Avenging one of the two losses in his career will have to suffice for Carl "The Cobra" Froch. The man from Nottingham defeated Mikkel Kessler on Saturday night in London, but he doesn't have the skills to defeat Andre "S.O.G" Ward.
The win evened the score with Kessler, who had bested Froch in Denmark in 2010.
Froch's other defeat came at the hands of Ward—who was a part of the HBO telecast for Froch-Kessler 2. When Froch was asked about fighting Ward again, he said he was interested but took the opportunity to take a shot at Ward's style.
Per the HBO telecast, Froch said:
I always said I wouldn't love to fight Andre Ward again. He's not an entertaining fighter, his style is not one you want to watch. He's good at what he does, but it's not a fighter's fight. It's not a brawl, it doesn't get the crowd out of their seat.
He doesn't seem to get the television companies excited.
Hmm...as we take in this backhanded compliment, take note Froch is also the man who said he didn't like Muhammad Ali's fighting style either. Take a look:
Ward retorted:
When you can't defeat a certain style, you seem to try and knock it.
It is terrible when a fighter is criticized for being good defensively. Ward's style masters the art of hitting and not being hit—which is what the sport is supposed to be about.
I totally agree with Ward's assessment of the true origin of Froch's comments. Unfortunately, many fans and boxing dignitaries feel similar to Froch. John Wharton of Brit Boxing tweeted and Max Boxing's Steve Kim retweeted:
The worst thing Ward could do is allow Froch's comments and critics' opinions to force him to fight a different style. Ward is the type of fighter whose style separates fans who love the art from those who simply love the fight.
I can appreciate both elements, but I understand fighters like Ward have a much better chance of retaining their mental faculties once their career is over.
Nothing that took place on Saturday should make anyone think Froch has a prayer against Ward. S.O.G will run circles around him again and possibly stop him late.
The speed and defensive advantages are clear. Froch is too slow, and he keeps his hands too low to be effective against Ward. At 35 years old, it is too late for him to change either of these things.
The Cobra can take as many shots at Ward as he wants. The fact remains: Ward beat him once, and if they ever rematch, it seems a good bet he'd beat him again.
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