Boxing Asylum

Will the Cobra strike a final time?

Assessing the options for Froch

Words: Kurt Ward

Will Carl Froch fight again or will he hang them up after scoring a fantastic knockout against George Groves in front of 80,000 fans at Wembley stadium? Froch, who turns thirty-seven next month, says he is '50/50' on whether or not he will carry on. Nothing will top the event at Wembley for the Cobra and it may be the perfect time for him to go out, on his own terms, with plenty of money in the bank and legacy secured. But if he decides to stick around for at least one more fight, who should he face? There are plenty of options for the unified WBA/IBF champion should he decide to lace the gloves up one final time. In this article we take a look at the five most likely candidates. 

Golovkin hurting Rosado

Gennady Golovkin (29-0, 26 KOs), the current WBA title-holder at 160lbs, is set to meet Daniel Geale on July 26 in New York. He is desperate for a big fight and was scheduled to move up to 168lbs to face Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. before promotional and contractual problems arose between Team Chavez and Chavez's promoter, Bob Arum. This fight would be highly anticipated by boxing fans around the world due to the styles both men bring into the ring.
Golovkin's trainer, Abel Sanchez, has said that they would welcome a fight with the English champion in the fall, should they do what most expect and be successful against Daniel Geale. With Golovkin struggling to find suitable challengers at 160lbs, a move 8lbs north might be the best option in his quest to secure a really big fight. 

What they said: "I think that they’re both the kind of guys that will give the fans a hell of a fight. The fans will be treated to the kind of fight that we've missed in the past. It’d be a clash of two big punchers. Two big, strong dudes and it’d be fantastic for as long as it goes.” - Abel Sanchez speaking to Livefight.com

Ward gets the upper hand in Super six final

Andre Ward (27-0, 14 KOs) has already beaten Froch in the final of the super six tournament at the back end of 2011 and is, without doubt, the premier 168lb fighter in the world, but he now finds himself on the outside looking in. While the super six final wasn’t an exciting affair, and Froch was beaten pretty comfortably, (Please, ignore two of the judges' strange cards) it is now Ward who looks like he needs Carl Froch more than the Nottingham man needs Andre Ward.
In the near three years that have passed since their first fight, Froch has dominated Lucian Bute, avenged the first loss of his career against Mikkel Kessler, and set the record straight with George Groves in front of 80,000 fans at Wembley stadium. His popularity is at an all-time high and his purses have soared over his past three fights (some newspapers have Froch earning as much as £8m/ $13m for the Groves rematch). 

Ward was dominant in his sole outing of 2012 against Chad Dawson, but a conflict with his promoter, Dan Goossen, has seen his career and momentum stall. The unbeaten American only fought once again last year – another dominating performance against Edwin Rodriguez – and the signs of an impending return are not good when there are more words currently being written about his ongoing lawsuit with Goossen.


What they said: "He's an unbelievable fighter; one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world. Commercially, unfortunately, he means very little. Andre Ward couldn't sell out his living room." - Promoter Eddie Hearn speaking to the crowd at the Froch - Groves weigh-in.

Preparing for the rematch

They are 1-1 in their two fight series and Mikkel Kessler (46-3, 35 KOs) wants to come out on top. He has been vocal in interviews, and on social media, about wanting to set the record straight in a third and final bout. Injuries and inactivity have plagued his career of late and in the rematch with Froch, the man from Denmark looked a bit shopworn.

He hasnt fought since that defeat twelve months ago but is looking to get back in the ring before the year is out. The rematch was received well with boxing and casual fans alike; with tickets selling out and the event being strong enough to warrant PPV billing. They have huge respect for each other since their gruelling first clash in 2010 and it could be fitting that both veterans end their careers with one last battle; a trilogy fight for the chance to prove once and for all who the better man is.

What they said: "I feel very confident that I will win that fight [third fight with Froch]. In the rematch I started out slow. That won't happen again. It's no secret I crave the big fights." - Kessler in an interview with the BBC

Chavez drops Martinez in round 12

Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (48-1-1, 32 KOs), the son of the Mexican legend, has, officially, only had one fight at 168lbs since losing his WBC Middleweight title to Sergio Martinez in September 2012. He failed to make the weight against Brian Vera (a 172lb catchweight was later agreed to) and was fortunate in receiving a points victory. He settled things in the rematch (this time making weight) six months later and looked all set to face unbeaten middleweight Gennady Golovkin until issues around his contract and pay derailed the planned July fight. A fight with Froch would command HBO PPV billing in the United States with a win for Chavez being the perfect way for him to gain back some credibility with many of the fans who have seemingly lost faith in him over the past eighteen months due to his lack of dedication outside the ring.  The term 'fan-friendly' fits this fight perfectly.


What they said: "Mexico and England have always had a great rivalry in sports. Also the fight would give me the oppurtunity to become the first fighter from Mexico to win the super middleweight world Title. I look forward to the fight happening." - Chavez when speaking to Boxingscene

DeGale strikes Gold

James DeGale (19-1, 13KOs), the 2008 Olympic gold medallist from Beijing, got his career back on track with a fantastic fourth-round stoppage over previously unbeaten Brandon Gonzalez on the undercard of the huge Wembley bill. In defeating Gonzalez, DeGale became mandatory for the IBF super middleweight title - a title currently held by Carl Froch. Since losing a close decision to bitter rival George Groves three years ago, Degale has reeled off nine straight wins and some see his awkward southpaw style causing Froch problems.  It would be another big domestic world title fight, and with DeGale signing with Eddie Hearn of Matchroom sport, no promotional conflict could get in the way of it happening. 


What they said: "The question is does Carl Froch want to fight me? I'm not too sure, but I'm in a fantastic position now. I'm in the mandatory spot so he has to fight me within 120 days. 
"I'm a horrible fighter to face. I'm all wrong for Carl Froch and I've said that for years. It'd be a horrible fight for him and I think I'd beat him convincingly." - DeGale to Sky Sports