Who wins? Roy and Max seem to believe that GGG will destroy him. Does he? Or does the farmer prove us wrong again?
My head says that GGG methodically breaks Froch down. But, my head also said that Kessler, AA, and Bute would methodically break Froch down.
Great fight. I think I would pick Froch. I'd have to think a bit more about it before making an official pick
Pick em fight. Gaybox seems significantly better, but is significantly less proven, and quite a bit smaller. It's like a big jr middle against a light heavy, it wouldn't surprise me at all if Frock overpowered him.
The sad reality is that Froch, for all of his impressive atttributes, in and out of the ring, is not really a good boxer. He is a great fighter and a great champ but he is a poor boxer who makes up for amateurish, crude technique with great balls, heart and application. Any, and I mean ANY, semi-talented 160lb-ish fighter with real nous and a bit of toughness should take him. The way to beat Froch is to make him pay for his rushes. He cannot fight a lick backing up and when his rushes don't work his response is to rush forward and try some more rushes. Anybody who can spear Froch coming in with sharp, accurate combos will beat him. If you can beat him to the punch, even better. There's a reason Froch never went to 175 and its because he loses there a lot of what he has at 168, or the men are bigger and less prone to his rushes and more able to soak up his charges. I think GGG could beat him but its kept interesting because of the sheer lack of experience and relative lack of size on GGG behalf. But I would go with GGG....
Kovalev would absolutely batter the living shit out of Froch. It would be a brutal ending as Froch would keep trying. Kov's right hand couldn't miss. Froch would be at height and reach and speed disadvantages against a guy with superior power and real technical ability. If that fight were to happen next for both men, Froch would be brutally exposed.
I agree totally, but I actually think Froch is slightly taller than Kov, and has longer arms. It would matter fuck all though. Kov is indeed faster, and Froch has always been a sucker for right hands, which really bites him in the ass against Kov.
Kovalev has a suspect chin. Don't sleep on it, especially considering this is a guy in Kovalev with poor to almost non-existent head movement and Froch has quite a right hand. There's also the fact that Kovalev is fairly stiff. Arguably stiffer than Kessler. Furthermore, that sort of clubbing power that Kovalev has displayed is not going to take down a guy like Froch. Kovalev will have to sit down a punch with real power and conviction. Froch isn't getting taken out with a poke to the ribcage or some other nonsense that these clowns that HBO line up for the likes of he and Golovkin seem to fall to every fight. Never really did understand the fixation with Kovalev other than the ridiculous bias towards European punchers on this forum.
As a long time Kessler fan, I'd say that Kov is less robotic than Kessler. His offense is more fluid. The main difference is, Kessler was a good puncher, but never had the type of wrecking ball power Kov has.
For the record I would favor Golovkin more than Kovalev. Golovkin has very few if any noticeably flaws at this stage of his career. He is technically proficient, reasonably strong and has reasonable reactions and quickness. The only question mark is his fighting spirit and intangibles which are yet to be tested. The Froch fight is fun and notable because he is untested in the area that Froch has made a living in. Golovkin has superior hand techniques to just about anyone, throws perfectly and with great leverage. His left hook is one of the best I've seen in years. On the other hand. Kovalev is similarly untested in the intangibles and fighting spirit ledgers but is already known to have a suspect chin, is technically flawed defensively...arguably just as much as Froch, and for all his overrated offensive technique, is basic, robotic, doesn't use a variety of angles(other than the good old straight line). I see nothing in him more than an abnormally heavy handed volume puncher with good hand speed parading around in a pitiful division and having fought no one of note. I'd pick Froch over him with a decent enough confidence to place a small wager on him.
I won't argue the point because Kessler was one of the most robotic fighters ever but he at the very least bent his knees on rare occasion. I half expect Kovalev to reveal 20 years from now he fought his entire career with arthritis. Hopkins was spot on with this guy and I genuinely believe Hopkins knows he can beat him. It would be a shame if the fight never happened because it would be a great one for the Executioner's ledger.
While it is absolutely true that Kovalev is still unproven, you are selling him really short here. Fighters have made legendary careers with 'suspect' chins. Nathan Cleverly, while not anything special, was a skillful boxer and did beat the likes of Karo Murat easier than Hopkins, and the FASHION Kovalev beat Cleverly and Cornelius White (pitched a shutout against Dmitri Sukhotsky who fought evenly with Brähmer) suggests that he can't be a total scrub, which you seem to suggest. It isn't totally out of the question that Hopkins could defeat him the same way he did against Pavlik (not as clearly of course) but KOvalev would start the fight as a favorite. Btw. I liked your take on GGG, his punching technique is beautiful
Not sure about taller. I think Froch is 5'11" max. Kov stacked up well against none-too-Cleverly who looks 6'1" or so.
GGG isn't that big, but he's very talented and could well outclass Froch. Never count out Froch, though. One main question is has GGG the sort of punch power to hurt Froch and discourage him. If he doesn't then Froch certainly has a good chance of winning.
I don't think you need power to beat Froch. It's why I like Collins chances. A steady stream of accurate well--timed shots catching him coming in will do the trick. The longer the shots are the better. If he keeps walking onto a steady stream of accurate straight counters, his teeth get pulled in an awful hurry. Glen Johnson had power. Groves has too. It's not power that beats Froch, its constant accurate salvos and making him pay and miss.
Not as well as he might need to, but then again, does GGG get tagged a lot.......not really. Froch is not that good, he needs to walk in and announce himself. GGG doesn't do invitations. Froch would be knocking at the door of a house that GGG moved out of like 2 weeks ago.
Those fighters were almost always great defensive fighters. I have yet to see a Kovalev fight where he even moved his head off the center line before going forward and throwing 50 punches in a row. I also thought Kovalev looked his most vulnerable against Cleverly, the problem being Cleverly is only slightly above average by today's standards and doesn't slip punches or counterpunch.
If all he can do is mindlessly rush forwards, how did he manage to school your boy Arabham and make him look like a clueless scrub?
5'11? :: Frock looks his 6'1 listing. I'm not sure he's looked shorter than anyone he's been in the ring with.
Look at the entire picture. He didn't school Abraham. He gave him a sound beating but if you watch the fight, you can see Froch move his hands and Abraham cover up and do fuck all. Abraham basically let Froch do what he wanted. He wasn't schooled, it wasn't a case of Abraham applying his talent and Froch applying his, and Froch coming out on top. Ulli Wegner just stood there the whole fight shouting Abraham down. He played as much a part in that loss as Froch did. I see your general point but I think this is a bad, isolated example. Ironically, if I wanted to be cuntish I would play the old Lacy card about how Abraham weren't any good to begin with and was overrated. But I won't. I think that AA was better than what he showed, and Froch kept him honest..... Even at that, he rocked Froch in the last round when he finally let his hands go. I may have overstated my case, but I maintain, steadfastedly, that Froch cannot do a lot moving backwards and is overly reliant on a fairly rudimentary game plan.
I agree it's not the best example, as you know my ping on Arabham, I think he was basically a scrub with a punch. Still, it's an example :: Frock is not the best boxer no, but he has more boxing ability and acumen than his slow, clumsy, oafish agricultural style would suggest. He knows what he's doing in there, thinks about what he's doing, and has a solid jab too.
If he isn't, he's not much less. He looked a bit taller than Slappy Joe and Ward, both 6 footers. He has to be more than 6 foot, and certainly not 5'11.
