By James Slater: Even his critics have to admit that Nottingham’s Carl Froch has done far better than most people thought he would when he was heading into the “Super Six” tournament. Some “experts” even predicted that Froch would fail to win a single fight in the super-middleweight tournament. When it was announced that Froch would be facing guys like the unbeaten Andre Dirrell, the once-beaten Mikkel Kessler and the fearsome Arthur Abraham, a good many fans also felt “The Cobra” would come a cropper somewhere down the line; most likely by KO.
But though Froch did lose a very close decision to “The Viking Warrior” in Denmark, he has won his other two bouts by decision – the Dirrell win being a close affair, the Abraham win being of the lopsided variety. And now, heading into his semi-final with “Road Warrior” Glen Johnson, Froch must be given at least a decent shot at winning the entire tourney!
The Johnson fight will not be easy, however. This is why the 33-year-old has begun serious training for the fight already, even though it is still some 16 weeks away (May 21st).
Speaking with the web site of his hometown paper, The Nottingham Post, Froch spoke of how he is once again ready to put the hard work in for a big fight.
“It’s a long way off, but the hard work starts now,” Froch said of the Johnson bout. “I’ve had a good break with the family, although my son did his best to drink the swimming pool! We are hoping to bring some top Russian light-heavyweights over for sparring, so that should be good. I’m feeling pretty confident.”
There has yet to be an official announcement as to where the fight will be held, even though some reports have prematurely suggested the Froch-Johnson fight will share top-billing with a David Haye WBA heavyweight title defence in London. Froch would love to have this happen, but he is doubtful it will come off.
“David is an old mate from my amateur days and we have been talking about a doubleheader with Sky,” Froch said. “I think it would be really good. But Showtime [TV network] have said from day one that the semi-finals and the final would be in America. There is a chance I could fight in Canada and I might have to settle for that.”
No-one can say Froch has overly benefited from much in the way of hometown advantage when it comes to his “Super Six” fights. Just one bout, his tournament debut, has taken place in the U.K, and now it looks like he will be facing the teak-tough 42-year-old Jamaican in either the U.S or, maybe, in Canada. Not that Froch is complaining. Almost as much of a road warrior as Johnson has been of late, Froch has fought his last four bouts in as many countries.
Fans who like and respect both Froch and Johnson – the pair of them old-school fighters through and through – may have a tough time deciding who to root for come May 21st. Froch has done things the hard way, as has Johnson, for his entire career. Both warriors anticipate a hard battle and it’s unclear what the winner will have left for the final bout; likely to be against tourney favourite Andre Ward.
Froch is clearly leaving nothing to chance, training-wise, and that’s why he’s currently pushing himself hard for the fight that is over three months away. You can bet money on the fact that Glen Johnson is not far from a gym himself right now!