Froch - What Next for the Cobra...?

[Rantcatrat]

My ranking of the current top super middleweights:

1. Kessler.
2. Bute
3. Taylor
4. Andrade
5. Bika
6. Froch
7. Mundine

Credit to Froch for his win this weekend. Pascal may not be at the top of the division, but he is no slouch. With that said, Froch has difficulty with anyone ranked above him.

Kessler is the best by a decent margin, but I want to see Kessler in the ring with a titlist to confirm that assessment. Bute is highly skilled, but I'm curious whether Andrade took something out of him. Taylor is coming off a good win over Lacy and has the most experience of the list, but the experience is at middleweight. Andrade has limited talent, but is relentless and has a granite chin. Bika is a proven warrior and is steadily improving, but he has a record of losing against top competition (Calzaghe, Bute, and Soliman). Froch is the newcomer of the bunch on the world stage, and is coming off a great win, but he has yet to prove himself as an elite. Mundine may move down to middleweight and I doubt he is sincerely interested in stepping up his level of competiton.

As of now, Taylor is Froch's mandatory, but for some odd reason Taylor is looking north to Bute rather than across the pond to Froch for his next match (Carl Froch Defends in April, Against Jermain Taylor? - Boxing News).

Froch should fight Bika if Taylor fights Bute. Bika is a legitimate challenge and holds the IBF strap. Froch isn't ready for Kessler - at least not with his hands down style. If he gets by Bika, which I doubt, he holds two major belts, and has a rightful claim to a big match against the winner of Taylor v. Bute or Kessler.