During his exciting 35-fight career, Carl Froch entertained fans all over the world with his pure grit and determination. From behind the scorecards knockouts to dominating performances, we look back at five key outings from ‘The Cobra’.
CARL FROCH VS ARTHUR ABRAHAM
Carl Froch arguably produced his most complete boxing performance against Arthur Abraham; someone who had garnered a reputation as a dangerous puncher as a middleweight. Despite being derided by certain quarters for a perceived recklessness, Froch utterly nullified the Armenian, putting on a clinic with his lead left hand to register a resounding unanimous verdict in his favour after twelve rounds.
CARL FROCH VS LUCIEN BUTE
Coming off a crushing setback to Andre Ward in his last outing, the Cobra’s back was up against the wall in his showdown with undefeated IBF titlist Lucian Bute. The Romanian came into the bout as a sizeable favourite, boasting an undefeated record of 32-0. Froch, however, had different ideas. Spurred on by vociferous home support at the Nottingham Arena, the hometown hero made Bute uncomfortable from the outset with an uncharacteristically fast start, before brutally pummelling the champion into submission in the fifth round.
CARL FROCH VS JEAN PASCAL
Froch’s first bid for world championship glory came against then-undefeated Canadian Jean Pascal, in a fight that was compelling as it was competitive. The two fighters resolve to win was plainly evident as they waged a gruelling war of attrition with many memorable exchanges. However, after twelve rounds, Froch was deemed to have edged many of the close rounds and the scorecards reflected this, awarding him the WBC super-middleweight title.
CARL FROCH VS JERMAIN TAYLOR II
The Cobra’s maiden defence of his title against Jermain Taylor was also his introduction to American audiences and although it was not the most watertight boxing display – having been dropped heavily in the third round – Froch once displayed his unmatched will to win, furiously rallying back against the tricky Taylor and putting together the necessary punches to force a dramatic stoppage in the final round.
CARL FROCH VS GEORGE GROVES II
The early rounds of Froch’s highly-anticipated rematch with George Groves were punctuated by almost unbearable tension as the pair menacingly circled each other, fencing with their lead hands and looking for openings in front of a crowd of 80,000. Finally, the decisive opening came in the eighth round where a venomous right hook from the Nottingham native found the mark and put the challenger out for the count.
Article by: Navi Singh
Follow Navi on Twitter at: @DarkMan________