Who should Froch fight Next?? (spoiler inside)

Froch as we know lost his title to Ward so who would people like to see him fight next or do some people think he should retire? Imo he should not retire and should try and have a rematch with Ward in Britain or neutral venue. Lets give Ward credit for beating Froch he fought a very good fight and picked the right tactics but Froch was not at his best that night and Ward has not yet travelled abroad to fight which Froch has done and true champs should do look at guys like Lewis, Hatton, Hamed and Haye who all had world title bouts away from their home which Ward has not done yet. Froch has said he believes he could beat Ward if he was at his best this shows that he does not think he was at his best for the fight and I think he knows he got the tactics wrong. He said he has learned from this fight and the experience will help him I think he made too many mistakes against Ward and did not have the right gameplan. He thought he could bully Ward but Wad is alot stronger than he thought he should have used his jab more and put his punches together better. A rematch in Britain would give him the chance to do this and I think it would be a hard fight but one he could win with new tactics. There is nobody else in the division for Ward to face who is as good as Froch he already destroyed Kessler before so no point fighting him again and Bute is a stay at home fighter who would not enter the Super 6 and tbh he is not in Frochs class.

Ward is not the only option for Froch he could move to lightheavy where there would be good fights against guys like Hopkins or Cleverly who are world champions he could also give Pascal a rematch which would be and exciting fight. If he stays at super middleweight then maybe Kessler would give him a rematch in Britain there first fight was very close I thought Froch edged it and lets be honest if that fight was in Britain he would have got the decision. He could also fight Dirrell who some say beat Froch or he could fight Bute who I think he would beat and that would be for a world title. I hope Froch does not retire he is still a quality fighter who has lots of options out there and we all know this guy ducks no one so I hope people will get behind him for next year and he can win another world title I think he deserves it after all the fights he has had. I would like to see him win a world title and beat Ward and then Kessler in a rematch and then retire after that he will have nothing left to prove. So what do you think who would you like to see Froch fight next??

I'd say retire, he's been in a lot of wars and in the long run this isn't going to do him any favours. Bute and Kessler would both be another battle,and I cannot see him beating Ward.

He's done a lot for Bristish boxing despite his lack of exposure and unless he really needs the money should retire.

The fact that he has got a cracking missus to spend the time with is the icing on the cake.

I do not think Froch will retire he is too much of a warrior and he will not want to retire on a loss imo. I think he knows he made too many mistakes against Ward and he chose the wrong tactics he needs to use the jab more like he did against Abarham who he schooled. He did not use his jab enough he though he could bully Ward who was stronger than he expected. I hope Ward will show he is a true champ and fight abroad and give Froch a rematch in Britain where things would be more even if this hapens I think Froch can win he will have learned from this experience and he will know not to make the same mistake twice.

I think he should fight you if you continue to post these polls......

How were things not even in the fight?

How do you utilise your jab when everytime you throw it you are hitting air?

These last two weekends has got me thinking about the options open to boxers who want to get exposure.

With the emergence of both Primetime and Boxnation, sky has been left with only two real marquee British boxers - Khan and Froch. And guess what, they both lost in the last fortnight.

So where does this leave Sky's boxing? Will Froch continue to box with Sky or has he lost his appeal already? Khan is still big money and will generate some views but Sky must be very disappointed at the moment. Kell Brook could be their saviour in the long run.

On the other hand you have Tyson Fury on Channel 5, along with Eubank Jr. However, I think we all know that should either of these two make it big, they could jump over to Primetime at any time. Primetime also have a lot of the big US fighters (thinking PAc and Floyd specifically)

SO who else is there? Well there is Burns and Cleverly as champs and they seem tied into Boxnation along with Groves and Degale. Warren has a big stable as well to put on some good domestic undercards. But obviously it is a £10 a month outlay which will mean reduced exposure.

So my question is, which channel is in the best position at this time? Is Sky up a certain creek after the two recent results? Do channel 5 have the right idea or is it indeed Boxnation who has the best product.

If you were a fighter, whose phone would you be ringing?

Personally I think a rematch with Ward is pointless, if anything I think Ward would beat him even more decisively. You talk of needing to use his jab more, but 50% of the time his jab was coutnerjabbed, there were moments in the fight where Ward was just standing there waiting an hoping Froch threw a jab for him to counter it. Froch was just far too slow and I really don't think barring a bit of a miracle Froch can ever beat Ward, it doesn't matter if it's in England or on the Moon.

I personally would like to see Froch face an easyish level of opponent at home just to get the ball rolling again, then maybe the winner of the Steiglitz/Kessler fight or Bute. Though in truth I would rather see Bute and Ward battle it out, for undisputed SMW champion, even if I find Ward to be one of the most boring fighters on this earth.

Somewhere along the line Carl lost all his speed as he used to be quick in his early days.

Funnily enough Froch hasn't been left in too bad a position after this loss. People still want to see him fight, I know I do. I'd love to see a Kessler rematch. I wouldn't mind seeing Carl taking a fight against someone like Pavlik. It would also be nice if Froch could take advantage of Ward's seeming reluctance to fight Bute next and swoop in and take another big one. I think Bute is maybe a bit too slick for Carl, but it would be closer than a Ward rematch.

Ward was all wrong for Froch - that bit too fast, and calm under pressuring attacks. If Froch avoids the divisions speedsters, he can have some huge and highly competitive match ups with top tier SMWs. No need for him to retire yet imo: I bet his next two or three fights are by far the biggest profile match ups and the biggest paydays of his life.

He should rematch Ward, utter robbery.......

He should rematch Ward, utter robbery........

Agreed. Perhaps he should launch some kind of appeal.

superflyweight wrote:

He should rematch Ward, utter robbery........

Agreed. Perhaps he should launch some kind of appeal.

I'm still peeved off at Sky for letting that muppet ruin what was otherwise a very good show.

After all his recent big fights I don't think an easy fight for Froch is the right answer, I just think he would find it hard to get up for it.
Plus time is not on his side and he needs to get on with things.
He needs a belt.
Rematch against Ward will not happen....yet. He would need a belt to make it worth Ward's while.
The WBO belt will not be available until at least the middel of 2012 as Kessler and Steiglitz fight in April. Then I believe he will need to go abroad unless Kessler can be enticed to UK if offered enough money.
The IBF is with Bute but he will not leave Canada. That though is probably not an issue as we all know Froch is prepared to travel.
Therefore I would like to see Froch beat Bute for IBF.
Then unify IBF and WBO with Kessler (who I believe beats Steiglitz). With a belt he could get the fight in UK.
The winner to then fight Ward for unification across all 4 belts, which would probably take place late 2012 early 2013.
If Froch loses any of these he will need to go to LHW and cash-in on his gentlemans agreement with Pascal and then maybe Cleverley.

There was no post for "other" so I had to choose "retire"

Seriously though I think Froch should take a couple of WBC/WBA ranked fighters, beat them and force the mandatory on Ward, whatever it'll take to get him another shot at Ward because it aint going happen immediately!

It kinda annoys me that David Haye and now possibly Froch thinks they should get an immediate big fight/rematch after a heavy loss! They don't deserve it. Earn it!

There's no point in Froch going after Kessler or Bute because they aint the real deal and they'll shaft him hard if he fights in their countries with no trinket to offer them.

Ward is the man and Froch needs to put himself in a position to have another go.

Wouldnt put Haye and Froch in the same bracket, Froch has fought all comers and won the majority Haye got talked himself way up and let himself down badly by doing next to nothing in 'the biggest fight of the decade'. Froch worked hard despite being outclassed and I think he is deserving of a shot at Bute at the very least, rematching Ward would be the same outcome again I feel but I think its harsh to say he doesnt deserve another go at a belt.

All I'm saying is it won't be in Froch's best interest to challenge Bute or Kessler. He won't be the main man of the division even if he beats them and if he doesn't knock them out he'll be shafted on the cards.

You also have to consider whether Kessler really wants another tough night with Froch given that he's already beaten him and Froch has nothing to offer him anymore.

I'd be very interested to see what Froch does next.

I wouldnt be at all suprised if he moved up and fought Pascal next.

two_tone wrote:I wouldnt be at all suprised if he moved up and fought Pascal next.

I would. Pascal has just been ordered to fight Ishymal Sillakh in a WBC title eliminator for the right to face the Dawson/Hopkins rematch winner.

Personally I don't think it would be a bad idea for Froch to challenge Cleverly for his LHW crown. It would be a big money maker, and an intriguing matchup. I'd fancy Froch to take it as well. As a two weight world champion he would command a lot more attention. He could then rematch Kessler (which, again, I think he'd win) and then fight Ward/Bute/whoever for the 168 title (and probably lose!). But, who cares? By that time Froch would've provided the boxing community with an extraordinary run of challenging fights, with some rousing performances amongst them. No matter what, Froch can leave the game with his head held high knowing that he took on real challenges continuously. Very refreshing in today's cherry-picking boxing era.

Boxtthis wrote:

two_tone wrote:I wouldnt be at all suprised if he moved up and fought Pascal next.

I would. Pascal has just been ordered to fight Ishymal Sillakh in a WBC title eliminator for the right to face the Dawson/Hopkins rematch winner.

Personally I don't think it would be a bad idea for Froch to challenge Cleverly for his LHW crown. It would be a big money maker, and an intriguing matchup. I'd fancy Froch to take it as well. As a two weight world champion he would command a lot more attention. He could then rematch Kessler (which, again, I think he'd win) and then fight Ward/Bute/whoever for the 168 title (and probably lose!). But, who cares? By that time Froch would've provided the boxing community with an extraordinary run of challenging fights, with some rousing performances amongst them. No matter what, Froch can leave the game with his head held high knowing that he took on real challenges continuously. Very refreshing in today's cherry-picking boxing era.

Great post. Harry Greb lost a few fights you know. So did a fellow called Sugar Ray Robinson. They took on all comers. Cherry pickers don't do that. You don't need an '0' to be great.

Herman Jaggery wrote:

Boxtthis wrote:

two_tone wrote:I wouldnt be at all suprised if he moved up and fought Pascal next.

I would. Pascal has just been ordered to fight Ishymal Sillakh in a WBC title eliminator for the right to face the Dawson/Hopkins rematch winner.

Personally I don't think it would be a bad idea for Froch to challenge Cleverly for his LHW crown. It would be a big money maker, and an intriguing matchup. I'd fancy Froch to take it as well. As a two weight world champion he would command a lot more attention. He could then rematch Kessler (which, again, I think he'd win) and then fight Ward/Bute/whoever for the 168 title (and probably lose!). But, who cares? By that time Froch would've provided the boxing community with an extraordinary run of challenging fights, with some rousing performances amongst them. No matter what, Froch can leave the game with his head held high knowing that he took on real challenges continuously. Very refreshing in today's cherry-picking boxing era.

Great post. Harry Greb lost a few fights you know. So did a fellow called Sugar Ray Robinson. They took on all comers. Cherry pickers don't do that. You don't need an '0' to be great.

Bloody hell! Move up to face Cleverly, back down again to face Kessler, then rematch Ward then Bute.

Not asking for much then are we?!

i think bute has been made to look better than he is because everybody decent has been tied up in the super 6, so i think he should get in there first and gain back some respect by beating a undeafted champion- then he should rematch kessler, and then go for ward once he's got more bargining power.

he could retire as he has proven himself already as a true champion and warrior- but i think he could go to even higher heights

Slightly off topic but just read Ben Dirs blog, some of the comments on there are appauling about Froch from some posters, people should show Froch a lot more respect for what he has acheived over the years.

Super D Boon wrote:Not asking for much then are we?!

Haha yeah it's a bit of a wish list. But, I can't see Froch wanting to go to Canada for Bute straightway - and I can't see Bute coming to England for Froch. The only other titles worth winning belong to Ward - no one's calling for an immediate rematch there. I think Cleverly represents a great opportunity to win a title (impressively at another weight class) straight away...and it would be a popular fight with the backing of sky. After that, a Kessler rematch also makes sense. It's one with a good backstory and one that Froch thinks he can win. A pascal rematch at LHW would be another good option. Sort of just threw the last Ward or Bute clash in there at the end - Froch would certainly deserve a shot at the top guy at 168 with that kind of comeback. Although, to be honest, I don't see Froch ever beating Ward (Bute remains to be truly proven, but I fancy him to be too slick for Carl too).

Froch's attitude to match making is what top class boxing is all about. He deserves at least 1 or 2 big money fights before he bows out.

Pacquiao catchweight?

He seems pretty keen on having a home fight which I suspect if happens would probably be a lower key opponent (Cleverly a very long shot maybe) but would be surprised if any of the guys on that list would be up for travelling abroad.

I also think Froch knows he could do with a bit of an easier fight and a home fight would let him refresh to some extent and get him back to winning ways before targetting Bute/Kessler again maybe.

i think cleverly would be in huge trouble if he fought froch, he made hard work of bellew, and he has only experienced brithish level fighting, froch would be way to much for the welsh man

It looks like Froch will be fighting Lucian I-have-no-passport- Bute next BUT if the rumours are false then this is what he should do:

1) Kessler rematch in Nottingham around March-April. Froch will win by late stoppage.

2) Battle of Britain with Cleverly in August at the Millennium Stadium. Froch win by KO in the 6th.

3) Rematch Ward at a NEUTRAL venue in December. Froch win on points.

4) Take Bute's belt off of him in early 2013.

5) Retire.

First time poster on this section, but I'd love see him fight Kessler again, O thought their previous bout was pretty decent and think a rematch would be equally as good.

Froch would make easy work of Cleverly. Im sure Cleverly knows he isnt ready for Froch, he needs to defend his belt against another dozen european level fighters first, and keep talking about hopkins til the guy hits 50

Looks like it Bute next for Froch...

http://www.badlefthook.com/2011/12/19/2646468/lucian-bute-vs-carl-froch-two-fight-deal-showtime-boxing-news

Like the idea of the 2 fight deal as it gives both fighters the chance to perform with home town advantage. However,depending on the outcome of the 1st bout i.e. if one fighter is dominated by the other will there be much point in a rematch 2 months later?

I'll say one thing about the post-fight discussion regarding future opponents: everyone is talking about who Froch rather who Ward will fight. There appears to be 3 high quality opponents that are interested in fighting him.

Kessler:

http://www.boxingscene.com/sauerland-kessler-vs-froch-ii-war-sells-itself--47565

Cleverly:

http://www.boxingscene.com/cleverly-fight-with-me-carl-froch-makes-sense--47563

Bute:

http://www.boxingscene.com/bute-froch-needs-me-chance-become-champ--47550

I know it's from boxingscene, but you do get the impression that Froch's fan friendly style and the perception that he's beatable is making his marketability a bit higher than the very good, but professional/workmanlike winning machine Ward.

two_tone wrote:Slightly off topic but just read Ben Dirs blog, some of the comments on there are appauling about Froch from some posters, people should show Froch a lot more respect for what he has acheived over the years.

You are right mate I said this before alot of people are being very harsh on Froch lots I have read lets of comments on his twitter and other sites from people saying he was exposed and lost them money and is just an average fighter this is what annoys me about boxing the most. These guys are not true fans imo they are just guys with no clue Froch has done Briain pround it is such a shame to see people turning on our best boxers like Haye and Froch just because they lost taking a big risk and then other fighters like Brook who is absolute quality get slagged off and called overrated I do not understand it??

With all the options available to Froch and it seems champions more than willing to fight him, it leads me to believe that they think that perhaps Froch is on the slide. Look at it another way, he made very hard work of Johnson and got totaly schooled by Ward. He is very hittable and hasn't KO'd anyone since Taylor. Is he as good as we think he is or as good as Froch thinks he is.

He's been in some serious wars since Pascal and it must have taken something out of him and his age.

Surprised to see people slating Carl for losing to the best sm in the world in his own back yard. Never in trouble in the fight and looking to jump straight back in with a top 5 guy. Far rather see someone take on all comers and pick up a few losses, than say a Mayweather who retired when it was time to fight Cotto.

Herman Jaggery wrote:Surprised to see people slating Carl for losing to the best sm in the world in his own back yard. Never in trouble in the fight and looking to jump straight back in with a top 5 guy. Far rather see someone take on all comers and pick up a few losses, than say a Mayweather who retired when it was time to fight Cotto.

Sadly I am not surprised to see this look at Haye many people dont like him now that he lost and would even support Vitali or Wlad in a rematch when these guys are the most boring fighters in boxing! It will not surprise me to see people saying Froch is overrated now this is why he needs a rematch with Ward to show these people wrong and that he can learn and come back stronger. Look at Lewis he made one mistake aginst Rahman when he was not at his best but thankfully he had a rematched and proved that he was the better fighter tbh he destroyed Rahman who was not in his class.

Herman Jaggery wrote:Surprised to see people slating Carl for losing to the best sm in the world in his own back yard. Never in trouble in the fight and looking to jump straight back in with a top 5 guy. Far rather see someone take on all comers and pick up a few losses, than say a Mayweather who retired when it was time to fight Cotto.

Anyone slating Froch doesn't like boxing. He came up short against a boxer who more than likely will go onto great things. Certainly no shame in that. He took on the best and came upo short. All credit to him for taking on the best. Pity a certain welsh boxer didn;t take on the best until the best were no longer good enough.

hopkins, kessler, lacy?

Do not rule Froch out he is a proper warrior and this loss will make him hngrier he can come back better thn ever. Look at how he reacted to his loss to Kessler which he was very unlucky to lose he came back and schooled Abarham this shows you can not rule him out.

If he fights Bute he will destroy him imo Bute is not in his class the only problem is the fight could be in Butes home town he is a stay at home fighter so Froch will need to win by KO to be sure of winning. I like the idea of two fights this is much fairer for Froch on away and one at home that way there is less chance of being robbed. After he beats Bute I would like to see him have a rematch with Ward I think if he can learn from this loss and have a new gameplan then he can win.

eddyfightfan wrote:hopkins, kessler, lacy?

How long was he champ before he fought them?

There's absolutely no reason whatsoever that Carl Froch should retire, let's get that straight. One poor performance against the best possible opponent in his weight in the world does not a bad fighter make. There are still plenty of fights there for him. Only a few days ago most boxing fans were in pretty much unanimous agreement that he was Britain's standout fighter.

The ones i want to see are Pascal or Kessler, preferably in the UK.

The one that makes most sense is Bute.

monzon wrote:There's absolutely no reason whatsoever that Carl Froch should retire, let's get that straight. One poor performance against the best possible opponent in his weight in the world does not a bad fighter make. There are still plenty of fights there for him. Only a few days ago most boxing fans were in pretty much unanimous agreement that he was Britain's standout fighter.

The ones i want to see are Pascal or Kessler, preferably in the UK.

The one that makes most sense is Bute.

I don't think anybody on here has suggested he is a bad fighter for his loss Monzon. I think he should be thinking about retirement purely due to the fact that the majority of his fights seem to turn into wars and there is only so many times a man can be punched in the head without suffering serious problems. He has done well in boxing and should have enough in the bank to see himself through the rest of his life in comfort. Why risk it?

trottb wrote:I don't think anybody on here has suggested he is a bad fighter for his loss Monzon. I think he should be thinking about retirement purely due to the fact that the majority of his fights seem to turn into wars and there is only so many times a man can be punched in the head without suffering serious problems. He has done well in boxing and should have enough in the bank to see himself through the rest of his life in comfort. Why risk it?

I'd agree with that if he'd already achieved everything he could in the division, or if he wasn't still well capable of holding his own at the top level, if the fights weren't there, or if he was so rich that he could live the rest of his lift in comfort (i doubt he is given the years of Sky snubs).

There's a lot for him to prove still. He's somewhere between being remembered as a good fighter, or one of our best. Ward will always be too good for him, but avenge the Kessler defeat and beat Bute (both big ifs) and i think he'd have to be considered one of the UK's all time best.