It’s one of the most fascinating and debated ‘what ifs’ in modern-day British boxing history: Carl Froch Vs. Joe Calzaghe, Joe Calzaghe Vs. Carl Froch – who would have won? Just missing out on settling the argument in the ring as their respective careers didn’t quite come together, both men have insisted since retiring that they would have come out on top.
“Cobra” Froch has been more vocal than has “The Pride of Wales,” with Froch even claiming Calzaghe ducked him (Joe went up to light heavyweight for his final two fights, securing big fights with legends Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones Jr, thus vacating his 168-pound titles, with Froch fighting, and defeating, Jean Pascal to win the WBC title).
But one man who could have fought both but instead fought only Froch, Andre Ward, was asked this week by Sky Sports who he thinks would have won – Calzaghe or Froch. Ward, who won a decision over Froch back in December of 2011 and who retired with an unbeaten record of 32-0(16) in September of 2017, says he thinks Calzaghe would have beaten Froch.
“I don’t think Froch could’ve kept up with the pace because Calzaghe had good footwork – that’s kryptonite to Carl Froch, you know, he doesn’t have great feet at all,” Ward said. “I’m not gonna say Joe Calzaghe would blow Carl Froch out because Carl Froch has the drive to win, the unwillingness to give up – you saw that in the Jermain Taylor fight, he just kept coming and kept coming until he finally knocked the door down. He was gonna have that in a fight with Joe Calzaghe, so I think it would have been a competitive fight. But I think Joe, just his activeness, his punch count, would ultimately sort of bewilder Carl Froch, even though he wouldn’t yield or give up. He’d ultimately beat him, beat him on a points victory.”
Interesting stuff from Ward, a former fighter who went on to be one of the most clued-up analysts and commentators of the sport. It is not that hard to see in one’s mind Ward’s pick playing out. Calzaghe, who finished at 46-0(32), was at his best a man with an incredible punch output, he was a man who never got tired in a fight. Froch was granite-tough, no doubt about it, and had these two greats had three fights, maybe Froch, who retired with a not-too-shabby 33-2(24) record, would have pounded out a close points win of his own in one of them. But Calzaghe was too fast, too active, too relentless for Froch.
On this one, I agree with Ward. What say YOU?