Hennessy Sports Boxing: Froch Targets Taylor For Vacant WBC Belt

Carl Froch has now got his hard-earned shot at the vacant WBC Super Middleweight title against Jermain Taylor later this year but hopes his co-challenger doesn’t bottle out of it.

Undefeated British Champion Froch has been elected to fight the American, Taylor, a former undisputed middleweight champion, for the prestigious WBC title after Joe Calzaghe vacated the belt rather than fight mandatory challenger Froch.

The WBC have ordered a private negotiating period between Froch’s promoter Mick Hennessy and Taylor’s promoter Lou DiBella. If there is no agreement, a purse bid will then be held on Friday July 25, 2008, at the WBC Executive Offices in Mexico City.

‘Cobra’ Froch has challenged Taylor not to duck out of facing him in one of 2008’s biggest global fights and also launched a stinging attack on Taylor’s promoter Lou DiBella after the New Yorker’s recent comments on The Fight Network.

“I’m delighted to get the title fight and just hope Taylor shows a real fighting heart and goes through with this fight,” said Froch, who has stopped 19 opponents in 23 fights.

“I’ve heard he was talking about fighting Jeff Lacy next but that fight is a mismatch in my opinion. I would knock Lacy out in a round or two and it is an easy fight for Taylor, so I just hope Jermain doesn’t squirm out of this situation with me and I think the broadcasters shouldn’t allow him to either.

“I heard Lou DiBella has said on American television, ‘who the fuck is Carl Froch?’ But he will know who the fuck the ‘Cobra’ is when his fighter is laying horizontal in front of him. Then I will ask him, what does he know about boxing?

“In my opinion, doing Taylor versus Lacy is just as bad as doing Kelly Pavlik versus Gary Lockett. It’s a mismatch and anyone who buys into that has got to be nuts, in my opinion.

“Lacy seems scared of his own shadow at the moment and Taylor will also be a chicken if he swerves me. DiBella says American TV isn’t interested in me, but believe me, they are. Once I knock out Taylor, I will do the same to Kelly Pavlik.”

Froch’s promoter Mick Hennessy has been in talks with DiBella and is confident the ‘Cobra’ will be the new undisputed top man of the super middleweight division.

“Carl would have taken out Calzaghe in style, but now he will do it to Jermain Taylor instead; he is the new star of world boxing,” said Hennessy.

“I’ve been speaking with Lou DiBella for awhile now and I just hope they don’t start opting for easier fights for Jermain. This could be a massive fight.”