FROCH v TAYLOR - 25/4/09 - ITV1 Sunday replay!

[Majesty]

I dunno if this victory makes Froch an overnight success either. Even Jermain Taylor says that when he tells people he is training for Froch they always ask him "Who is Carl Froch?" so that it is a little embarrassing.

Dissagree!
Froch IS a virtual unknown and if he scalps Taylor in his first defence and in Taylors back yard then the boxing world will sit up and take to Froch instantly. (Everyone loves an underdog)
Let's not forget that the US public were desperate for Pavlik to be the new "Great White Hope" until Hopkins spoiled it for him.
Fact is that the US are still desperate for their own Calzaghe (undefeated white reigning champ) which was what Pavlik was supposed to be so if Carl does the buisness of course they're gonna latch onto him like one of their own
Froch will be in a very handsome negotiating position if he spanks down JT on Sat.
Beating Taylor in style on his own turf is still a massive scalp and it won't be easy at all.
Taylor has the better natural skills and is way quicker than anyone Froch has faced before but Carl is so awkward to fight against and will be huge at the weight and i just see him weathering Taylor in the first 4 or 5 then forcing him back and landing heavy blows.
I think he'll break Taylors heart simply because JT can't knock him out and start to ware him down and get a stoppage around the 10th and if he can do it i'd also expect Froch to base himself in the US from now on and who could blame him after no UK TV channel will be showing Saturdays fight.

Scary similarity calling froch the great white hope and underdog. SO he is like Gerry Cooney with the power and the prospectness and finds a way to win. And Jermain Taylor is Larry Holmes with the fundamental skill and lightning jab

[ross]

an American fighter will usually have to travel to make his big fights happen, just not out of the country. They might have to go from Arkansas to New York or Atlantic City, or even Las Vegas. It's pretty normal for a guy to travel 1000 to 2000 km to make a big fight happen and go into an opponents home city. This would be the similar to an English boxer traveling to Germany.

No it wouldnt, going from Arkansas to New York would be similar to going from Manchester to London as its still in the same country, same nationality, they arent having to even deal with a different language

[Big Dick Whittington]

Deep down you just know Taylor for all his talent doesnt have the heart for the business and Froch is the BUSINESS .

No way Cobra loses this from the 1st round Taylor is gonna know that Froch's the boss and gets stalked to defeat long before Taylor gets anything on .
Taylor's has not knocked anyone out in a long while and has very questionable stamina , granted he did go the distance with Pavlik but I really7 feel this is Froch's coming out fight where he announces himself as a big player

Taylor stopped before 8 , tell them Big Dick sent you .

[Rantcatrat]

Deep down you just know Taylor for all his talent doesnt have the heart for the business and Froch is the BUSINESS .

No way Cobra loses this from the 1st round Taylor is gonna know that Froch's the boss and gets stalked to defeat long before Taylor gets anything on .
Taylor's has not knocked anyone out in a long while and has very questionable stamina , granted he did go the distance with Pavlik but I really7 feel this is Froch's coming out fight where he announces himself as a big player

Taylor stopped before 8 , tell them Big Dick sent you .

Put your money where your mouth is. Sig Bet?

[Rantcatrat]

an American fighter will usually have to travel to make his big fights happen, just not out of the country. They might have to go from Arkansas to New York or Atlantic City, or even Las Vegas. It's pretty normal for a guy to travel 1000 to 2000 km to make a big fight happen and go into an opponents home city. This would be the similar to an English boxer traveling to Germany.

No it wouldnt, going from Arkansas to New York would be similar to going from Manchester to London as its still in the same country, same nationality, they arent having to even deal with a different language

A little different than Manchester to London, more like Cardiff to London in the sense that culturally, the two places are apples and oranges.

[Rantcatrat]

Is anyone here actually attending this fight?

[ono]

I'd say Froch has quite a bit more power than Pavlik and clearly has a better chin.

Which heavy handed fighter has proven Carls chin?

The only reason Carl hasnt hit the deck yet is because he hasnt fought any world class fighters yet

Carl couldnt hurt Magee till late, Reid had him down whenever he connected

Pascal was badly hurt in his previous fight but Carl couldnt persuad him to not fight reckless

Im not rating Taylor, just fed up of reading presumptions on Carls part, he hasnt got a proven chin and hasnt got a proven punch all because he hasnt mixed in world class yet and fighting a fading middle weight wont prove his own powers at supermiddle either

You don't need to be facing a world class fighter to be put on your arse. It can happen to any fighter at any time.

It's also worth mentioning that Froch actually put Magee to sleep...literally.

He also knocked out Tatevosyan inside 2 rounds....a feat that Lucian Bute couldn't even come close to.

The sheer amount of hard flush shots he took from Pascal is testament to his chin (not to his defence mind). Ok you may argue that Pascal isn't a big puncher but he is a fighter who has a decent KO percentage bordering between light heavyweight and super middleweight....in other words, much heavier company than Pavlik or Taylor has mixed in.

You've sort of answered your own questions really by declaring Taylor as a faded middleweight. If Carl can take flush shot after flush shot from a 168-175lber you can bet your arse he can take them from a 'fading middleweight.'...a feat that Pavlik quite clearly struggled like hell to do.

My point was, Taylor the fading middleweight had Pavlik almost out of there and in turn Pavlik actually managed to get Taylor out of there. That was at 160. P4P Carl might not be as big a puncher as Pavlik but p4p punching power matters very little when you are taking shots from a guy who is naturally at least one weight class heavier than you are.

[ross]

A little different than Manchester to London, more like Cardiff to London in the sense that culturally, the two places are apples and oranges.

Only in that theres a bit more distance, its still in the same country though whereas Cardiff isnt, there is a bit of a culture divide between the Northerners and southerners.

The point im getting at is no matter how far an American fighter travels, as long as hes fighting on American soil the audience will be looking at a fellow American so will not be as hostile.

Cardiff to London I reckon would be more like Canada to America, on the same piece of land but different countries that actually dont like each other.

[ross]

I'd say Froch has quite a bit more power than Pavlik and clearly has a better chin.

Which heavy handed fighter has proven Carls chin?

The only reason Carl hasnt hit the deck yet is because he hasnt fought any world class fighters yet

Carl couldnt hurt Magee till late, Reid had him down whenever he connected

Pascal was badly hurt in his previous fight but Carl couldnt persuad him to not fight reckless

Im not rating Taylor, just fed up of reading presumptions on Carls part, he hasnt got a proven chin and hasnt got a proven punch all because he hasnt mixed in world class yet and fighting a fading middle weight wont prove his own powers at supermiddle either

You don't need to be facing a world class fighter to be put on your arse. It can happen to any fighter at any time.

It's also worth mentioning that Froch actually put Magee to sleep...literally.

He also knocked out Tatevosyan inside 2 rounds....a feat that Lucian Bute couldn't even come close to.

The sheer amount of hard flush shots he took from Pascal is testament to his chin (not to his defence mind). Ok you may argue that Pascal isn't a big puncher but he is a fighter who has a decent KO percentage bordering between light heavyweight and super middleweight....in other words, much heavier company than Pavlik or Taylor has mixed in.

You've sort of answered your own questions really by declaring Taylor as a faded middleweight. If Carl can take flush shot after flush shot from a 168-175lber you can bet your arse he can take them from a 'fading middleweight.'...a feat that Pavlik quite clearly struggled like hell to do.

My point was, Taylor the fading middleweight had Pavlik almost out of there and in turn Pavlik actually managed to get Taylor out of there. That was at 160. P4P Carl might not be as big a puncher as Pavlik but p4p punching power matters very little when you are taking shots from a guy who is naturally at least one weight class heavier than you are.

Catch up!

Im saying Froch hasnt faced any world class super middles as yet so how do we know he can take world class supermiddle power, how do we know his power will be any good on a world class super middle?

After Saturday night we still wont know because it is only a faded middle he is fighting, so by all rights, if Froch is as good as he says he is then he should be able to put away very quickly a middle weight who was knocked out by a middle weight and dropped in his last fight by Lacy, a man who couldnt hurt Manfredo

[OumaFan]

I still am surprised he didn't stop Paschal who got hit a lot and looked pretty chinny up till that fight. I was sure Froch would stop him considering all the talk of his power. Not sure its really there and definitely haven't seen anything to make me think he punches harder than Pavlik, no way.

I don't think Froch's chin has been tested enough to be considered world class or anything but it looks like its at least ok.

Looking at Froch I think this should be a field day for Taylor but I keep coming back to Taylor doesn't have a field day with anyone, nobody. I wouldn't even consider what he did to Lacy as being that dominant and lets face it Lacy just doesn't have anything, for all the shit I've given Froch he's above present day Lacy for sure.

So I don't know, I could see Froch coming on a bit late but something tells me he's not gonna go balls to the wall, I have a feeling Taylor will get his respect early and he'll do enough to win in a close but clear way when really he's talented enough to handle Froch, just doesn't have it mentally. Still I think if he shows what he showed in the second Pavlik fight he should win.

[Tam Seddon]

23.04.09

NEW YORK (April 22, 2009) – The principals for Saturday night’s highly anticipated world title fight on SHOWTIME participated in a final press conference on Wednesday at Gallagher’s Steak House in Manhattan.

Undefeated Carl “The Cobra” Froch will defend his World Boxing Council (WBC) super middleweight title against Jermain “Bad Intentions” Taylor, a former undisputed middleweight titleholder, live on SHOWTIME (9 p.m. ET/PT, delayed on the west coast) from the MGM Grand at Foxwoods in Mashantucket, Conn.

The event is co-promoted by DiBella Entertainment and Hennessy Sports.

Froch (24-0, 19 KOs), of Nottingham, England, will be making the first defense of the vacant 168-pound crown he gained in his last outing with a unanimous 12-round decision over Jean Pascal on Dec. 6, 2008. He earned the title shot after registering a fourth-round TKO over Albert Rybacki on May 20, 2008, on ShoBox: The New Generation on SHOWTIME.

Taylor (28-2-1, 17 KOs), of Little Rock, Ark., has had a prolific pro career since winning a bronze medal for the United States in the 2000 Olympic Games. The six-foot-one-inch, 30-year-old Taylor is the only boxer to twice defeat future Hall of Famer Bernard Hopkins.

Tickets, priced at $200, $100, $75 and $50, are on sale at MGM Grand at Foxwoods - Connecticut Casinos & Resorts - Entertainment & Vacation Getaway, your local Ticket Master and MGM Grand Box Office 866-646-0649.

Senior VP and General Manager of Sports and Event Programming for SHOWTIME, Ken Hershman, Froch and Taylor discussed the upcoming match and fielded questions from the media.

Quote Highlights From Wednesday’s Press Conference:

KEN HERSHMAN

“Carl Froch and Mick Hennessy are the champs here. They didn’t have to come over here and take this fight. My hat is off to them for coming here and doing this. This is a world class level event with world class level fighters. There are not many fighters that would come over here and do this.

“I’ve been a long time fan of Jermain Taylor. He is one of the most prolific fighters with one of the most impressive resumes. He has never shied away from a fight and this is a testament of that.


CARL FROCH

“It is my pleasure to be here in America. I was in Canada for three weeks and now have been here for the last week training. We’ve had a good camp. Sparring has been very intense with guys who are hitting me like Jermain will.

“Jermain seems very confident, talking about being back and No. 1 but make no mistake. This is my belt. I am the champion. I am undefeated. Only a few warriors have gone the distance with me. Everyone else hasn’t been able to stay in there.

“(Joe) calslappy didn’t want to fight me. When I became the champion it was vacant and you don’t get as much respect that way for some reason. But I am the WBC super middleweight champion and come Sunday morning Jermain Taylor will be disappointed that he doesn’t have the belt. I’m showing the Americans what ’The Cobra’ is made of.”

JERMAIN TAYLOR

“I have found the hunger again and it took fighting Carl for the belt to get it back. If I catch him he's going to sleep

"At 168 I'm more focused on boxing, because I don't have to worry about making weight. This fight I want to show the doubters. I want to make a statement.

"This is a comeback fight for me and will probably be remembered by the outcome. It's the kind of fight I need."

For information on SHOWTIME Sports, including exclusive behind-the-scenes video and photo galleries, complete telecast information and more, please visit the SHOWTIME Sports website at The Official Website of Showtime Sports.

[OumaFan]

Why does Jermain always have to get his hunger back FFS I really don't think he likes his job

At the same time I question Froch a bit about possibly planting some excuses already.

[Tam Seddon]

More pics for ya

[CFH]

For Tam and the other Froch fans, there's an 10+ minute interview with the Cobra here:

BOXING

[Rantcatrat]

More pics for ya

Thanks for the pics. Are you going to the fight?

Carl likes bikes and thinks he easily beats Bute: Froch: I'll zoom past Jermain | The Sun |Sport|Boxing