In an exclusive interview with Foot Italia, ex-world champion Carl Froch discussed all things going on in the boxing world and threatened to ‘iron out’ Darren Till and Jake Paul…
Question: Huge turnaround win for Fabio Wardley after being down on the scorecards he threw one huge right hand and stopped Justice Huni who was unbeaten going into the fight.
Carl Froch: I thought that count was a bit fast. And it made me think, if it was the other way around would he have counted so fast? You feel like the referee’s always giving someone a chance and then obviously there he was on Fabio’s side. But I don’t want that to outshadow what Fabio Wardley did, he was under pressure, he was getting caught with shots and to turn that around and stick with it and keep believing it’s showed he’s got a lot of heart. You’ve got to give him credit. To see where he’s come from with the white collar scene to then be involved in a fight like that and come through, it’s very impressive. And I thought it was a gritty, tough performance with a one time knockout, he landed a peach of a shot. I know that first fight with Fazer Clark was a draw, but he knocked him out in the rematch. Every single opponent he has faced, he has KO’d! So he’s doing something right, he can punch!
Q: Frank Warren said he’s almost on Deontay Wilder’s level with the power behind his punches. He might not have the amateur background behind him, but when you can hit as hard as he can, do you really need it?
A: When you get to top level and world level. You need to be able to box as well as punch a bit. And you have to look at the level of the people he is knocking over. But putting into perspective, he’s doing really well for the level he’s at. He’s an exciting prospect and I think now he’s gonna get a big following because that was a gutsy, gritty performance. I was very impressed. He was under the cosh. He looked like he was gonna lose the fight and to turn it around, that’s what the champions do. He needs a title now. A fight with Dillian Whyte would be good. Dave Allen would be a good fight. I think he’d be too much for Allen, but who knows?
Q: Dillian Whyte is set to face Moses Itauma. How will that go down?
A: Yeah I heard. That’s a tough fight for Dillian. He’s getting thrown to the wolves with that one..You’ll find out a bit more about Itauma after that fight. But Moses hasn’t been tested out properly and his biggest success was probably that Mariusz Wach. I think he’s a great prospect though. He’s only young, but he’s a dangerous fighter. A big puncher. And he believes in himself. He’s got some skills as well. It’s gonna be really exciting watching him come through actually. Another one for Frank Warren. He’s got all of the big boys now!
Q: You said Andre Ward was the dirtiest boxer of all time. I remember you telling me, you, you were tempted to bite his ear off at one point or just give a little nibble. Do you still stand by your statement?
A: The way he fights, he ducks low below the waist. He gets close to you, he holds your chest. He holds you and hits you and he’s just a dirty fighter. Look at what I did to Mikkel Kessler. Kessler couldn’t cope with him, he kept headbutting him. He had to have 70 odd stitches in his face. Mikkel had cuts everywhere and that was just headbuts, not punches. When he beat Sergey Kovalev, it was low blows. How could the referee let him get away with that? Well, Andre Ward, Olympic gold medallist, house fighter. They pretended not to see any of it. When he fought me, he was on my chest. It was low, he was holding. He had my jab out of range. He’s a good boxer, Olympic champion, unbeaten. And he’s skillful. But when he fights, when he comes to the fight, he won’t stand and have a fight with you. It’s on your chest and holds you and hits you, messes you around and he was just dirty. Spoils it. That’s why he retired at 30 years old. A champion at top of his game. Couldn’t get on television, nobody was interested in showing his fights. Nobody wanted to watch him fight.
So I think he’s a dirty fighter.
Q: Let’s talk about Manny Pacquiao…
A: I think Mario Barrios might struggle against Manny Pacquiao. He’s got speed and even though he’s getting old, he still has the work rate. He’s still fit. But I’m shocked he’s coming back. I don’t think he needs the money. He likes fighting, obviously. But why is he coming back? At this age. I don’t agree with it. It would be a shame if he’s coming back for the money.
Q: What about Crawford vs Canelo?
A: That’s a good fight. Crawford’s bigger than you think. I just think that size matters and he probably is bigger than the weight division he’s been campaigning at. I think he’ll grow into it. I think he’ll get some bulk on him and he’ll be comfortable in the ring. And he’s extremely talented. Very skillful. He’s certainly got the ability to beat anybody he gets in the ring with. I’d probably pick Crawford to beat Canelo. Canelo is past his best all together. He didn’t look good in that last fight. He’s not motivated against fighters like that. Running and keeping out of the way. Why would he walk into shots if he’s winning on points. He wants an easy night’s work.
He is past his best. He’s had over 60 fights. Made a fortune. Why is he even still fighting? But this is a super fight against Crawford. And it could go wrong for him. He could end up losing it. But whoever loses it’ll be an upset because of the amount of people that think Crawford’s gonna win and Crawford certainly unbelievable. Bad boy fighter. Proper good fighter. Hard, tough nut to crack. Real strong mindset. Then you’ve got Canelo who just understands the game inside and out. He’s been in the ring with everybody
Q: Should we talk about Hamzah Sheeraz taking on Edgar Berlanga?
A: That last fight against Carlos Adames was a draw, but I don’t think it was a draw. He got beat in my opinion. But they give it a draw. He needs a good performance. It’s a good fight for him. Probably a fight he can win, but we need to see him performing. He’s backed by the Saudis now. He needs a world title and he’s a top fighter, Hamzah Sheeraz. He’s a really good fighter. Just a bit of lack of experience at world level cost him last time. I think he’s got the capabilities. He’s a hot prospect and he’ll get better and better for sure. He’s got a good mentality and I spoke to him and he trains properly, doesn’t cut corners. He’s got ability. He’s tall and rangy for his weight division. It’s a good fight. I’m looking forward to it.
Q: Eddie Hall wants to fight Conor McGregor, what do you think?
A: He wants to fight everyone! I think he’s pumping stuff into himself. He’s a big unit, isn’t he? It is. Certainly is, yeah. I like Eddie Hall though, he’s a good fighter
Q: What about Darren Till, what’s going on?
A: I don’t know what his problem is with the Cobra. He’s got to be realistic and realise that if he ever boxed me. He would get f**king ironed out. If he ever took me on in the cage, he might have a chance of beating me. But strikers are good in the cage. So I’ve got a chance. Sean Strickland is a striker. A lot of fighters don’t go on the ground. He seems to think that he’s gonna walk up to me and kick me in the face if he sees me. He won’t get within two feet and if he does get within two feet of me, I’ll render him unconscious. That’d be the end of the story, won’t it? If he thinks he can get me in an armbar, or get me by the legs or whatever he thinks he can do, then I’ll finish him with a right hand on the chin before he can get there.
I don’t why he is an angry little man. He behaves like he’s one of these like small men and he’s quite a big lad who can fight a bit, you’ve gotta give him credit where credit’s due. But he got done in MMA, wasn’t quite at the races. He wasn’t quite good enough to do anything in the end. So now he’s coming to boxing with the MisFits stuff, trying to make a bit of money. Fair enough, beat the drum, make what noise you need to make to try and get the fight. But a fight with me is not realistic. He’s not big enough.
Q: Who would you rather fight, Jake Paul or Darren Till if they both walked into the room?
A: If I’m gonna fight, the only reason it would be worth doing this is if the money was absurd. Because I don’t need any money. I’m in a good spot. I’ve got income. I don’t wanna brag about money or talk about how much money I’m worth or what I’ve got and what I’ve done with the money that I’ve earned, and how I’ve set things up that has given me revenue, various multiple revenue streams, and I’m sweet. I don’t need to be getting punched in the face by anybody. But, if the money’s gonna be really, really good and it’s going to be an easy night for which I consider Jake Paul quite an easy night’s work, then why not? It would be like leaving money on the table. Free money.
I don’t think Darren Till would be an easy fight. I think I’d probably have to train a bit more than I’d have to train for Jake Paul. But think about me in my prime against somebody like Darren Till in their prime. I’m a former world champion. He’s someone who is area level, he can’t compete. The only reason it would be a bit of a fight now is if I didn’t take it seriously and the fact that I’ve been retired for 11 years. But there’s no meat on the bone for me to fight somebody like Darren Till, who nobody really knows and nobody really cares about. He’s a gobby little scouser and spits when he talks, can’t understand half of what he’s saying. And he’s got loads to say about me because he’s trying to get the fight. But bad news for him, I’m not arsed about him or anybody else. Jake Paul, he’s a big bunce, isn’t he?
Because it’s Jake Paul. Another f**king w*nker, f**king idiot. But he is not gonna fight me. He pretends he doesn’t know me now. If Darren Till works on his brand a bit it could be a fight for the future. He’s got until I’m 50. I’m retired, but in my head I’m not fully retired. I still think I can fight but I might get a rude awakening.
Q: Daniel Dubois vs Oleksandr Usyk…Obviously that’s the big one, isn’t it?
A: That’s the one I’m looking forward to the most. Proper big fight for professional boxing. Dubois has got a chance. He’s a big heavy lad who can punch. And he’s improved since their first fight. He’s confident. Look what he did to AJ. Usyk couldn’t finish off AJ like Dubois did. Dubois is heavy and so strong. But the problem Dubois has is that Usyk is technical. Dubois hasn’t really been taken to the well yet, and when Usyk is in there with him, he’ll put him under pressure. He’ll land shots, get close to him and bully him around. 12 three-minute rounds is exhausting. Dubois has a fighting chance, but Usyk will be the clear favourite. But he is the older man by 10 years and Dubois is on a crest of the wave, flying with confidence and this is his big chance.
Q: Leigh Wood, disappointing defeat for him last month, but 18 months out, that kind of nuked his chances really didn’t it?
A: Yeah he was out of the ring for too long. He fought a guy called Anthony Cacace who has been around a while and he can punch a bit. He’s tough. He’s fit. For Leigh Wood to come back to the ring after 19 months was always going to be a tough ask. And when he came on top for him. He didn’t have the conditioning because he’d been out too long. I never had longer than seven months out of the ring during my whole career. That was with an ACL constructive surgery on the knee. That put me out for seven months. Rob McCracken said to me that I couldn’t have longer than a year out of the ring because I’d never come back as the same fighter. I don’t know what Leigh Wood is going to do now. It’s a shame really, he should have got that rematch with Josh Warrington. He could have got a payday, but he had to wait around. He had a bit of an illness as well. He had a bit of an immune disruptive disease, so that kept him out of action. Then he comes back and loses to Cacace and I do feel like it might be the writing on the wall for Leigh Wood, it could be the last we see of him.
Q: Jai Opetaia, another big knockout win for him. I think he broke his opponents jaw…What next for him?
A: He’s a big puncher.I think he’s a good fighter..He’s got an amazing future, but he needs to be managed right? Get the right fights. No one’s gonna give him the chance or a voluntary title shot. Because he’s a dangerous fighter.
Q: Did you see Nottingham based boxer Ekow Essuman put down Josh Taylor after his move up to welterweight?
A: He’s underrated, he’s not a big puncher but he’s always fit, always dedicated to the game. And he’s a good fighter. Fellow Nottingham lad. He’s now going to get the plaudits that he deserves after his win over Josh Taylor. But Josh Taylor, he’s lost a couple of fights now and he’s a former undisputed champion…He did well doing the super series. Then lost to Teofimo Lopez. And then he came back and struggled against Jack Catterall. He’s done well, had a good career, made money and got all the belts. So maybe it’s time for him to bow out…
Q: Who would have won out of Prime AJ and Prime David Haye?
A: AJ has got a good one-two, and he was good under Rob McCracken. But David is a very clever, very cute fighter, explosive speed and power. I think he’d beat AJ. David Haye would have knocked out AJ. Haye would have only struggled against AJ if he was still trained by McCracken, he was at his best after beating Wladimir Klitschko. McCrakcen shouldn’t have let AJ go near Usyk though. But fair play to AJ, he wanted to fight him and dared to be great.
Q: Tyson Fury and Lennox Lewis. How would that have gone?
A: Lewis would’ve absolutely f**king hammered him. Fury would have mixed it with him and stayed with him and kept in there for a few rounds. But Lewis would’ve beat him up. Fury is a good fighter, skillful, talented, the trilogy with Wilder was good and then the two losses to Usyk. He might have beaten Klitschko who was on a long unbeaten run, but he beat him in a stinky fight. It was one of the worst fights I’ve ever seen. Klitschko was like a deer in headlights, and Fury got in his head in the press conferences and then ran rings around him. Then the rematch never happened because Fury failed a dr*gs test. But Lennox Lewis was pure class and an Olympic champion, big strong puncher. Tyson Fury would not have gotten close to him. He would have got f**ked up
Q: George Groves said he wants to see Tyson Fury fight Francis NGannou in a cage…Could you see Tyson Fury in the Cage?
A: Groves obviously doesn’t like Tyson Fury. He’s in trouble. If it was a street fight, Fury would have a chance because there’s no rules! These MMA guys seem to get confused and think they can fight someone anywhere. All because they can get someone in a headlock or an armbar. A Boxer in a cage is going to struggle, a cage fighter in a boxing ring is going to have no chance either. Maybe it would be different in a street fight though.
