Carl Froch tells skysports.com how the upcoming Super Six will turn him into an international superstar.
Cobra "really proud and pleased" to be involved in Super Six
Carl Froch claimed the vacant WBC super-middleweight title last December after beating Jean Pascal in arguably one of the most exciting bouts seen on British shores in years. He retained it in similarly spectacular fashion in April, leaving fans in his home city of Nottingham behind and heading to Connecticut to knock out Jermain Taylor in the final seconds of their contest.
The man known as 'The Cobra' now plans to strike in the upcoming 'Super Six World Classic', which pits six super-middleweights - including Taylor and WBA champion Mikkel Kessler - in a round-robin tournament in order to determine the world's best at 168 pounds. Froch recently took time out to tell
skysports.com about his upcoming opponents, the prospect of international superstardom, not to mention the arrival of Sven-Goran Eriksson on the banks of the Trent...
Carl, you're signed up to compete in the Super Six World Boxing Classic. How have the various promoters managed to do this deal? It normally seems difficult to match two fighters, let alone six...
"Showtime TV are obviously putting up good finance for it so it's putting the promoters in the position where they want to work together because they want to maximise things for their fighters. Obviously the contracts are in place that safeguard everybody and it's a good opportunity for these fighters in a win lose or draw situation, that they're guaranteed three fights and potentially a place in the semi-final and final. If they do well and pick up plenty of points based on the point-scoring system...I think it's an opportunity not to be missed, both for the promoters and the fighters."
Your first fight is against Andre Dirrell in October and he's already claimed that you'll be his easiest opponent...he reckons you're too slow and easy to hit?
"I'm going to ram that fist down the back of his throat in round one and he's going to want to go home because he's not been in within anybody of my calibre. He's had 18 fights against 18 nobodies. He's a decent fighter, he's an Olympic medallist, he's got fast hands but he can't take a punch and unfortunately for him I punch like a mule and when I connect he's going to be in serious trouble. He's coming to 'The Snakepit' as well in Nottingham - I've got all my home fans cheering me on. He's going to be put in a position that he's never been put in and if he thinks he can come to Nottingham and upset the Carl Froch Tour then he's got another thing coming. He's in serious, serious deep water and I'm going to absolutely smash him to bits...
"...he needs to have a reality check and realise who he's in with - he's in with the WBC champion of the world. I beat Jean Pascal for that title: Jean Pascal stepped up to light-heavyweight and won a world title at light-heavyweight within two fights of me beating him and then, since winning the title, I went over to America and fought somebody who was, pound-for-pound, one of the best fighters: undisputed middleweight champion Jermain Taylor. He trained hard for that and he had plenty left in the tank when he fought me and I smashed him to bits in that last three rounds. If Andre Dirrell thinks he can cause a problem for me, or try and get involved in mind games by saying what he's going to do and saying that I'm an easy opponent then he's going to get a big shock on October 17th he really is. I like to talk a bit but I like to let my fists do the talking as well and trust me, come the 17th I'm going to absolutely put some serious leather on him. I'm going to hurt him, I'll be picking up three points in this new competition, trust me."
Apparently each fighter takes on three opponents in the group stages. Do you know who your other opponents will be? Presumably, as world champions, you and Mikkel Kessler will avoid each other?
"No, that's wrong. We're fighting in the second fight. I'm fighting Dirrell, Kessler and then (Arthur) Abraham."
Who would you want to face in the final?
"You know what? Any of the fighters - if they're in the final they deserve to be there. No particular fighter - I thought me and Kessler would make a great final but we're in the same group stage so we're going to meet each other in the second fight. If Andre Ward does well - he's an unbeaten Olympic gold medallist, calls himself 'The Son of God' so he's obviously got some mental beliefs there he feels may take him through to the final - but if he believes in God he'll also believe that God doesn't favour Americans over British people, so that won't be any help for him. But that aside, he looks like a decent, skillful fighter but he's somebody else who's been put down on the canvas after being caught, so he's someone else who, if he cops a right hand off the Cobra, is going to be in serious trouble. I think that would make for a great final, provided he comes through all his fights unbeaten. But he's got to fight Kessler in his first fight, so we'll find out what he's made of."
Do such contests represent the future of boxing? It sounds like the winner will become a superstar as a result...
"...an international superstar, that's right. Obviously people will judge it on merit and judge the success based on television and media coverage it gets in the build-up to the final and obviously how big the final is and other weight divisions may follow suit. But boxing will always have a one v one-type old-fashioned match-up because there's so many different champions in each weight division. There'll always be different matches to be made and then build up single fights because, obviously, names make fights. A group of names can't always work unless you've got a group of fighters of a good standard like we have in the super-middleweight division. Every one of these fighters is a good standard of fighter at the minute, that's why it's been able to be put together. But in the heavyweight division at the minute you'd struggle to get six big names, so it wouldn't work.
"It's a concept that will work and it's going to elevate the sport and give it the press it needs and give it the public vision it needs but whether it's going to take over and that's all it's going to be..I can't see boxing ever being like the (football) Champions League. But certainly at the minute with the super-middleweights that's what's happening, it's very exciting and I think it's fantastic and I'm really proud and pleased to be involved in it."
You're known as a fighter who does not duck an opponent...does that perhaps explain some of the criticism aimed in your direction? For example, the jibes that you knocked out Taylor with a "lucky" punch...
"I've not heard this "lucky punch" thing up until yesterday. Which one of the 18 unanswered punches in the last round was lucky? Because it was an 18-punch unanswered flooring in round 12, so lucky punch...I mean, it's not even plural is it? 'Punch'. Whoever says that (it was Frank Warren) needs to rewind the tape, have a look at it and realise what they're talking: absolute sh*t. I don't listen to it to be honest, so next question..."
Ok, next question. You're really into discipline. Can you describe precisely how disciplined your training regime gets?
"My training regime's very intense. I do long-distance runs, short-distance runs, hill sprints, flat sprints, I eat the right foods, I get up in the morning, I spar the right people, I do plenty of rounds, I just do what I need to do to be successful - I'm a consummate professional. You know, if you wanted me to go into what I do and what I don't do then this conversation would last an hour..."
"...it's a detailed training regime what I've got. Everything's meticulous - the food I eat, the training I do, the runs I do, the way in which I do my exercises are all quality. I just don't cut corners because I don't take chances, so when I step into that ring I am prepared 100 per cent."
And how indisciplined do you get in between fights?
"Not at all, that's part of the discipline and part of the reason I walk around five pounds above my fight weight. I don't balloon up in weight, I maintain a steady level of weight so my body's not traumatised when I'm fighting. I don't drink alcohol, I don't smoke, I don't eat rubbish food. I've got a few little vices and your body can cope with so many things in moderation: you can have the odd Big Mac from McDonalds and you can have the odd bag of sweets and the odd pint of Guinness. But, in excess, I don't abuse my body at all. Ever."
Assuming you win the Super Six, will you then call it a day?
"Erm...(exhales)...it's hard isn't it. You never say 'never'. I mean, if I win the Super Six I'll be an international superstar, I'll still only be 34 years old and I'm a right clean liver...who knows? I could probably box till I'm 40 the way I live. Would I call a day? I don't know, if I'm still enjoying boxing and I'm still doing the weight right and I'm still having the success I know I can have then why would I retire? It's something I love doing. I'll listen to my trainer Rob McCracken, when he tells me the time's up then that's when I'll hang my gloves up and not before."
Is the fact you turned pro at the relatively late age of 25 a major reason why you don't want to duck an opponent? In other words, there's the knowledge that your time at the top might be a little more limited than some?
"No, not at all. Regardless of when you turn professional you've got between 10 and maybe 14 years depending on how clean you live as a pro. If you turn pro at 18 or 25 you've got 10 or 12 years so I turned pro at 24,25...that gives me till I'm 37 - there's my 12 years. If I'd turned pro at 18 you'd guarantee I'd be finished by the time I'm 30 purely because of the amount of shots you take, the cumulative effect the training has on the joints, you've only got 10-12 years as a professional regardless of when you turn pro. As long as you don't turn pro when you're 35 you're OK. You peak between 25 and 35 depending on how quick your body develops - it's all down to genetics.
"The fact that I'm 32, world champion and undefeated...I'm not in any rush at all. I've just entered the biggest competition in the world and I'm excited that I've got probably another five years left at the top, minimum. Time is no factor for me, it really isn't. I'm not in any rush at all."
You're a Forest fan. What do you think of Notts County's appointment of Sven-Goran Eriksson last week?
"I think it's interesting and exciting. If Sven-Goran can do something in terms of bringing some decent players in over the next couple of years - and it will take two years or maybe three before they're up in the Championship, they're in League Two so it will take a while - it's certainly exciting times for Notts County. But you'll never beat the Reds: let's be honest, Nottingham Forest are the way forward. But it's certainly exciting at County, they got Sven-Goran and they've got plenty of cash by the sounds of it to start bringing in some top players.
"But that's the sad thing about football as a sport: it's a business, it's not really a sport. I mean, most sports are businesses in a professional sense but the teams with the most money have the most success. That's why I'm not that involved in football at Premier level. I love the Championship and I love the fact Nottingham Forest are...well, they hung on last season in the Championship but I think we've got a good season ahead of us, I really do."
Carl Froch was speaking at the launch of EA SPORTS Fight Night Round 4, out now on Xbox360 and PS3, and incorporating the most realistic "in the ring" experience to date. For further information, please visit http://fightnight.easports.com
