Carl Froch

Carl Froch boxing news

Calzaghe predicting Froch victory over Kessler

kessler43Joe Calzaghe knows a thing or two about WBA super middleweight champion Mikkel Kessler (46-2, 35 KO’s) after having beaten him by a 12 round unanimous decision in a grueling fight in 2007. After watching some of his recent fights, Calzaghe believes that Kessler’s physical skills have deteriorated enough since their 2007 to where he’s now vulnerable to losing to IBF super middleweight champion Carl Froch (30-2, 22 KO’s) in their rematch on May 25th in London at the O2 Arena.

Kessler, 34, is a year younger than the 35-year-old Froch, but Calzaghe thinks Froch is the physically younger fighter now and is still at the peak of his career going into his rematch with Kessler.

Ward: Froch and Kessler are just using my name to get attention

ward643By Michael Collins: WBA super middleweight champion Andre Ward thinks both Mikkel Kessler and Carl Froch have been just using his name to help promote themselves and put themselves on same level as him. Ward beat both Kessler and Froch in the Super Six tournament in fights that left no question who the better fighter was.

Ward hasn’t cared for the comments that both fighters have made since he beat them, and he feels that they’ve made excuses for their losses instead of giving him the credit he deserves for schooling them.

Ward said in an interview with esnewsreporting.com “I’ve lost all respect for Mikkel Kessler and I’ve lost all respect for Carl Froch. Neither one of those guys want to fight [me]. They’re just using my name to keep their name up. If I fight either one of those guys, I don’t care which country it’s in, it’s not going to go the distance. I don’t have to go to Denmark to become a star; they have to come to the U.S if they want to become an all-time great.”

Hearn wants Froch vs. Kessler 2 to be PPV

kessler34By Michael Collins: Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Sport plans on making the rematch between Carl Froch and Mikkel Kessler a pay per view bout on Sky Box Office. This apparently is needed in part to help out with the costs of the contracts for Froch and Kessler, both of which will be receiving 2 million pounds are more for the fight. The PPV part for the fight will be finalized by next week, according to the Telegraph.

Hearn said in an interview with the telegraph.co.uk “For a fight of this magnitude like Froch-Kessler to take place, pay-per-view is a necessity.”

Sky TV got out of the PPV business following some disastrous bouts like the Audley Harrison vs. David Haye fight in 2010. It’s interesting that Sky TV will get back into the PPV boxing business for Kessler-Froch rematch.

Froch vs. Kessler 2 on May 25th at the O2 Arena in London, England

kessler343434By Michael Collins: Well, it looks like Eddie Hearn from Matchroom Sport has worked his magic and got a badly desired rematch for his fighter IBF super middleweight champion Carl Froch (30-2, 22 KO’s) against WBA 168 pound champion Mikkel Kessler (46-2, 35 KO’s) at the O2 Arena (Millenium Dome), Greenwich, London, United Kingdom.

The only thing that awaits now is the approval from the IBF for Froch to bypass his mandatory defense against Adonis Stevenson, but it looks like the IBF will grant Hearn and Froch permission to maneuver around that dangerous fight.

Froch believes that he should have won their previous fight back in April 2010 in Denmark.

Froch ended up losing by a 12 round unanimous decision largely because Kessler seemed to get the better of him during virtually every exchange they had. Kessler’s superior hand speed and better combinations enabled him to land the cleaner shots against the long-armed Froch. I don’t think much will change other than the fight now taking place in the UK, and perhaps Froch getting the benefit of the doubt if the rounds are close. We might see a controversial decision in this fight, and frankly I’d be surprised if we didn’t.

Froch: My fight with Kessler will be the biggest fight in the UK in 10 years

froch453By Michael Collins: IBF super middleweight champion Carl Froch (30-2, 22 KO’s) sees his possible rematch with WBA super middleweight champion Mikkel Kesser (46-2, 35 KO’s) as being a huge fight in the UK, bigger than anything that’s taken place there in the past decade. It’s kind of hard to believe because there have been so many important fights that have taken place there during the last 10 years that would seem like much bigger fights than Froch-Kessler 2.

Froch said to thisisnottingham.co.uk “Everything is in place for what will be the biggest fight in Britain for the last ten years. It is the fight everybody wants.”

I think Froch is maybe overestimating the interest in the Kessler fight. Sure, it’s a decent fight but Kessler hasn’t exactly been fighting on a regular basis for the past two years, and he’s not been busy enough to make this a really huge fight.

Adonis Stevenson ready to fight for vacant IBF strap if Froch gives it up

stevenson323By Michael Collins: #1 IBF mandatory challenger Adonis Stevenson (19-1, 16 KO’s) is still waiting to see what IBF super middleweight champion Carl Froch will do next. Froch wants to fight WBA super middleweight champion Mikkel Kessler next, but the two fighters are still wrapped up in a tough negotiation. Froch’s promoter Eddie Hearn says he expects this to be concluded this week. He’s going to have to make a decision at this time whether to fight Kessler and give up the IBF strap or face the dangerous Stevenson.

If Froch chooses to fight Kessler, then the IBF strap will be vacated by him and Stevenson will then fight one of three contenders for the vacant title. According to Steve Kim the options for Stevenson are as follows:

1. Edwin Rodriguez

2. Lucian Bute

3. Thomas Oosthuizen

Rodriguez is ranked #3, Bute #4 and Oosthuizen #5 by the International Boxing Federation. So it’ll be up to Rodriguez first if he wants to fight Stevenson for the vacant IBF 168 pound title. If he declines the fight, which I doubt he will, then Bute will be the next fighter to get a shot. It’s doubtful he’ll take the fight because it’s a high risk fight and he’ll likely wait to get his big money rematch against Carl Froch at some point in 2013.

Froch will find out this week who his next opponent will be

froch3232By Michael Collins: IBF super middleweight champion Carl Froch (30-2, 22 KO’s) will learn this week which guy he’ll be facing next – Mikkel Kessler or Adonis Stevenson. Froch, 36, has made it no secret that he wants the rematch with Kessler next, as he lost to the Dane by a 12 round unanimous decision in April 2010 and he’s been bugged about the loss ever since.

Froch thinks he should have won the fight but boxing fans as a whole disagree and saw Kessler as the rightful winner. The Kessler rematch, if it can be made, will give Froch and Kessler a $2 million payday. That’s good money for super middleweight. It’s obviously not even close to the kind of cash that superstars like Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. rake in each time they fight, but then again Kessler and Froch aren’t on the radar screen in terms of worldwide popularity like those two talented fighters.

Froch told the Nottingham Post “We should know something in the next few days. If the Kessler fight is finalized we can apply for an exemption from the IBF. If we have to give up the belt to fight Kessler, so be it.”

Adonis Stevenson will have to step aside for Froch/Kessler II

stevenson34By Joseph Herron: On October 12th, 1012, Super Middleweight contender Adonis “Superman” Stevenson knocked out Donovan George in spectacular fashion in the final round of a very entertaining twelve round slugfest to become the IBF mandatory opponent for current 168 pound title holder Carl “The Cobra” Froch.

According IBF bi-laws, Froch was given 90 days to negotiate a title defense with the number one contender after dispatching Yusaf Mack in three rounds on November 17th, 2012, in Nottingham, England.

But now, according to a spokesperson for the IBF, Adonis will have to step aside and wait until a unification bout between WBA title holder Mikkel Kessler and the incumbent IBF champ takes place.

“Usually, a mandatory defense is required of the reigning IBF Champion ninety days after a voluntary title defense,” stated a spokesperson for the International Boxing Federation. “But a unification bout always takes precedence over a mandatory defense upon request from the reigning champion.”