Froch Diary #2 - Carl Froch underlines just how crucial his trainer Rob McCracken is

With Fight Week here Carl Froch pays tribute to the man behind it all, trainer and "big brother" Rob McCracken and just how crucial a trainer is...

Robert and I have never had a business contract or a fighter trainer contract. I box, I do the business in the ring because I've got Rob and I pay him and that's the relationship we've got. We are very good friends but there is a line there where we don't cross or I don't cross cause I've got so much respect for Rob. He's more like a big brother figure to me or even a father figure rather than just a coach or just a trainer or a mate so for me the fighter trainer relationship I can't emphasise enough how important it is and how important to me personally it is to have that rapport and that respect for your trainer. I don't know what the relationship was like between Adam Booth and George Groves prior to them parting company so for me to say whether it is a negative or a positive it would be unfair. If he wasn't getting on with Adam Booth and they weren't working well together then it's good that he has left him, good from his point of view because I couldn't imagine being in the gym with someone you didn't get on with, who you didn't want to listen to and who you have got no respect for because you're not going to be doing the work, you're not going to be enjoying it and if you're not enjoying your job you don't do a good job. It could be a positive, it could be a negative, one thing's for sure changing your trainer 10 weeks or however many weeks it was prior to your first world title fight is never a good thing. It can never be great having to restart but it could be better continuing on from what he had before. He might be in a better position now than what he was with Adam Booth but again that would be looking at George Groves and focusing on him and concentrating on his negatives which I'm not doing. I focus on myself. I've done it before in the past when I was inexperienced; what's my opponent doing? What's he up to? Whose he fought? How good is eh? Is he quick? Can he move? What does he like to do? Forget all that. I'm World Champion because of what I do. I look at what I do best and how fit and strong and mentally switched on I am come fight night and I make sure I can get there so I'm in my best physical, mental possible shape for fight night and as long as I concentrate on myself and do what I do 99 per cent of the time it's enough and I do the business.