Froch schools Abraham to recapture World Title
On Saturday night in Helsinki, Carl ‘The Cobra’ Froch produced a career best performance to recapture his coveted WBC Super Middleweight title and ease into the semi-final of the Super Six where he will face veteran Glen Johnson with a virtual shut-out points victory over a dispirited Arthur Abraham.
Abraham went into the contest as a 4/6 favourite to beat The Cobra, and most observers agreed that Froch would play into power punching King Arthur’s hands if he were to revert to type and engage in a toe-to-toe war.
However from the first round Froch quickly showed that he was going to deliver on his promise of executing a game plan that was to outbox Abraham at range.
Throughout the fight Froch used excellent lateral movement and consistently deployed a busy stiff jab to discourage Abraham’s advances and frequently snapped the Armenian-born brawler’s head back with painful accuracy. Froch easily executed a variety of well-drilled combinations including four-punch hooks downstairs and right-left hooks to the head followed by a right uppercut.
From the fifth round onwards the accumulation of Froch’s heavy-handed work looked to have weakened Abraham’s resolve and the German-based brawler returned to his corner with an increasingly reddened face and was noticeably blowing for air – a sign that the body attacks were taking their toll. Still, there was an air of expectancy that a fighter of Abraham’s calibre and track record that he would produce an onslaught in the second half of the fight. It never happened.
Froch hurt Abraham in the 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th rounds, particularly with savage body shots - nearly forced Abraham to take a knee in the 10th and, prompted a futile complaint in the 11th, that a body shot had strayed below his belt. The warrior instinct in Froch would normally have tried to close proceedings when sensing that his opponent was hurt, but the Nottingham man wisely boxed to instructions and out of harms way.
Froch showed a side to his game that had been missing on so many previous fights - he dazzled Abraham by consistently stepping in and out of range to land a variety of combinations and leads. Froch’s excellent footwork facilitated the continuation of this pattern and his consistent lateral movement away from Abraham’s stronger right hand went unabated.
The key flaw of Froch’s boxing in his preceding Championship fights, most notably with, Pascal, Taylor and Kessler was that there was a dearth of lateral movement and an over reliance on taking a shot to land his own. However, it was a different Froch against Abraham, and The Cobra’s lighter footwork against a world-class operator highlighted the versatility to his game, and technical prowess. And, let’s get one thing clear. The schooling that Abraham got last night was a result of the brilliant execution of Froch’s meticulous fight plan. Abraham was outclassed, but still dangerous to the final bell (were he momentarily rocked Froch with his best right handed shot of the fight). The judge’s scorecards were 120-108, 120-108 and 119-109 to Froch.
And to answer the question that I posed in my preview articles, could Froch execute Gene Tunney’s blueprint to conquer King Arthur? He executed it with ease, but then Arthur Abraham, whilst a world class operator in the current era, was no Harry Greb or Tommy Gibbons. Congratulations to Team Froch for flawless performance and another glorious victory on away soil.
The wider impacts of Froch’s stunning win
A holistic view of the impact of Froch’s emphatic win bodes well for British boxing.
In a climate were so many British prospects elect to go Stateside hoping to gain better sparring and coaching top trainers such as Freddie Roach, Froch’s significantly altered boxing game plan and the ease in which he executed it, serves to further highlight that Robert McCracken remains as one of the best coaches in the business.
Moreover, Froch’s recent stunning victory further embellishes his reputation as a bone fide world champion and worthy PPV star. It would not be a surprise if Sky’s new Head of Boxing, Adam Smith (who openly expressed his wish that Froch was on Sky’s roster in an intriguing interview in this month’s Boxing Monthly) secures Froch’s services on Sky Box Office for his next fights.
For different reasons, other British boxers such as Lennox Lewis and Chris Eubank, enjoyed eventual adulation from the British fight fans, and it seems that if Froch can benefit from Sky’s robust marketing machine then he will finally, and deservedly, be appreciated by the wider casual sports fan.
As for the Super Six tournament? Well, it has encountered its problems with injuries forcing out Mikkel Kessler and Andre Dirrell, but it has served up great match-ups for fight fans and if Froch can overcome Johnson in his next fight he will face either Andre Ward or a rematch with Abraham in the Super Six final. Showtime learned from the Super Six and tinkered with the format to launch a Super Bantamweight tournament. This competition has been a success and in the context of the proliferation of ABCs and their warped rankings, the Super Six has been great for boxing and long may it, and other offshoots, continue.
Mick Hennessy has taken a lot of criticism for not making Froch a household name, but he deserves credit for securing Froch’s appearance in the Super Six and battling through a tough transitional period after the implosion of his contract with ITV. Hennessy still possesses one of the best stables in the UK, has an excellent track record on putting on quality shows (as evidenced in his time at ITV4) and a ready made PPV star in Carl Froch. There is a compelling case to bring Hennessey into the fold at Sky in 2011.
The popular Ringside magazine show on Sky would instantly gain more scope and credibility with the inclusion of top Hennessy fighters such as Carl Froch, John Murray, Tyson Fury, Darren Barker, Junior Witter et al discussing upcoming European, World Title fights. And more importantly, Sky would secure a PPV fighter who gives value for money and fights in 50-50 fights.
Nevertheless the fledgling Primetime PPV channel continues to snap up superb international bouts by securing the upcoming Hopkins-Pascal World Title fight. Primetime’s coverage and presentation has significantly improved after initial teething problems. Last night’s studio show, presented by Andy Kerr and a panel including Duke McKenzie, George Groves and Darren Barker, was their best presentation to date and, featured good incisive analysis and lively discussion. The commentary team of Ronald McIntosh and Spencer Oliver worked very well too.
And, finally, I must credit TV’s Andy Kerr, who (despite his television work in boxing with Setanta and ITV, and work as a licensed ring announcer, is still considered a relative newcomer to boxing) emailed me yesterday with his prediction (and repeated it on air in Primetime’s coverage) of Froch winning comprehensively on points a la Calzaghe’s schooling over Lacy. I couldn’t see it, nor did many others. But, that intriguing diversity of opinions is what you get with 50-50 fights and it is why we love this exciting sport.
