Crunch Time For The Cobra

On Saturday, 17th December the Super Six Tournament finally wraps itself up with the two best men in the 168 pound weight class reaching the grand finale, Carl Froch and Andre Ward.

For both men the tournament has been a fantastic opportunity to launch themselves as the greatest fighter in the 168 pound weight class and along the way they have faced some very strong opposition to make it to the final where they deserve to be.

For Froch, the Super Six Tournament, in my opinion, has pushed him up there with the greatest super middleweights Britain has ever produced.

Froch has been heavily criticised throughout his career for having a very low guard and taking a lot of punches. However, there is no doubt by looking at the resume that he has built throughout this tournament, that he is up there with being one of the best fighters to ever come out of Britain.

Froch brings to the ring excitement, determination, focus and the will to win and this is why he has persevered to where he is now.

Looking at Froch’s first fight in Super Six, it was something that only a special fighter would be able to achieve and that was the ability to fight back to retain his title when he was behind on the scorecards.

Jermain Taylor, I believe, is a good fighter who, prior coming into Super Six, had recovered from his two defeats against Kelly Pavlik,, which were great match ups, by defeating Jeff Lacy.

Taylor wanted to be back on top again and came into the Froch fight highly motivated to make an impact in the tournament to be recognised as a great champion once again.

This was Froch’s first defence of his WBC title, which had won by defeating Jean Pascal for the vacant crown. Early on in the fight, Taylor looked outstanding, he had Froch on the floor in the third round and he is still the only person who can say he has done that.

Taylor looked like he was in full command and was well ahead on the scorecards after four rounds. Froch needed to get back into the fight, he looked like he was losing his title, but as a great champion does he came back and upped his work rate and started finding that right hand on Taylor’s chin.

The fight was a back and forth war similar to many of Froch’s bouts and a lot of the rounds were close to call. Froch had his moments, as did Taylor, hitting Froch with some great shots and using his boxing ability to secure rounds in the fight.

Going into the later stages of the fight, Taylor was still in front and after a very strong end to the 11th round he was certainly getting tired. With Taylor being the American fighter, trainer Robert McCracken knew Froch had to stop his man to retain his title on foreign soil.

If Taylor could maintain his early work rate throughout twelve rounds, I believe that he could beat any fighter, but he becomes a lot more vulnerable, especially against a fighter like Froch who isn’t going to stop coming for you for twelve solid rounds.

This is what Froch did, in an emphatic twelfth round which will go down as a classic, Froch had Taylor down. With not long left in the fight, Taylor was out on his feet and Froch followed up with a barrage of punches to stop the outgunned Taylor with fourteen seconds left on the clock.

It was a highly emotional moment in boxing for Froch, as he was behind on the scorecards and would have lost his title no doubt. He did what a great champion had to do, and that was stopping his man at the end of a truly memorable night for British boxing.

Froch had done it, he had retained his title with fourteen seconds left on the clock and brought the WBC title back to Britain and earned his first win in Super Six tournament.

Next up for Froch was the American challenger Andre Dirrell, who came into the fight undefeated in 18 contests and was certainly looking to make a statement against Froch. The fight was taking place in Froch’s hometown of Nottingham. After defending his title against Taylor, it was time for Froch to reward his fans with the fight on home soil.

Froch was aggressive throughout the fight and certainly applied the pressure throughout. Dirrell looked to use his boxing ability to counter Froch and certainly looked like he was bothering Froch with his speed. Dirrell took a lot of rounds and made it a close fight with his boxing.

The problem for Dirrell was, especially being in Froch’s hometown, he made the fight very negative. He certainly had the skill to trouble Froch, but with excessive clinching and constantly on the back foot, he certainly wasn’t trying to command the tempo of the fight like Froch was doing.

Some people think Dirrell was robbed in the fight, but with the points deduction and negativity, I certainly didn’t feel Dirrell put enough heart in the performance to take the title away from Froch that night. It was close no doubt, but a lot of the time Dirrell didn’t look he wanted to get involved with Froch and with him complaining to the referee, it certainly didn’t help his case of winning the fight.

Froch did enough with his come forward style and landing and throwing more blows. Dirrell is a good fighter and no doubt he pushed Froch that night, but I certainly don’t see how Dirrell was robbed in the fight. Froch retains his WBC title and moved on to the next stage of Super Six.

Next up for Froch was the tough Mikkel Kessler, who us British fans knew a lot about from his great fight against Joe Calzaghe. Froch agreed to defend his title in Kessler’s home country of Denmark and it certainly was going to be a tough fight for Froch as Kessler had showed in the past he was a great champion.

Coming off a loss to Andre Ward, who many people thought Kessler would be too much for, meant that Kessler had a lot to prove on the night. To progress in the tournament he needed a win against Froch as he had been soundly beaten by Ward.

The fight went down as a 12 round slugfest with back and forth action from the off. Kessler and Froch, throughout the fight, were landing big right hands and both fighters appeared to be shaken up at different stages of the bout.

Was Kessler knocked down in the fight? I believe he was knocked down as it was pretty clear that a glove landed on him but it was ruled a slip. Froch, unlike in other fights, didn’t pick up the pace enough to look like he was dominating the later rounds.

However, this is what cost Froch the fight, in my opinion. It was very close and it with it being in Denmark, it was pretty clear the fight would go to Kessler. It was a memorable war though and Froch believes that he didn’t lose the contest on that night.

I feel that with the home advantage Kessler did enough, but it certainly didn’t make Froch lose heart and he did make it a very close fight. Unfortunately for Kessler, he had suffered from an eye problem prior to Super Six and this problem progressed throughout the Ward clash.

Enough damage was done in the Froch fight for the Dane to have to pull out of his next appearance against Allan Green, which was a shame because Kessler certainly would have played a part in the later stages of the tournament in my opinion.

It was a learning curve for Froch and he certainly has taken a lot of experience from the fight and the tournament up to that point. There was a lot of work for Froch to do to prove that he still could play a part in the tournament. Up next for Froch was Germany’s Arthur Abraham, for the vacant WBC belt due to Kessler’s eye problem.

This was a big fight for Froch, who was looking to get himself back on track after the Kessler loss, but no doubt Abraham was going to be a tough opponent for him as Abraham had shown in the past what he was capable of.

With impressive knockouts and some good wins on his record, Abraham would surely have the style to pose a problem for Froch. Abraham did lose by disqualification in the fight before against Andre Dirrell, so he did need a win to progress him to the semi-finals.

Froch vs. Abraham took place in a neutral ground in Finland and the fight can go down as one of the most dominant performances from a British fighter on foreign soil. Froch from the off was in full command of the fight and dominated Abraham. Abraham never found his rhythm and was constantly being outworked by Froch.

Froch used his jab to control the pace of the fight and looked really strong. With his boxing ability, he was landing good punches on Abraham all night and put on a world class performance. He never let Abraham settle, and although Abraham was known for starting fights slowly, he never troubled Froch at all.

Froch, in my opinion, won every single round of the fight and looked like the Kessler clash was behind him. Froch’s mind-set is that he never lost the Kessler fight and still believes to this day that he hasn’t lost it. So by putting on such a stellar performance, he showed the boxing world why he was the champion and truly deserved to bring back the WBC belt to Britain.

It was an amazing night for British boxing, as this fight was expected to be another hard fought war for Froch and a lot of people thought the Kessler performance showed that Froch was beatable and that Abraham would be too much for him. It was the complete opposite however and Froch showed that he does have a great boxing brain as well as having the ability to have a tear up.

This, I feel, is one of Froch’s underrated assets. A lot of people credit Froch for his chin or his power but I feel his boxing and footwork brings problems to fighters. This is why Abraham found it hard to get going on Froch because Froch was in control on the inside and outside and it was fantastic to see Froch put in the performance that he did.

With this win Froch, progressed himself to the semi- finals of Super Six against Glen Johnson, who entered the tournament as a substitute for Mikkel Kessler due to his eye injury. Johnson had to beat Allan Green and he did that by eighth round stoppage and Johnson looked like he would be a force at the weight.

No doubt he was a worthy opponent for Froch and in the past Johnson has given boxing so many memorable nights. He is a true warrior in the ring and no doubt would come to fight against Froch. Froch vs. Johnson had war written all over it and it was going to be another exciting match up for Super Six.

The early rounds started off at a tremendous tempo with Johnson landing a lot of good punches. Johnson really looked to press the action against Froch and was hitting Froch was some terrific right hands. Froch was landing too and the fight was really starting to get exciting. The middle rounds were memorable and it was how I expected it to unfold.

Froch really started to up the workrate in the middle rounds and Johnson was still firing back. I believe round eight has to be up there with round of the year, it was a back and forth toe on toe war and it showed why these two men were such world class fighters. The fight was close at this point and Froch slightly adjusted in my opinion the tiring Johnson.

Johnson had put in a lot of work, but Froch has shown that he can use his boxing ability and it unsettled Johnson toward the end. Froch was on top in the later rounds and he no doubt did enough to win the fight. I do feel that he did enough to win unanimously but he had to settle for the majority decision over the tough Johnson.

Froch showed that night, similar to the Pascal fight in my opinion, that he has the boxing brain to use a plan B and change what he is doing to win a fight. He loves a good old tear up because he has confidence in his own chin and power. As a boxing fan there is nothing I love more to see Froch getting in deep with a fighter and putting him ‘in the trenches’as Froch would say himself.

He does know how to box too and this is something that he showed in the Abraham and Johnson fights. He has the maturity to control on the outside and win rounds and his progression throughout the tournament has shown how much he has developed as a fighter.

Going back prior to his win over Pascal I don’t believe a lot of people would have given Froch a chance against the fighters he has faced. He took a lot of criticism in his career due to getting hit so much and looking very unorthodox in his fighting style.

Froch is a highly determined man and he has proved that with his performances in this tournament. He has fought and troubled the best in the weight class in back to back fights and he has built such a strong record by not being scared to take on the best and go to their home ground to do that. He is finally getting the recognition that he deserves and I believe he is the best fighter that we have in Britain.

The final and big test is next for Froch and he has earned the right, as has Andre Ward, to be there. Ward got to the finals by beating Kessler, Green and Abraham and he has maintained his undefeated record in reaching the finals.

Ward is a very talented boxer and apart from being decked earlier in his career against Darnell Boone, he has rarely ever looked in trouble in the ring. He has the ability to control a fight mainly on the outside with his slick boxing ability. He is very good at countering and is highly disciplined throughout the whole 12 rounds of a contest.

He also can control a fight on the inside and he isn’t scared to throw big shots, but he is very quick on his feet so he has the ability to get out of there if he is in trouble. Ward has matured into the overall package and does what he needs to do to win fights. He doesn’t need to get into a war to break down fighters and has shown that he can deal with pressure fighters like Sakio Bika to win more than enough rounds to bring home the win.

The two best fighters have certainly earned the right to be where they are now and on 17th December, we are on in for a great fight.

Froch is going to have to press the action from the start as he can’t afford to let Ward grow confidence in his own ability. No doubt Ward is going to want to stay on the outside and make Froch pay for throwing at him. Froch is going to have to throw a lot of punches and will have to try and get Ward to engage in a war.

Ward is the no doubt better boxing in my opinion, however I don’t believe that he has been in with a fighter like Froch before. Froch causes problems for any fighter with his work rate and powerful right hands. He has the ability to hurt a fighter and stay on top of them and control the tempo.

Froch will have to make Ward feel uncomfortable if he wants to break him down. Ward has shown that he can handle pressure against Kessler and Bika, but with the two strong performances Froch has put on against Abraham and Johnson, I believe he has picked up the momentum going into the final which he truly needs.

There’s no doubt that Froch is going to catch up to Ward but will Ward be able to box Froch for the full 12, enough for Froch not to inflict damage? Froch can’t get sloppy against Ward because he will get punished. Froch has shown in his fights that he can adjust, and as long as he isn’t getting heavily out boxed going into the later rounds, I believe he has a chance.

I hope Froch can connect on Ward’s chin and slow the American down, because Ward’s speed will be a key factor in the bout. Ward will need to, at some stage, land leather and I know for a fact Froch will be able to take the best of Ward’s punches, but will Ward be able to take Froch’s?

This fight in my opinion has great potential, and there is an argument for and against each fighter winning. I believe that with the fight being in America, Ward is the favourite and with his strong performances and the way he boxes, a lot of people believe he will beat Froch easily over 12 rounds.

The question seems to be whether Ward can keep that focus for 12 rounds.Ward hasn’t been in with anybody as live as Froch, in my opinion, and this is going to factor a lot in the fight. Both fighters are going to have to dig deep with Froch using his pressure and Ward trying to control the fight on the inside and outside. I think it will be a case of who wants it the most.

No doubt it’s going to be a close and action packed fight, but I just feel that Froch is going to stun the boxing world and stop Ward late. Similar in fashion to the Taylor fight, I think Froch is going to be a bull on the night and do enough break down Ward.

He is going to have to be very powerful and throw a lot of punches and not let Ward settle into any form of rhythm. There is a lot of talk about Ward being dirty and the prime example of that was the head butts in the Kessler fight. Froch won’t settle for that as he showed us in the Johnson fight by throwing a low blow after getting hit by a low blow. Froch needs to dictate the pace on the inside and I think that could be enough to break Ward down later on in the fight.

After the Super Six Tournament, I believe that the 168 pound weight class needs to truly be settled. Lucian Bute recently beat Glen Johnson and Bute has had to wait to fight the best due to Super Six. There are no excuses for him now, when the tournament is over, to not fight Ward or Froch.

A fight with either man would be a truly exciting match up and I hope that one can go through. Froch in my opinion should try and face Kessler in the UK and avenge the loss. I believe on home soil he would be able to do that, it’s a fight that boxing fans would love to see and I hope for Froch’s sake that it can go through.

As a big fan of Froch, I would like to wish him good luck this weekend against Andre Ward. He has shown me throughout the years why he is my favourite fighter with putting on so many strong performances in the ring. He has built such a strong resume with his back to back performances against world level fighters and not a lot of people can say they have continuously fought the best fight in fight out.

I hope his hard work really pays off this weekend because I believe he is a true champion to win back his belt and progress to the final.

I know you are going to do me and all of your loyal fans proud this weekend, Froch, I can’t wait to see you bring back both belts and the Super Six cup.