by James Slater – Not long to go now until the hugely intriguing WBC super-middleweight title clash between champion Carl Froch and challenger and former WBC middleweight king Jermain Taylor. The hype for this one has been quite something, and during their pre-fight preparations neither boxer has been short of something to say about the April 25th outcome.
Of course both men are going to say they are expecting wholeheartedly to emerge victorious when they clash in Connecticut in just under two weeks time, but when “The Cobra” and “Bad Intentions” have made pre-fight predictions of victory both men have sounded utterly convincing. For his part, 30-year-old Taylor, 28-2-1(17) feels he is a class above Froch, 24-0(19), and that his overall skill and talent will be too much for the 31-year-old to cope with.
Froch, on the other hand, claims that by his taking the fight in America it shows how ultra-confident he is, and he says that a win will pave the way for true stardom. Both men have apparently left nothing to chance in the gym, with both guys pushing themselves to the limit.
Taylor, in speaking with ITV, spoke about his preparations for April 25th.
“Every fighter knows when he’s ready to do battle,” Taylor said. “I’m ready. My conditioning, stamina and mental preparation is on schedule. I’m peaking at just the right time. When you match his skill-sets with mine, I don’t see how Carl Froch can win this fight.”
Without a doubt, Taylor holds a big edge in experience. Having twice been in with, and beaten, the great Bernard Hopkins – to name just two of Taylor’s fine wins – it’s easy to see why many fans feel he will be too much for new champion Froch. One man who believes different, though, is Froch’s countryman Richie Woodhall. The former Olympian who once held the very belt Froch and Taylor will be fighting for soon says “The Cobra” will win. Not only that, but Woodhall goes as far as to say that Taylor is not even a major threat to Froch’s belt.
Woodhall, now a commentator and trainer, spoke with BBC Sport.
“I don’t think Taylor has the beating of Froch,” Woodhall said. “He is not a major threat to be honest. Before the [Jean] Pascal fight, Froch would not even have registered on the radar of Taylor. Now, after that [win by Froch], even though he would not admit it, he’ll be thinking,’ this guy has what it takes.’
“Jermain has been undisputed champion at middleweight, but now he’s fighting at super-middleweight. It’s a different division of course, but not only do I think he doesn’t have the power, I don’t think he has the skills to beat Froch.”
Will we see a chess match on April 25th? Or will we see an out and out war? Very possibly we will see something in-between. A superb fight is all but guaranteed, and those fans lucky enough to catch the action live (there is still no TV coverage scheduled in the UK) will get their money’s worth.