Carl “Cobra” Froch: Don’t Buy the Hype
By Damien Norman
Carl Froch regained his WBC Super Middleweight title in his last fight against an atrocious Arthur Abraham at the Hartwall Arena, Helsinki.
Froch bounced back after suffering his first professional defeat at the hands of Mikkel Kessler back in April with a decision over Abraham who put in a pathetic effort and was simply a statue for Froch to hit. Abraham was that bad that I could not believe the fight went to a decision. After the first couple of rounds, I think just about everybody watching was just waiting for “The Cobra” to close the show but it did not happen.
I predicted before the fight that it would go to a decision in Froch’s favor, but I fully expected Abraham to give him the fight of his life similarly to what Kessler did earlier in the year, but one thing I did not expect was for Abraham to basically stand there and try and absorb all of Froch’s shots and do absolutely nothing in the process.
I have always admired Froch’s guts and determination and it has been clear from his previous fights and Boxing style that he has a very solid chin but does he have any real power? Abraham has suffered his only losses back to back in the Super Six and up to this tournament has been known as a solid, complete fighter but lets be honest, his style has never really got the hairs on the back of your neck standing up!
After Froch was found out by a world class opposition in Mikkel Kessler, I expected Abraham to if nothing else really test Froch’s chin. There was a period late in the fight where it looked like Abraham had finally woken up and began throwing shots, and during that period it looked like he caught Froch with a big shot leaving him looking dazed but by that point Abraham was gassed and had nothing to follow up with leaving Froch with the easy task of picking him off at will and racking up the rounds… but where was the World Class execution to end the fight?
Froch, in more than one interview since the fight has made comment about Britain not backing him and not getting behind him and claiming he is a bigger name in America; Here is a small section from an interview he conducted with the BBC:
“It’s about time British broadcasters get their act together and got me on. The fans and general public are missing out on a fantastic talent,” said Froch.
“I don’t want to blow my own trumpet, but there is only myself and David Haye who are represented in world-class fights and the British public should be able to watch me.”
“At the minute they can’t see me and I’m bigger in America than I am in Britain.
I hear him, in fact I hear him entirely and yes, “The Cobra” and David Haye really are the only two current boxers flying the flag and operating regularly at World level but I am struggling to fathom exactly what we are missing out on.
Carl Froch has never really in my opinion been an exciting fighter. Taking the last fight out of the equation he often opts to spend the majority of each round doing little and then has 30 second bursts where he looks fantastic. This is not enough to get broadcasters interested in you; they want exciting, explosive action from start to finish.
During the interview he also mentions himself as a fantastic talent. When he goes toe to toe I admit that it is great to watch and very admirable but we need more than this. In his fight prior to Abraham he was defeated by the great Mikkel Kessler, and despite what he says it was definitely NOT a hometown decision. He decided to try and trade with Kessler and although at times he looked good it was clear he was a level below his opponent. His performance against Arthur Abraham at times was great and he showed some fantastic boxing skills throughout but lets face it, Abraham was simply a static target and Froch may as well had been in the gym going to town on a Boxing bag, it really was that simple.
If Carl Froch wants the type of exposure and following he is talking about then he really has to prove he has it in his armor to be much more clinical, because I strongly believe that many other top super middleweights would have closed the show before the fight even reached the latter stages.
If David Haye suffers a defeat (and if you’re honest that is what an awful lot of critics are waiting for) then he would lose the interest of many boxing fans worldwide with an “I told you so” jive. Although Haye took the easy road to his Heavyweight World Title and has dodged the Klitschkos to fight easy opponents you can’t argue with his credentials as a boxer. Whether he has the power and chin to test to test a “real” heavyweight remains to be seen but his flair inside the ring, speed and array of shots is very tantalizing on the eye. He is an exciting boxer and is worthy of the limelight he has launched himself into and I think if Carl Froch believes he is already there then he needs a reality check.
Although he got the decision, I firmly believed Andre Dirrell defeated him by at least two rounds and taught him a thing or two in the process. Froch likes standing in the centre of a ring with his opponent and trading where as the “The Matrix” beautifully boxed and moved, hit Froch and avoided being hit and just looked sensational. I guess Dirrell should have done a little bit more to really convince the judges but why get himself into a war and play into his opponents tactics? Froch played off receiving any favors from the judges and stated he easily won but the second he was put in a reverse scenario with Kessler was pretty swift in playing the “hometown decision” card.
I congratulate Carl Froch for regaining his Title and completely out-Boxing Arthur Abraham who up to this Super Six tournament was seen by many as one of the best Super Middleweights but I think he has to prove himself against a much better opponent who is actually going to fight back in order to gain the publicity and backing he is speaking of.