Quote Originally Posted by miles View Post
Quote Originally Posted by ono View Post
Quote Originally Posted by miles View Post

That's why I suggested a neutral venue and will further add that it should perhaps involve judges and a referee both fighters feel comfortable with. I think Froch beat Dirrell myself, but I'm well aware that many disagree. Hometown fighters do seem to be getting away with things. Abraham knocked Dirrell down and got nothing. Ward fought using mainly his head as a battering ram and clinched non stop and again no penalty. The tournament has been very dodgy in some regards.
That's the thing, it's easy to blame Froch when the actual root of the problem lies with dodgy judging which shows a bias to the house fighter. It's gone on for too long. You can't blame a fighter for not wanting to work his arse off in a 10 week training camp knowing full well he's going to get screwed at the end.
Exactly, it's the judges and also the referees who are just not doing an effective and impartial job. It's almost like they are acting in the interests of the home side because that's where the gate has come from and it shouldn't be like that. It's easy to say Froch should just shut up, grit his teeth and have to fight not only AA but also the officials, but it shouldn't need to be that way.

Froch should make a point of this. All the evidence suggests that it won't be impartial, so he would be silly not to stand up for himself before it all gets decided regardless.
The referee in the Kessler-Froch fight was excellent, he didn't favour either man. Also the ref in the Abraham-Dirrell fight didn't favour either man, he just made a complete mess of everything.

Of all the fighters who've been screwed in some way so far, Froch has had by far the easiest ride. I'd like Froch-Abraham in a neutral venue, but I doubt it sells in America (the only place it would is in Califiornia where it would be like a home fight for AA), but I suspect Froch will see anywhere in mainland Europe as being in Abraham's favour.

One thing is that it's too big a fight for the Trent FM arena, & I'm not sure Froch could guarantee to fill the city ground in the same way AA can with the O2 in Berlin.