Carl Froch image

Carl Froch

Culture, Diversity, Leadership and Investment in self belief, Carl Froch represents the Heart of the Midlands mindset

Four-time super-middleweight world champion - Carl Froch

Carl Martin Froch was born in Colwick, Nottingham, on 2 July 1977. As a British professional boxer, he competed from 2002 to 2014, and has since worked as a boxing analyst and commentator for Sky Sports.

 

He held multiple super-middleweight world championships, including the WBC title twice between 2008 and 2011, the IBF title from 2012 to 2015, and the WBA (Unified) title from 2013 to 2015. At regional level he held the British, Commonwealth, and English super-middleweight titles, and won the Lonsdale Belt in 2006.

Carl Froch - the amateur career

Froch began boxing at the Phoenix ABC in Gedling, Nottingham. As an amateur, he won two ABA middleweight titles in 1999 and 2001 and a bronze medal at the 2001 World Amateur Boxing Championships before turning pro and having his first pro fight in March 2002. As an amateur, Froch lost to American Peter Manfredo Jr. Early in his life Froch wanted to become a footballer and play for Nottingham Forest, his local football team, and has stated that he would love to fight at the City Ground. He is a supporter of the club and occasionally trained at its training ground before fights.

 

Carl Froch - the professional career

Froch was trained by Robert McCracken throughout his professional career. He was managed and promoted by Mick Hennessy until 2011, and from thereon by Eddie Hearn. Froch made his debut at the age of 25 in March 2002. He fought at the York Hall in Bethnal Green, London against veteran 36 year old journeyman Michael Pinnock (4-52-8, 2 KOs), who weighed 10 pounds more than Froch, in a scheduled 6 round bout. Froch won the fight via a fourth-round technical knockout. Froch fought a further four times that year, winning them all with three coming by first-round knockout against Ojay Abrahams, Darren Covill and Mike Duffield and one victory coming by a points decision win against Paul Bonson.

 

Fighting for the first time at the Nottingham Arena

Froch started 2003 with a knockout win against Valery Odin, fighting for the first time at the Nottingham Arena, the same arena he would win his first world title five years later. Froch would next fight in March, April and October of that year defeating Varujan Davtyan and Michael Monaghan by knockout and Vage Kocharyan via a points decision, respectively. At this point in his career, Froch racked up 9 wins in as many fights, with 7 coming by way of knockout.

 

Carl ‘The Cobra’ Froch and the five fights that defined him

Carl ‘The Cobra’ Froch has had many highlights over his 13-year top-level career, from making his debut in March 2002 (beating Michael Pinnock in the tiny York Hall) to knocking George Groves off his feet in front of 90,000 fans inside a sold-out Wembley stadium in May 2014. In the same year Froch was named best British boxer by the British Boxing Board of Control for a third year running and an unprecedented fourth time overall.

 

Froch vs Kessler II

Date: 26th May 2013. Venue: O2 Arena, London, England. Attendance: 20,000

Froch’s rematch against Denmark’s Mikkel Kessler – Kessler had previously beaten Froch in his home country – had all the makings of a fantastic fight. It turned out to be one of the most brutal fights to ever take place inside a British ring as these two warriors went toe to toe over a brutal 12 rounds, with Froch throwing nearly 1,000 punches. At the end Froch took a unanimous decision, retaining his IBF super middleweight title and winning the WBA middleweight title, in front of almost 20,000 roaring British fans.

 

Froch vs Pascal

Date: 6th December 2008. Venue: Capital FM Arena, Nottingham, England. Attendance: 10,000

One of the biggest nights in Froch’s history saw him become super middleweight champion of the world for the first time in his career – in his home town. It wasn’t easy by any means as Pascal fought back against Froch’s early onslaught, but in the end the Canadian couldn’t overcome the Cobra’s will to win. Froch later told the press that he went into the fight with a perforated ear drum and a cracked rib.

 

Froch vs Hague

Date: 24th September 2004. Venue: Capital FM Arena, Nottingham, England. Attendance: 10,000

Froch made his name with a career-defining performance as he beat fellow Midlander Hague, challenging for Froch’s Commonwealth super middleweight title, in just 2min 10sec. Hague was knocked down twice inside two minutes before referee Mickey Vann called off the bout. Froch retaining his Commonwealth belt and winning the vacant British and super middleweight title. This was the fight that introduced Froch to the British public and demonstrated the power he was capable of producing.

 

Froch vs Bute

Date: 26th May 2012 Venue: Capital FM Arena, Nottingham, England. Attendance: 10,000

When Froch took on Lucian Bute in May 2012, the Romanian was unbeaten in 30 pro fights. What followed can only be described as one-sided. Shaking off his underdog status, Froch battered Bute inside five rounds to secure the IBF title. Rattled after his defeat by Andre Ward, Froch returned with arguably the most spectacular performance of his entire career picking apart Bute with accuracy and power. Froch admitted that if he had lost, he would have retired. Instead he won the IBF and was on track to win the WBA from Kessler a year later.

 

Froch vs Groves II

Date: 31st May 2014. Attendance: 80,000. Venue: Wembley Stadium, London, England

The fight that made history – the biggest attendance at a postwar British boxing match – and ended one of the biggest feuds in British boxing history, Froch’s rematch against George Groves involved everything from mind games to near-fights outside the ring. There had been bad blood between the two even before their first fight in November 2013 but the rivalry heated up when Froch won a controversial initial victory, Groves’s camp claiming the referee had stopped the fight prematurely. Six months later 80,000 fans witnessed Froch dismantle his opponent at Wembley Stadium. The fight was close until Froch landed a stunning straight right hand, leaving Groves senseless. The punch that ended this feud was described by BBC commentator Mike Costello as ‘the best punch you will ever see in a British boxing ring’.

 

Targets a key factor in Froch’s success

One of the key factors in Froch’s success is his meticulous approach to tracking his training. ‘I’ve kept a training diary ever since I turned pro,’ he says. ‘It gives me targets, and when I hit them, that gives me confidence going into a fight because I know I’m fit.

 

Carl Froch retired from boxing after he knocked out George Groves in May 2014

The 38-year-old won 33 of his 35 fights, with 24 victories by knockout. Froch has not fought since he knocked out George Groves to retain the WBA and IBF titles in May 2014.

"I have nothing left to prove and my legacy speaks for itself. I'm incredibly proud of what I have achieved in boxing but now is the right moment to hang up my gloves."

Carl Froch.

In his career Carl Froch was voted Fighter of the Year for 2012 by World Boxing News and BoxRec. In 2013, the UK edition of GQ magazine voted him Sportsman of the Year. He reached a peak pound for pound ranking of sixth by BoxRec and The Ring magazine, and in 2013 was listed by the BBC as the best active British boxer, pound for pound.

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