Jamie Moore on Carl Froch, Callum Smith, Rocky Fielding, Jamie Cox and Salford City
Thursday 12 November 2015 13:42, UK
Jamie Moore on his newest Sky Sports colleague, Carl Froch, and what he's like outside of the ring...
What did you make of all the talk of Carl Froch making a comeback. Is he the same man on the safe side of the ropes?
Jamie says: I asked him if he is thinking about fighting again and he said he just doesn't have the desire. Carl's always been a nice guy and I've got on with him and he hasn't really changed his demeanor, as such. I know soon after I retired, I changed. You lose that fighter's mentality but Carl seems the same to me, so who knows if he is keeping hold of that, just in case?
You just lose that fighting mentality. You are no longer thinking about fighting all the time, you can don't need that dedication or discipline and you just become more laid-back. Or at least I did!
You don't really become a nicer person, you just lose that fighting mentality. You are no longer thinking about fighting all the time, you don't need that dedication or discipline and you just become more laid-back. Or at least I did!
Your old trainer Oliver Harrison was in the losing corner on Saturday night, so where do he and Rocky Fielding go next?
I spoke to Oliver on the night and as he was getting out of the ring he just said he got caught cold - which he did. You can't take anything away from Callum Smith but you've also got to give Rocky credit for the way he tried to rally and come back because he was hurt. I wouldn't say he hurt Callum but I do think he stunned him a bit.
I think it was the birth of a special fighter the other night. Callum proved that those people who have been backing him to go all the way, were right. But because of that, that loss won't look so bad down the line, that's for sure. Rocky is definitely good enough to get back up to that British title level but it is going to take a little bit of rebuilding now. It was on a big stage, in front of a lot of his friends and he will be hurting. Especially his pride.
Callum Smith's explosive win left people calling for a world title shot straight away. Do you agree?
Like I say, we saw a side of Callum that most people were expecting but I wouldn't put him straight into a world title fight. I want to see him going in with someone in the top 10 or top 15 first. There is talk of Badou Jack, George Groves and a few more, but I am sure Callum and Joe Gallagher know he is good enough, but want to take it level by level.
He is definitely ready for that and if he takes on anyone at domestic level, he will do what he did to Fielding on Saturday night. He is on the warpath and he is on a mission and I think anyone at that level standing in his way, he will blow them away. For him to get ready for those big, big fights, he still has to get prepared.
I know he had had trouble for a while and he was always a big light-middleweight and coming back as a super-middleweight was a bit of a shock. But he has got the height and it looks like he's developing into it. I want to see him first-hand at this level before I make a judgement but he is definitely a talent.
Last time I saw him was fighting for the Commonwealth light-middleweight - or super-welterweight - title in 2011. His hands went and he didn't look that good but I think he's a great addition to the super-middleweight division. You don't have to be a banger to keep people in their place and he did have a reputation for being a bit of a nasty puncher, so if he can transfer that spite into his new weight he will definitely be one to look out for.
And finally football is never far away, especially for one of Salford's sporting superstars, so were you at the FA Cup first round game or in the Class of 92?
I've not been in that documentary but I have been taking my boy Mikey on a Saturday when we're not at Old Trafford, for a few years now. We've seen the transition and they are playing well and one of the players, Chris Lynch, is a good mate of mine.
But I didn't go to the first round game though. Why? Because I couldn't get a ticket! They'd sold out that quickly. I could've got one about 6 o'clock that night but I had to do my homework for the Liverpool show on the Saturday night. They are definitely going in the right direction with that money man behind them and before he came along, the Class of 92 did give me a call... but I couldn't be the manager, I was too busy with boxing.
