by James Slater There is no doubt about it, a fight between WBC super-middleweight king Carl Froch and former champ, the retired Joe Calzaghe, would be a huge event for British boxing. And no sooner had he roared back into the fight he was losing against Jermain Taylor this past Saturday – sensationally TKO’ing his challenger with just seconds left on the clock in the final round – did Froch call out his predecessor.
Claiming the fight has to happen for the fans, Froch challenged “The Pride of Wales” to make a return to the ring and fight him. Though Joe said he’d done all he’d wanted in boxing and that was happy to walk away just a few months back, Froch is still hoping to get the chance to beat the 46-0 Welshman.. And, for around 36 hours, we fans were left to ponder whether or not Joe would take the bait and be interested in coming back for one more fight so as to silence “The Cobra.” We can stop pondering.
According to the man who undeniably knows him best – his father and trainer Enzo Calzaghe – Joe will NOT be coming back to face either Froch or anyone else.
Talking to The Guardian, Enzo made it clear his son has absolutely zero interest in making a return to the ring to accommodate Froch. Not only that, but the respected trainer said he thought 31-year-old Froch’s showing against “Bad Intentions” was amateurish.
“He [Froch] needs Joe because he is such a poor fighter that he can’t make it on his own,” Enzo said. “Joe has absolutely no interest in fighting him. He has more interest in appearing on (T.V show) Strictly Come Dancing. What I saw on Saturday night was appalling – the worst performance by a world champion, he looked like an amateur. There were so many mistakes. Jermain Taylor didn’t have to block because Froch was just jabbing his hand.
“It was pathetic, an amateur could have done better.”
Strong words indeed by the trainer. And if and when he reads what Enzo has had to say, there is little doubt the proud Froch will want to fight Joe even more – so as to shut up his father if nothing else. Is Enzo’s criticism of “The Cobra’s” performance fair? True, Froch’s defence looked sloppy at times, but the way he came back to blast Taylor out of there deserves respect, surely?
Enzo says Froch is far from the best in the world at 168 pounds, though.
“He claims he’s the best super-middleweight in the world, but he could barely put away Jermain Taylor,” Enzo continued. “Taylor was tiring in the last round and that’s why Froch won – would that have happened against [Mikkel] Kessler, [Roy] Jones, [Bernard] Hopkins?
“It was a very poor performance. He didn’t keep his hands up, he missed shots and he couldn’t even move his head from side to side.”
Even though he refuses to give Froch any respect whatsoever, Enzo’s knowledge of boxing must be respected. However, if Froch is as bad as the trainer says he is, the question arises – why doesn’t Joe come back for a very easy night’s work and a further big payday in the region of £3 to £5 million?
Doubtless the reigning WBC super-middleweight king will continue to call out the former 168 and 175 pound ruler.