With Julio Cesar Chavez Jr now firmly out of the picture for a lucrative Las Vegas swansong following a devastating loss to Andrzej Fonfara last weekend, Carl Froch has been left pondering his next career move. The huge right hand that flattened George Groves at Wembley last year would be a fantastic way to bow out of the sport, so retirement remains a realistic option, but it seems clear that The Cobra would love to get back in the ring at least once more, albeit only for the right fight. But what is the right opportunity for him at this stage? Whatever happens, he will undoubtedly be remembered as one of the greatest British fighters of all time, but it still feels like there could well be more to lose than there is to gain with the options that are left on the table.
Froch has repeatedly stated that he would love to see his name up in lights in Vegas and in Chavez Jr, he and promoter Eddie Hearn believed they had found the perfect foil. A very winnable fight, that would make Froch look good and guarantee fan friendly action, as well as stacks of pay-per-view revenue from both the United States and UK markets. The plan was to provide Froch with a memorable coda to a spectacular career, just as Joe Calzaghe signed off with Stateside wins over Bernard Hopkins and a Roy Jones Jr impersonator. It’s understandable why Froch would want to fight in Vegas and he has certainly earned the right to fight who he wants, a return against Yusuf Mack aside perhaps, but none of the alternative opponents seem to offer the perfect balance of risk and reward that Chavez Jr did.
The WBA recently mandated Andre Ward, their super champion, to fight regular champion Froch and negotiations between Roc Nation and Matchroom have apparently been taking place ever since. The undefeated Ward hasn’t fought for nearly two years, following legal wrangles with his previous promoter, but has this week confirmed a comeback bout with two-time world title challenger Paul Smith in June. This means any clash with Froch would have to take place towards the end of the year, which is not an issue in terms of logistics (assuming they can placate the WBA indefinitely) but allowing Ward the opportunity to shake off any ring rust makes an already difficult task, look even tougher for Froch.
Memories of his first professional defeat were erased by an impressive return win over Mikkel Kessler in 2013, so the chance to avenge the only other loss of his career would provide huge motivation. Few pundits or fans would pick The Cobra to defeat Ward though, with their first fight in the Super Six final having ended in a straightforward points win for the self-proclaimed Son Of God. Perhaps more importantly, Froch would probably look bad in defeat, unable to walk down his opponent or land clean shots, bringing down the curtain on his fairytale career with a whimper, rather than the bang it clearly deserves.
Any fight would also be unlikely to take place in Vegas, nor would it generate huge money, so it doesn’t tick those boxes either. Ward has said he is willing to come the UK, but not to Nottingham, so that appears to rule out any opportunity for a glorious homecoming at The City Ground. There are plenty of reasons to swerve Ward then, but having vacated his IBF title in January, it seems unlikely that Froch would be willing to relinquish the WBA strap as well, so pride may well ultimately force his hand with this option.
Whilst purists rightly drool over Ward’s spectacular talents, most boxing fans would much rather see Froch in with current middleweight champ and ferocious knockout artist, Gennady “GGG” Golovkin. It’s a thrilling proposition and would surely be an absolute war from the first bell, with neither fighter taking a backward step. Golovkin would enter the ring as favorite, but there are enough intangibles to believe Froch would have a serious chance. Firstly, whether the move up to super middleweight will suit Golovkin, not only in terms of retaining his formidable power, but also the ability to take shots on the chin from a fully fledged 168 pounder like Froch. Additionally, how would GGG react if he is unable to hurt The Cobra? Rewatch the first battle with Groves if you need any evidence that Froch is the toughest in the business, he took shots that night that would have ended the careers of other fighters and still came on strong down the stretch.
Golovkin is keeping busy and building his profile Stateside, although since he isn’t yet a PPV star there would be nowhere near the same revenue on offer as there would have been with Chavez Jr. The risk of losing or taking serious punishment is very real, but this is also the only potential fight where Froch could still look great in defeat and emerge with credit. If he was to seriously trouble or hurt Golovkin, then he would win huge acclaim and swell the ranks of his international fan base even further. Still, it’s easy to say that from a safe distance.
In terms of the other options, obviously Arthur Abraham and Anthony Dirrell hold world title belts at super middleweight, but neither has even been touted as a credible opponent. Bernard Hopkins has been mentioned several times and is clearly a legend of the sport, but at fifty years old and coming off the back of a humbling loss to Sergei Kovalev, it would be hard to generate huge public interest in the fight.
So that leaves the winner of James DeGale and Andre Dirrell, who will contest the vacant IBF strap on May 23rd in Boston. There is history with Dirrell as Froch won a contentious decision way back in 2009. Eddie Hearn has hinted there is interest in America for that fight. Should DeGale make history as planned then clearly the prospect of another huge domestic dust up is back on the agenda.
DeGale is a highly skilled operator and would likely outbox Froch in the early rounds, but questions will be asked if he has the ability to hurt The Cobra, so it would really come down to his ability to stay out of range for twelve full rounds. An intriguing and commercially appealing match up should DeGale capture the title, but it’s not a fight that Froch has seemed keen on up to this point. As with Ward, there is the possibility of looking somewhat limited in defeat, not the way any great champion would wish to be remembered.
As ever with boxing, there is a delicate balance of romanticism and cynicism when it comes to selecting the right opponent, particularly at this stage of a career. Should Froch decide to fight on though, we will all be watching regardless of who is in the opposite corner.
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