BRITISH FIGHTER GETS WIN & 168 LB. “LEVERAGE”
San Francisco, CA– In what can easilly be desribed as a spirited 12 round encounter, Carl Froch outpointed Mikkel Kessler Saturday in London to even up their series at one win a piece. Froch showed lots of heart, resiliency, activity and his refusing to budge from anything his rival threw at him. “The Cobra” from Nottingham, UK doesn’t do anything especially well (except take a punch) but he is a winner, going 8-2 in his last 10 bouts against an unparalleled level of opposition.
WHAT DIRECTION WILL “THE COBRA” RECOIL?
Andre Ward II: This match seems to be the most natural course for both men. Froch has already avenged his other loss at 31-2, so it just seems fitting to do the same with the other blemish on his record. However, there seems to be a few roadblocks getting in the way of this fight being made.
FROCH BETTER DRAW THAN ANDRE WARD
First off, Ward may be the man to beat and the real “champion” of their division, despite what the alphabet groups say, but the reality is that boxing is more than just a sport; it is the entertainment business. For this reason, despite their rankings, “The Cobra” is the draw of the division and holds plenty of the swaying power in negotiations. In other words, Carl Froch, being the more exciting fighter and participating in the more dramatic bouts, puts more asses in seats than Andre Ward.
WARD NOT AFRAID TO FIGHT ABROAD
Froch wants the rematch to happen on his home soil. Ward, being just as much of a warrior as his European counterpart, may agree to this but it could possibly prove to be a barrier in the negotiation process as the American would more than likely request a bigger slice of the financial pie to compensate Ward for his sacrifices.
FIRST FIGHT WAS UNEVENTFUL NEAR ROUT
Another obstacle is the fact that Ward won their first fight handily. In his post-fight interview with HBO on Saturday, Carl didn’t seem particularly excited about the prospect of facing his one-time conqueror again, citing that the “Son of God” has a boring fighting style that people don’t get excited about. Froch may be willing to fight the Oakland native again but his promoter Eddie Hearn is more than likely to take advantage of his fighter’s current momentum and steer his pugilist in another direction.
PART II COMING ON WEDNESDAY MORNING
Jason B. Nava