BOXING NEWS:CARL FROCH knows there is more than his unbeaten record and WBC super-middleweight title on the line against Mikkel Kessler in the quiet depths of rural Denmark tonight.
As he moves into the third section of Showtime’s Super Six Series to find the world’s best 12st fighter, he is seeking to extend a sequence of wins against elite boxers that would lift him above any British world champion of recent times.
After six years on the periphery of the big time, the 32-year-old Nottingham fighter strung together victories of varying types and quality against the tough young Jean Pascal, followed by a still competitive Jermain Taylor and the awkward American prospect Andre Dirrell – with Kessler and the remarkable Armenian Arthur Abraham to come.
If he wins at a packed Messencenter against Kessler, who gave Joe Calzaghe such a fright in 2007, Froch would probably meet the slick Andre Ward, who so embarrassed the Dane in Oakland last November. After that, depending on where he stands in the points table, he would again fight Dirrell.
On top of that demanding schedule, Froch has also promised Pascal a rematch, which would be for the Canadian’s WBC light-heavyweight title. If there is a shopping list better than that over the past 30 years or so, it has escaped the notice of this writer.
“He’s already achieved his goals,” trainer Robert McCracken said at the weigh-in, where the champion hit the scales a pound under the 12st limit and Kessler weighed a quarter of a pound less.
“This is the icing on the cake now, the next three fights especially. He’s looking at the finish line and he can’t wait to get into the ring.”
It is going to be as physically demanding a challenge as the Pascal bout – voted fight of the year in 2008 – and Froch is against a seasoned opponent fighting in front of 10,000 of his fans. This is the lightest Kessler has weighed in 14 fights over eight years. If he is nearing the exit after looking poor against Ward, there has been little evidence of it in his preparation.
“I’ll need to be more of an animal in the ring,” the popular Dane said. “I’ve been working on my footwork and have done 174 rounds of sparring. Maybe I have been too nice before.”
Not many of his 44 opponents in a distinguished career would agree. Kessler is among the best Europeans to have fought and won at world level at 12st.
Despite an injury scare which proved to be little more than worries about an ear infection, Froch could hardly have had a better lead-up, either. There’s nothing like a “mystery injury” to lend spice to a big fight and Froch created a minor stir in little Herning when he revealed he would be going in against Kessler with the sort of undisclosed “niggle” that has been almost a badge of honour throughout his career.
Froch prides himself on his ability to handle pain, from minor surgery without anaesthetics to getting through a fight with a broken hand, which he has done twice. This would not seem to be in that class.
Although he refused to talk about it, he is thought to have injured his ear in sparring.
“He’s fine,” McCracken said. “It happened ages ago. He will always have minor injuries because he trains right on the weight six weeks before a fight. That can make you more susceptible to small cuts and the like because he hardly has any body fat. It can make sparring a nightmare.”
Guardian Service
