Froch and Hennessy hit the jackpot

It is impossible not to have a feeling of some gratification, with all that Carl Froch and Mick Hennessy, his promoter, have gone through over the years, that the pair seem to have hit the jackpot. Turned down by just about every TV station in the UK at one time or another, the pair have landed on the biggest table of all. Now it's down to Froch to prove himself again in the ring.  

Froch was at Madison Square Garden, New York, on Monday to announce his place in Showtime's Super Six World Boxing Classic, alongside Mikkel Kessler, Arthur Abraham, Andre Ward, Jermain Taylor and Andre Dirrell. Over the next 18 months, each box three of the other five - a total of nine bouts - with the two with the best records going on to box in a final in early 2011. It means Froch, who has been vocal of his desire for big fights since winning the WBC super-middleweight title last December, will have three huge back-to-back fights and, if things go well, will become a superstar. With such exciting plans ahead, it is difficult to imagine that no British TV company showed Froch's win over Taylor live. 

"I’ve always believed Carl is a special fighter and he keeps on proving that every time he steps in the ring," Hennessy said. "He proved it against a quality fighter like Jean Pascal in winning the WBC title last December and he proved it again in the U.S. in April by knocking out a big American star like Jermain Taylor.  

“With those last two performances he’s established himself as one of the most exciting fighters in the World and I believe that by the time this series is over he’ll be acknowledged as one of the best pound for pound fighters in the world.  

“I’ve spent the last few days in New York and the buzz around this series is phenomenal. It really has people excited about the sport again and I believe it will do the same back in Britain.  Boxing is like every other industry at the moment and it has to adapt in the current economic climate but this series proves that the traditional obstacles to big fights can be overcome. All the old stumbling blocks like rival promoters, sanctioning bodies and boxing politics have been put aside and it is groundbreaking stuff for the sport. I believe that this series will change the face of boxing and take the sport to another level.   

“I think that it can usher in a new era comparable to the kind of rivalry Marvin Hagler, Sugar Ray Leonard, Roberto Duran and Thomas Hearns shared in the 80s. People talk about the Benn-Eubank era but that was really a domestic rivalry and the big worldwide fights with the likes of Roy Jones and James Toney never happened for them. I believe that Carl has already surpassed their achievements by winning the WBC title and then in his first defence going over to the US to take on and knock out a marquee name like Jermain Taylor.”   

The first series of bouts, in October or November are the only ones that so far have been fixed. They see Froch defend his WBC title against Dirrell, a 2004 Olympic bronze medal-winner and No 2 in the WBC rankings. Kessler defends his WBA title against Andre Ward (although he is likely to first have to get past his mandatory challenger, Gusmyl Perdomo) in November, while the first bout, on October 10 will match Abraham, who has just given up his IBF middleweight title, against Taylor. 

No date has yet been fixed for Froch-Dirrell (it could be October 10, 17 or in November), but it looks certain to be at the Trent FM Arena, Nottingham. Froch is not taking the unbeaten American lightly.  “He’s very big at the weight and he’s undefeated,” Froch said. “I was in his shoes this time last year, a hungry, unbeaten prospect looking for a world title so I know exactly what this fight will mean to him. He was an excellent amateur and won a medal at the Athens Olympics and since he’s turned pro he’s beaten quite a few prospects and he’s very highly thought of in the US.  

"He’s a bit of an unknown quantity for me right now but we’ll watch plenty of him in action and come up with a gameplan for him. "Going on past achievements you’d have to say that Kessler is going to be a real threat as well. He doesn’t do any one thing spectacularly well but he’s solid in every area and he’s like me in that he just loves to stand there and have a fight so I’m sure there will be fireworks if we end up meeting.  

"This series is unique in that it will give me the chance to represent my country once again just like I did at the World Championships as an amateur. I’m going to be up against three top Americans and two European based World champions so I’m hoping that all the British fans will get behind me." 

Photos: Tom Casino/Showtime

Comments

[James Fairweather]

An idea which should be warmly welcomed by all boxing fans. With any luck, it will also appeal to those former aficionados who have been turned off by the innumerable boxing organisations and tedious boxing politics, to which Mick Hennessy refers, and bring them back into the fold. God knows, boxing needs all its devotees now.

The concept itself is reminiscent of the series of heavyweight scraps of the late 1960s, which finished with the Frazier-Ellis set-to. Ellis won the eight-man tournament to annexe the WBA title, but Frazier stepped in to defeat him and gain universal recognition, cemented, of course, when he beat Ali in 1971. Then, Frazier played the role which might belong to someone like Lucien Bute or Kelly Pavlik this time. Both will no doubt be aggrieved by their omission from the super six and will be highly motivated to secure a fight against the eventual tournament winner.

My prediction, for what it's worth - Kessler to shade a series in which no man goes unbeaten.

[Joe, London]

What a great idea. Would be good to introduce this to other divisions.

I would have liked to have seen Hopkins and Pavlik in the mix, but maybe that's being greedy, as this will be exciting for boxing and sports fans worldwide.

p.s. Calzaghe coming back from retirement to fight the winner would be special.

[Brian, London]

Great idea, captures the imagination of fight fans all over the world - also alienates the boxing politicians and managers that manipulate and cherry pick the soft fights en route to the usual disapointing title fight