will say for a second time, it does not stand up to scrutiny - Unless you're thick as shite, or cream ya fackin undies at the mere sight of Toney.

Are you going to put him in your heavy top 10, because of what he did at middleweight.

His time at super middle was poor, and his best win was Littles.

[Isaax]

He was at his best at super middle, looking like the best in the business. He was winning very convincingly against great fighters like Iran and Prince Charles

[coneye]

Thinking about it , theres one thing Froch would easily make the top 5 for , and thats WILLINGNESS to fight , say what you will , love or hate him , he wanted to fight Calagzie , he wanted to fight the best around , and the facts are go back to Benn and Eubank , yeh they fought each other ect , but they dodged Toney , and the other top yanks .. Slapagzie , well he was the world champ of excuses ... Froch was willing to fight the best of his era

[Isaax]

He was part of the Super Six thing, guaranteeing him fight after fight after losses without having to go back to the drawing board for peanuts, plus had Eddie Hearn able to get him Bute right after a loss

No offense to Kessler, Dirrell etc but they are hardly James Toney are they

[jamesmcdonnell]

He was at his best at super middle, looking like the best in the business. He was winning very convincingly against great fighters like Iran and Prince Charles

Prince Charles Williams and Iran Barkley were not great fighters. They were good fighters.

[black panther]

I'd say it's a fair list, of course you could argue Calzaghe is rated above him, but i would say it's close as Calzaghe fought a lot of very soft competition during that reign, it was laughable at times.

This.

In my mind Calzaghe would have beaten Froch handily. But we can’t rank boxers on potential, we have to base it on actual results right?

In which case as much as I think Froch is a strange character, Froch’s resume is arguably better than Calzaghe and in my opinion he’s justified in ranking himself above Joe.