Apology from Carl Froch

[KingCobra]

TAKE a bow. I take my hat off to you all, you were superb. And I just want to use my column in the Post to say a big 'Thank You' to you all – all 8,000 of you – from me and my family.
You touched my heart by turning up in such big numbers at that crazy time in the morning.
It's not what I wanted, believe me. But it had to be that time for American television, who were paying the bills.
I also want to apologise for the fight itself. It was not as dramatic or exciting as the fans have come to expect from me.

But that wasn't my fault, either. You know me, I like nothing better than slugging it out toe-to-toe.
Quite simply, I came to fight but Andre Dirrell didn't. He ran and ran and ran. He isn't a massive puncher himself and I think he was scared of my power.
I must admit that I didn't expect him to be so timid and it threw me a bit. I had to change my game-plan and adapt my style.
There were a few times that I thought I had him. I just missed him by a whisker.
Believe me, if I had connected it would have been lights out.
But, in the end, I beat a slick, defensive boxer at his own game.
Styles make fights and it was unfortunate that this one was so messy. He was almost as bad as Matthew Barney and that's saying something.
But what could I do?
Dirrell came to spoil and hold and try to steal a decision.
And it almost worked. But almost is not good enough in this game.
I was a little disappointed with my overall performance. But I'm still the champion. And, at the end of the day, that's all that counts.
And the knowledgeable Nottingham fans played their part in that.
I was aware of the noise building up while I was preparing in the dressing room. It was a fantastic atmosphere. And they then kept me focused in the ring.
I just hope we can get Mikkel Kessler over here next year because I can't see Arthur Abraham giving up home advantage.
Kessler is a proud warrior who will stand and fight and give television viewers what they want.
I can hardly wait . . .

[Only registered and activated users can see links]

[indie_uk1]

Good words. I look forward to the kessler fight wherever it is held

Carl was right about the 2am start!!! It was mental in there, ive never seen so many pre fight drunk scraps

[Two Shakes]

Good words. I look forward to the kessler fight wherever it is held

Carl was right about the 2am start!!! It was mental in there, ive never seen so many pre fight drunk scraps

I agree,thing that puzzled me was most of the fights were in the expensive seats :patsch all that money then getting thrown out before the fight starts.

[El Cepillo]

Froch's full of it. Making excuses for a shit performance.

Does he expect his opponents to just stand there and let him hit them? :huh

If you don't have the skills or ability, to cut off the ring, work the body, to slow that kind of fighter down, then you don't belong at the top table. Simple as that.

[Two Shakes]

Froch's full of it. Making excuses for a shit performance.

Does he expect his opponents to just stand there and let him hit them? :huh

If you don't have the skills or ability, to cut off the ring, work the body, to slow that kind of fighter down, then you don't belong at the top table. Simple as that.


I'm not making excuse's for Froch,he was below par,but i'm certain he had hand trouble.He had Dirrell backed into corners on plenty of occasions yet he never threw a right hand ?

[El Cepillo]

I'm not making excuse's for Froch,he was below par,but i'm certain he had hand trouble.He had Dirrell backed into corners on plenty of occasions yet he never threw a right hand ?

I'd like Froch a lot more if he just said "Dirrell was really good, and my performance wasn't as good as I'd like it to have been". - show a bit of respect and humilty.

What Froch is saying is "my performance was fine, I won every round, and the only reason I didn't knock him out is because Dirrell refused to just stand there and let me".

[Two Shakes]

I'd like Froch a lot more if he just said "Dirrell was really good, and my performance wasn't as good as I'd like it to have been". - show a bit of respect and humilty.

What Froch is saying is "my performance was fine, I won every round, and the only reason I didn't knock him out is because Dirrell refused to just stand there and let me".

Very true,we all like a bit of humbleness and humility after the decision.Froch could have spoken more eloquently about Dirrell and been more honest about his own performance,but styles make fights and these two were the wrong combination for excitement.
Lets hope the next installment of the super 6 is more exciting ! Froch v Abraham and Froch v Kessler will deliver i think.:good

[TFFP]

Excuses, excuses, excuses. Just admit it was a shit performance and you couldn't cut the ring off, you weren't accurate enough, you didn't have any method.

You can't blame your opponent for that, its his job to make you look bad.

And I call bullshit on the part where he says he didn't expect those tactics from Dirrell. He said in the pre-fight press conference he expected Dirrell to 'run'.

[GazOC]

I know Dirrell was excessively negative but Froch seems to think not standing there and trading with him is some sort of 'cheating' or cowardice.

[Claypole]

An apology would be fine if he was apologising for his own performance, but he's only really apologising for his opponent.

So much for Dirrell not standing toe to toe, but I would say the reigning champion should be the one dictating how the fight should go.

Despite having been around for what seems like forever, Froch still looks a bit green to me. Hopefully, he can learn from the Dirrell fight........

[cityofgod]

I dont think anyone would look against Dirrell.

He is a slippery, negative nightmare.

[cityofgod]

Excuses, excuses, excuses. Just admit it was a shit performance and you couldn't cut the ring off, you weren't accurate enough, you didn't have any method.

You can't blame your opponent for that, its his job to make you look bad.

And I call bullshit on the part where he says he didn't expect those tactics from Dirrell. He said in the pre-fight press conference he expected Dirrell to 'run'.

hey cartoon fart (pfft)

Why you changed your Kessler avatar?

Scared Ward pounds kessler ?

[TFFP]

hey cartoon fart (pfft)

Why you changed your Kessler avatar?

Scared Ward pounds kessler ?
You mean like the way Dirrell pounded Froch and had him doing a chicken dance numerous times? You were scared for your hero this weekend, admit it! :p

[ero-sennin]

Froch said:
Kessler is a proud warrior who will stand and fight and give television viewers what they want



[Only registered and activated users can see links]
See third to last post.

[mike464]

No need to apologise. He did what he had to do against an opponent who didn't want to fight.

[Primadonna Kool]

Fuck off lad, and go and play Street Fighter..

[Bonavena25]

Carly boy, Dirrell traded in rounds ten and eleven and had the better of it sunshine.

[sugarsean]

Froch's full of it. Making excuses for a shit performance.

Does he expect his opponents to just stand there and let him hit them? :huh

If you don't have the skills or ability, to cut off the ring, work the body, to slow that kind of fighter down, then you don't belong at the top table. Simple as that.

exactly

[Carnage]

You mean like the way Dirrell pounded Froch and had him doing a chicken dance numerous times? You were scared for your hero this weekend, admit it! :p
???????

[Dunky McCafferty]

Carly boy, Dirrell traded in rounds ten and eleven and had the better of it sunshine.

You are not allowed to say that kind of thing here.

Dont you read the forum? Dont you know that if you outbox 'Frochy' its seen as cheating here?

At the end of the day, Froch won. Brit ESB likes this fact & is now in the process of sweeping the controversy under the carpet to suit their own nationalistic agendas.

Its ok for Khan to run. Its NOT ok for Dirrell to run. Thats how we roll in here.

OK???

Now go back to the general forum, we are busy sweeping Frochs mess under the carpet.

sweep sweep...

[AndrewFFC]

.
There were a few times that I thought I had him. I just missed him by a whisker.
Believe me, if I had connected it would have been lights out.
But, in the end, I beat a slick, defensive boxer at his own game.



Christ what is this drivel, is Hatton had come out with that he would've been nailed on here.
Going on about how he is a whisker away, why the bloody hell is that something to brag about?

I wont even get started on the 'beat him at his own game' line, would that be through very slick counter punching then Carl?

The line about adapting made me laugh, he was jus tthe same plodder he always is.

[TFFP]

No need to apologise. He did what he had to do against an opponent who didn't want to fight.
You didn't see it that way when Hopkins used the exact same tactics against Calzaghe, did you? :yep

[Dunky McCafferty]

Christ what is this drivel, is Hatton had come out with that he would've been nailed on here.
Going on about how he is a whisker away, why the bloody hell is that something to brag about?

I wont even get started on the 'beat him at his own game' line, would that be through very slick counter punching then Carl?

The line about adapting made me laugh, he was jus tthe same plodder he always is.

All I can say is, Dirrell must have had bigger whiskers than that cat in your avatar going by Frochs logic.

[TheUzi]

Had enough of Frochs excuses.

seems like he's convinced himself that he didn't get completely outclassed.

[DB10]

He's setting himself up for a big fall against Kessler, if he thinks Kessler is just going to stand toe to toe with him next.

[jordan1]

I'd like Froch a lot more if he just said "Dirrell was really good, and my performance wasn't as good as I'd like it to have been". - show a bit of respect and humilty.

What Froch is saying is "my performance was fine, I won every round, and the only reason I didn't knock him out is because Dirrell refused to just stand there and let me".

I agree with you 100%

[HeavyT]

He's setting himself up for a big fall against Kessler, if he thinks Kessler is just going to stand toe to toe with him next.

I like Froch but hes just asking to get taken down a peg :yep

[Farmboxer]

When Dirrell fakes a fight, he holds on for dear life, runs like Hell, falls down on canvas, and complains to referee!

[KingCobra]

You didn't see it that way when Hopkins used the exact same tactics against Calzaghe, did you? :yep

Different situation. Calzaghe wasn't running, holdng, dropping to knees, turning away against Hopkins. If a fighter want's to use those tactics fair enough but IMO he deserves what he gets.

[icemax]

Had enough of Frochs excuses.

seems like he's convinced himself that he didn't get completely outclassed.

This is getting fucking out of hand...the longer this shit goes on the wider that Dirrell "won" the fight by...first its 1 or 2 rounds, then its 3 or 4, i've even seen some idiot saying that Dirrell won by 6 clear. Now we have the Froch was "completely outclassed" gambit, which is just not true, not even close.

[indie_uk1]

Im bored of it now, not even sure why im posting

It wasnt a 'robbery' it was a close decision
He wasnt 'outclassed' he was just having to run after his opponent
Both used awful tactics

Basically it was a god awful fight that could have gone either way and the judges chose Froch because he wasnt so god damn negative. End of

Now isnt Moore v rhodes this weekend.......

[DamonD]

It's not like Froch is going read this but it needs saying anyway...

Not everyone fights like him, and some guys will always prefer to box on the back foot as opposed to fight. That's their right and that's completely legal in the sport.

You can't just blame the other guy if you can't handle that. Don't delude yourself into doing so or you risk going the same way Enzo Maccarinelli has gone, telling himself the Haye loss meant absolutely nothing and not learning from his mistakes.

Having said that, I still had Froch squeaking by a points win. Lessons do need to be learnt though.

[icemax]

It's not like Froch is going read this but it needs saying anyway...

Not everyone fights like him, and some guys will always prefer to box on the back foot as opposed to fight. That's their right and that's completely legal in the sport.

You can't just blame the other guy if you can't handle that. Don't delude yourself into doing so or you risk going the same way Enzo Maccarinelli has gone, telling himself the Haye loss meant absolutely nothing and not learning from his mistakes.

Having said that, I still had Froch squeaking by a points win. Lessons do need to be learnt though.

Carl is an intelligent kid, what he says in public, and what he thinks in private are probably two completely different things

[Beeston Brawler]

Carl is an intelligent kid, what he says in public, and what he thinks in private are probably two completely different things

I certainly hope so :hey

[Unforgiven]

There were a few times that I thought I had him. I just missed him by a whisker.
Believe me, if I had connected it would have been lights out.

:lol::lol::lol:

Yeah, If you had hit him :rofl

[foreverleeds]

It's not like Froch is going read this but it needs saying anyway...

Not everyone fights like him, and some guys will always prefer to box on the back foot as opposed to fight. That's their right and that's completely legal in the sport.

You can't just blame the other guy if you can't handle that. Don't delude yourself into doing so or you risk going the same way Enzo Maccarinelli has gone, telling himself the Haye loss meant absolutely nothing and not learning from his mistakes.

Having said that, I still had Froch squeaking by a points win. Lessons do need to be learnt though.


Good post.

Froch's statement reminds me of football managers who complain when the opposing team puts 10 men behind the ball to try and come away with a point, rather than attacking and letting there teams open them up and hammer them 5-0. If your up against a dangerous attacking opponent, then for a defensive minded team to go attacking as well is madness. It's the same in boxing.

Froch can't seriously have expected Dirrell to just stand there and trade with him from the off?? Surely the dvd's he's seen of Dirrell will have shown him that he's a quick defensive fighter who avoids getting into a brawl?

I personally think Dirrell was caught in two minds of what to do - I put that down to in experience in a world title fight. I don't think Dirrell was that worried about Carl's power after the first few rounds to be honest. If Dirrell had let his hands go a couple of rounds earlier, he'd have won a UD in my opinion. Froch was the one struggling when Dirrell eventually opened up.

Not that it matters, but I've been a little dissapointed with Froch's post fight comments. He'd have been far better to acknowledge the fact that it was a very close fight that could have gone either way and show a bit of respect to his challenger?

Froch wonders why nobody outside of Nottingham, apart from big boxing fans, give a shi* about him - it's because of nonsense press releases like this and him banging on about Calzaghe being jealous of him etc etc.

[SouthpawSlayer]

what a load of bollox, froch better hope he never meets andre ward and as for the kessler fight, froch is in trouble

[sugarsean]

what a load of bollox, froch better hope he never meets andre ward and as for the kessler fight, froch is in trouble

Kessler and Abraham are gonna spank him all around the ring :boxxthat's finally going to bring him into reality and shut his big mouth :clap:

[Two Shakes]

This is getting fucking out of hand...the longer this shit goes on the wider that Dirrell "won" the fight by...first its 1 or 2 rounds, then its 3 or 4, i've even seen some idiot saying that Dirrell won by 6 clear. Now we have the Froch was "completely outclassed" gambit, which is just not true, not even close.

Not just me who can see this degenerating into a Froch v Taylor situation all over again.
Good post :good

[rhinocoote]

Carl is an intelligent kid, what he says in public, and what he thinks in private are probably two completely different things
/\/\/\/\
at last someone understands!!.carls a clever bloke who always says the most controversial things to keep the spotlight on him.........and guess what forum?,it's worked again!
good on him:good

[Hagler/Pryor]

My problem with Froch is not what he says or the way he markets himself, delusional or not. I don't like it and I cannot warm to the guy because of that, but that doesn't mean I didn't respect him.

I used to respect the guy because he was giving his all, coming to fight and putting it all on the line to win AND because he wasn't trying to cheat in the ring. He used to be a clean fighter.

In the Dirrell fight, however, not only was he dirty, but he also did his utmost to get an advantage over his opponent by engaging in illegal dangerous actions. This, I don't think any one of us can excuse him for, as boxing fans.

Professional boxing is dangerous enough as it is and illegal, dangerous actions should not condoned to any extent, whatever the stakes and whatever the fighting style of your opponent.

Now, I no longer respect Froch. I simply cannot. He's still very exciting to watch, though.

I never supported him in the past because I simply couldn't warm to him as a person, but now I no longer have any sympathy for him either. He used to be very good for boxing and I respected him for that, but now I no longer think he is good for boxing if he continues to fight the way he did against Dirrell.

I think Froch need not apologise for not being able to draw Dirrell into the fight that would have suited him and pleased the fans, but for cheating in a dangerous way to get an unfair advantage over his opponent.

[mattress]

No need to apologise. He did what he had to do against an opponent who didn't want to fight.

Yeah, just like Calzaghe against BHop.:hi:

[D_XZ]

Not too bad by Froch.

Lets be honest, you don't even think of becoming world champion unless you have a certain level of ego and arrogance about you. I don't why people expect them to come out with measured, objective statements. Those who do are the exceptions, not the other way around.

Allowing for his Champions arrogance, Froch was right about Dirrels performance.
However a good champion learns from his mistakes and adapts. Despite Frochs claims I didn't see him adapt in the slightest in that fight. I saw him simply do the same as he did in the Taylor fight, despite coming close to losing that one. He didn't show that he learned a thing.

Now it's up to Dirrell to go to his next fight and show that he can do what Froch can't and learn from experience

[TheUzi]

This is getting fucking out of hand...the longer this shit goes on the wider that Dirrell "won" the fight by...first its 1 or 2 rounds, then its 3 or 4, i've even seen some idiot saying that Dirrell won by 6 clear. Now we have the Froch was "completely outclassed" gambit, which is just not true, not even close.


Froch looked more clumsy than ive ever seen him,swinging punches like a drunk,missing and only connecting a handful of times.
It was as classless a performance ive seen in a long time.

Dirrell,on the back foot,making Froch miss,countering with bags of speed. Despite some negativity,I think he showed some class,he impressed me anyway.

hence

Froch was completely outclassed.

[icemax]

Froch was completely outclassed.

Completely outclassed is 120-108, this fight was nowhere close. If hugging and falling over at every opportunity is showing class then give me a dirty , "classless" fighter any day

[TheUzi]

Completely outclassed is 120-108, this fight was nowhere close. If hugging and falling over at every opportunity is showing class then give me a dirty , "classless" fighter any day


Do take on board your particular views on outclassed (RE 120-108) but having watched the fight a couple of times,it didn't look good from Froch...

I struggled to give him much rounds in that fight as I was more impressed with the reflexes and speed of Dirrell as opposed to Frochs aggression.


He just looked terrible and was unable to conjure up an effective game plan.

Everyone has there own opinion.

Cant wait for his next two fights tho.

[Farmboxer]

Dirrell is the one who should apologize.

[icemax]

Do take on board your particular views on outclassed (RE 120-108) but having watched the fight a couple of times,it didn't look good from Froch...

I struggled to give him much rounds in that fight as I was more impressed with the reflexes and speed of Dirrell as opposed to Frochs aggression.


He just looked terrible and was unable to conjure up an effective game plan.

Everyone has there own opinion.

Cant wait for his next two fights tho.

:good

[tliang1000]

froch is a fraud

[faisal]

froch owes calzaghe an appology

[Bomber_uk]

You are not allowed to say that kind of thing here.

Dont you read the forum? Dont you know that if you outbox 'Frochy' its seen as cheating here?

At the end of the day, Froch won. Brit ESB likes this fact & is now in the process of sweeping the controversy under the carpet to suit their own nationalistic agendas.

Its ok for Khan to run. Its NOT ok for Dirrell to run. Thats how we roll in here.

OK???

Now go back to the general forum, we are busy sweeping Frochs mess under the carpet.

sweep sweep...

The very fact that you can try and throw that accusation at anyone dunky is laughable, you are unbelieveably bias toward most scottish fighters and very blatently bias against most english fighters, as your new avatar shows. If, and it is a very big if, haye does pull it out on sat night I shall be over the moon for him but I shall also spare a thought for your depressed scottish ass sat in your skirt, gutted cos haye won whilst sat on your piss stained tartan setee.

...and by the way, before you come on and start shouting about me been on your turf and respect and all the other rubbish I have seen you post before when people pull you up for being a dickhead, please be warned I do not care, thanks :good

[icemax]

froch is a fraud

Thanks for the incisive analysis...do you post mainly on the general forum?

[Farmboxer]

There should be an apology from Dirrell for not fighting and instead holding, running, falling down on canvas and complaining. There is a double standard here.

[SeasideSlugger]

It was a bloody awful fight and at the minute (before watchdog and Michael Mansfield QC get involved) it's cost me the neck end of 30 QUID!!!!!!!!!!!!