With the Super Six Tournament kicking off Oct. 17th, Inside Fights will be previewing each of the fighters involved. In this profile, we will feature Carl “The Cobra” Froch. Currently the holder of the WBC Super Middleweight title, Froch also sports an undefeated record.
Born: Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, UK
Age: 32
Height: 6’1″
Reach: 74 ½″
Record: 25-0 (20 KOs)
Strengths: Carl Froch’s greatest asset is his recuperative ability. He traded bombs with Jean Pascal for twelve rounds to win his WBC Super Middleweight belt, and he was able to pick himself up off the canvas to rally down the stretch and stop Jermain Taylor in his first defense. The ability to bounce back means Froch can never be counted out of a fight in this tournament.
Weaknesses: The reason we know Froch can recover well is because he gets hit so often. Defense is the department Froch is most lacking in, which could cost him with big hitters like Arthur Abraham and Mikkel Kessler in this tournament. It also makes him susceptible to falling far behind on points to where he will need a knockout to win.
Why He Will Win: Froch wins the Super Six tournament with a little luck and great resolve. His tenacity will keep him a threat late in each fight, and, with a little luck, he will have a gassed opponent in front of him by that time. But he needs to make each opponent work hard from round one on. His power gives him a good chance of scoring a knockout, which will earn him precious bonus points in a tournament with little margin for error.
Why He Will Lose: Just about every man in the Super Six tournament can be dubbed “elite.” That means, for the most part, opponents with good boxing skills and strong stamina. Both of those traits, in theory, spell disaster for Froch, who is not a skilled boxer and needs a tired opponent in front of him to take advantage. Fortunately for him, Taylor faded badly down the stretch of their April fight, which was the reason Froch prevailed. That night, Froch made Taylor work hard, getting him fatigued and setting up the late knockout. The chances of repeating that gameplan not only against Taylor but the rest of the Super Six field seems highly unlikely.
Best Matchup: Jermain Taylor. Froch beat him in April and already holds the psychological edge going in. A rematch could be a different fight altogether, but if Froch starts getting to Jermain early, he could have an even easier night than before.
Worst Matchup: Mikkel Kessler. Like Taylor, who was winning handily over Froch early on, Kessler has a strong jab and power in both hands. Unlike Taylor, Kessler hasn’t showed signs of fading in the late rounds to this point. Kessler can outbox Froch from round one through round twelve and might even succeed where Taylor failed and score a knockout.
