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STARS, BARS AND BOXING IN ATLANTIC CITY

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In May 2011, my two friends and I took a five-week road trip from New York to Miami and back, and it was awesome. One of the best moments of the trip was something that quite easily couldn’t have happened had I not been such a boxing freak.

We were stopping off at Atlantic City, and while we were there we realised that Nottingham’s own Carl Froch was defending his WBC title against Glen Johnson in the Super Six semi-final, at the Boardwalk Hall. The Hall was famous for hosting some of my favourite fighters most glorious nights. That fighter was the late Arturo ‘Thunder’ Gatti. He was the ultimate blood and guts warrior, and it was great to visit a place that had taken him to its heart.

It was a week before the fight, and we were supposed to be moving on down the coast towards Miami, via North and South Carolina. As much as I loved the thought of visiting those places (and I have some great stories of the time we spent there), something was pulling me towards staying in AC for the extra week, just to have the experience of seeing a fighter who I admire and who lives about 20 miles away (I’m from Leicester) fight in America, at Gatti’s house.

Froch-Johnson Pic

I went into overdrive and managed to grind down the defenses of my comrades so that we could stay. Anyone who ever doubts the extent of my love for boxing should talk to my two friends, who were bludgeoned to defeat by my passion in five rounds. Neither of them were particularly fussed about boxing, but after the fight in AC, they experienced everything that was great about boxing.

AC fans are truly amazing. They made the 2,000 in attendance Boardwalk Hall feel like Anfield on derby day. You always know when you’re in the presence of true sport fans, because everybody is friendly and you can feel the energy. I couldn’t hear a thing but I felt everything!

Before the fight though, we had the weigh-in to attend at the hotel. We met Carl Froch and Glen Johnson and had our photos taken with both, and we chatted to Froch’s home fans who had travelled to see him fight on US soil. It was strange to be talking to fellow East Midlanders in Atlantic City, but it was cool.

Froch on the scales

What was also very cool – for me as a giant boxing fan – was to be sitting in the front row for the weigh-in. Jimmy Lennon Jr. (“It’s Showtime”) introduced the fighters, and I got Goosebumps. Then the two fighters went nose-to-nose, and my Goosebumps turned to jelly legs. I was so excited, it was like an out of body experience. That’s when I looked over to the left and saw Andre Ward and Jean Pascal.

I don’t get star-struck very easily, but Andre Ward has an aura about him. Simply put, he’s one of the best fighters in the world. You can keep your Justin Bieber’s and Mick Jagger’s. Fighters are my heroes. I thought from day one that Ward would win the series, and I feel a little smug now that he’s generally regarded as pound-for-pound one of the best fighters in the world. I approached him and shook his hand, then I asked for a photo. He obliged and was really respectful towards the fans that were clamouring for a word, a photo or an autograph.

I turned to him and said: “Nobody expected you to beat Kessler like that. Now there’s nobody betting against you winning the whole thing!”

“Appreciate it,” he replied.

Cool as a cucumber.

Andre Ward - The eventual winner of the Super Six Tournament

Andre Ward – The eventual winner of the Super Six Tournament

I have to mention how cool Jean Pascal was, too. He was wearing black shades to hide the battle scars from two weeks previous, when he lost his world light-heavyweight title to Bernard Hopkins. He was clearly still hurting, but he was respectful and engaging. A really great guy.

The day of the fight was kind of a blur, but the night was something I’ll never forget. We were on a pretty small budget, so we bought seats up in the rafters, and it was a bit of a drag. But then we wandered out into the main area to get ourselves some beers, and we came across ‘Team Froch’, which consisted of Carl’s two brothers, his management team and some friends. We got chatting to them and had a couple of drinks, and then we followed them back to their seats at ringside, because that’s what you do when you’re a bit drunk and a lot stupid.

We were expecting to get booted out within seconds, but we found three empty seats about two rows back from Team Froch and placed our asses down. We managed to watch the whole fight and get our programmes signed by Carl himself without being kicked off the premises. Not bad, eh?

Froch won the fight by majority decision. It wasn’t a great fight by any stretch, but Carl did what he had to do to make a date in the final with Andre Ward, who was at ringside. During the post-fight wind-down, I managed to chat to former IBF cruiserweight champion Steve Cunningham and have my photo taken with him. He was a really nice guy, and he’s going to be a real handful for Tyson Fury soon, that’s for sure. I also had the bizarre experience of seeing Bernard Hopkins make an appearance, only to leave before the fight ended. He was being flanked by some entourage who prevented fans from getting too close. He definitely has that old school aura about him, in and out of the ring.

Daley and Steve Cunningham

Steve Cunningham – Nice guy (until he meets Tyson Fury!)

When the crowd dispersed, my friends and I quickly realised that apart from Carl Froch and his team, a few press members and a certain Andre Ward and Jean Pascal, nobody else was around. We couldn’t believe our luck! We walked over to Ward and Pascal and chatted to them for about twenty minutes. What I love about fighters is that they’re just regular guys who do extraordinary feats in the ring. Both men signed our programmes and wished us a safe journey home. Pound for pound nice guys just chatting to some dumb-ass Brits!

On the way out of the Hall we chatted to Team Froch, who asked us if the beach bar was any good. After we said that it was pretty good, they asked us if we wanted to join them. Gee, let me think… Yes! Carl gave the bar a miss and went back to his hotel, but we had a great night with Team Froch, who were a great laugh.

Whenever I talk to my two friends about our road trip, they always say the same thing: “Imagine if we’d left Atlantic City without watching that fight?” To which I always reply: “You would have had to drag me out!”

That’s the power of boxing!

Ringside view

SUPER SIX: THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE FINAL: WARD-FROCH PREVIEW

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After many twists, turns, wars, upsets and withdrawals, Showtime’s Super Six super middleweight tournament will finally crown its winner when Britain’s Carl Froch takes on American Andre Ward at the Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey on Saturday 17th December 2011.

Originally scheduled for October 29th at the same location, the fight was put back after WBA champion Ward suffered an injury in training. Delaying the fight will only create more anticipation for an intriguing fight with classic boxer-versus-puncher potential.

WBC champion Froch made to the final by winning a majority decision over Jamaican-born US warrior Glen Johnson at the same venue. It was a workmanlike performance, with Froch arguably eyeing up the bigger fish he would be meeting in the final. Nevertheless, he was in command throughout (despite one judge scoring the fight 114-114) and got the win.

Ward’s route to the final came with a virtual shutout points win over the tournament’s biggest disappointment, Arthur Abraham. The Armenian was dominated by Froch in his previous tournament battle, and his confidence was gone by the time Ward showed him the exit.

It can be argued that Andre Ward is the surprise of the tournament. Mikkel Kessler was the tournament favourite coming in, and he was dominated by Ward in the first round. A cut eventually led to a technical decision victory for Ward, and suddenly all bets were off. Given that Kessler then defeated Froch by unanimous decision, it looked like anybody could win the trophy on any given night. Since that win, Kessler, Jermaine Taylor and Andre Dirrell have left the tournament for different reasons, and replacements Johnson and Allen Green have both been dispatched.

A Froch-Ward final makes perfect sense, and an exciting prospect. We still haven’t really seen Ward in a punishing fight where he has to dig deep to win. This is partially down to his brilliance and command of the ring, but also down to timing. It could be argued that he caught Kessler at the right time, and that Froch fought the wrong fight against the Dane, making him look better than he actually was. Defeating Allen Green on points doesn’t look that great when you consider Johnson knocked Green out in the eighth round in his next fight. As for Abraham, he had lost to Dirrell and Froch in his previous fights, and only made the semis because of the three points he scored by knocking out the shell of Jermaine Taylor. That is not to take away from Ward’s performances, which have been excellent. It could come down to the fact that he’s just too good.

This fight will provide the answer.

The only thing we can guarantee in this fight is that Ward will finally be involved in a punishing fight. Froch is an absolute monster in the ring, and makes you fight hard for 36 minutes of a contest. He stopped Jermaine Taylor when behind on points with just 14 seconds left in their fight; such is his determination to win. If you step off the gas for a second, you will be punished. ‘The Cobra’ has also showed excellent boxing skills though. After the 12 round war with Kessler (that resulted in the former champ pulling out of the tournament because of injuries suffered in the contest) saw the decision go against him, Froch shocked everybody by using his brain and out-smarted and out-boxed Abraham in his next fight. The jab, non-existent in the Kessler fight, kept Abraham at bay all night long.

It was a virtuoso performance. Froch’s trainer Rob McCracken told The Daily Mail that he favoured his man to win because he’s had the tougher fights throughout his career. He said: “Carl and Ward have pretty much proved themselves as the two best in the division. Carl definitely has, and we feel he’s done more in the division than Andre has.”

“We’re expecting a fantastic fight between two tremendous boxers.”

Whatever happens in the ring, the Super Six tournament has been the making of both men, and should be held in high esteem for creating an environment in which the best fighters fight each other, regardless of politics, and that is a lesson to be learned across the whole landscape of boxing.

CARL FROCH V ANDRE WARD: FIGHT PREVIEW

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Ward-Froch: The Final Countdown

After many twists, turns, wars, upsets and withdrawals, Showtime’s Super Six super middleweight tournament will finally crown its winner when Britain’s Carl Froch takes on American Andre Ward at the Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey on Saturday 17th December 2011.

Originally scheduled for October 29th at the same location, the fight was put back after WBA champion Ward suffered an injury in training. Delaying the fight will only create more anticipation for an intriguing fight with classic boxer-versus-puncher potential.

WBC champion Froch made to the final by winning a majority decision over Jamaican-born US warrior Glen Johnson at the same venue. It was a workmanlike performance, with Froch arguably eyeing up the bigger fish he would be meeting in the final. Nevertheless, he was in command throughout (despite one judge scoring the fight 114-114) and got the win.

Ward’s route to the final came with a virtual shutout points win over the tournament’s biggest disappointment, Arthur Abraham. The Armenian was dominated by Froch in his previous tournament battle, and his confidence was gone by the time Ward showed him the exit.

It can be argued that Andre Ward is the surprise of the tournament. Mikkel Kessler was the tournament favourite coming in, and he was dominated by Ward in the first round. A cut eventually led to a technical decision victory for Ward, and suddenly all bets were off. Given that Kessler then defeated Froch by unanimous decision, it looked like anybody could win the
trophy on any given night.

Since that win, Kessler, Jermaine Taylor and Andre Dirrell have left the tournament for different reasons, and replacements Johnson and Allen Green have both been dispatched.  A Froch-Ward final makes perfect sense, and an exciting prospect.

Ward dominates Abraham

We still haven’t really seen Ward in a punishing fight wherehe has to dig deep to win. This is partially down to his brilliance and command of the ring, but also down to timing. It could be argued that he caught Kessler at the right time, and that Froch fought the wrong fight against the Dane, making him look better than he actually was. Defeating Allen Green on points doesn’t look that great when you consider Johnson knocked Green out in the eighth round in his next fight. As for Abraham, well, he had lost to Dirrell and Froch in his previous fights, and only made the semis because of the three points he scored by knocking out the shell of Jermaine Taylor. That is not to take away from Ward’s performances, which have been excellent. It could come down to the fact that he’s just too good. This fight will provide the answer.

The only thing we can guarantee in this fight is that Ward will finally be involved in a punishing fight. Froch is an absolute monster in the ring, and makes you fight hard for 36 minutes of a contest. He stopped Jermaine Taylor when behind on points with just 14 seconds left in their fight; such is his determination to win. If you step off the gas for a second, you will be punished.

‘The Cobra’ has also showed excellent boxing skills though. After the 12 round war with Kessler (that resulted in the former champ pulling out of the tournament because of injuries suffered in the contest) saw the decision go against him, Froch shocked everybody by using his brain and out-smarted and out-boxed Abraham in his next fight. The jab, non-existent in the Kessler fight, kept Abraham at bay all night long. It was a virtuoso performance.

Come December, Froch will have to be on the kind of form he was in against Abraham in order to stand a chance. Anything less than 100% will see Ward pick up the points by flitting in-and-out and counter punching. If Froch uses his jab and applies educated pressure by going to the body, then he could take Ward to a place he has never been. Then it will be really
interesting.

Froch beats Johnson to reach the final

After 12 hard rounds of boxing, Andre Ward is likely to be crowned WBC and WBA super middleweight champion of the world and Showtime’s Super Six champion as well. But Carl Froch will be the people’s champion on both sides of the Atlantic, for the great battles he’s given the world during the tournaments progression. He won’t have the trophy but he’ll sure as hell have the plaudits.

Carl Froch vs. Glen Johnson Preview

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The Super Six tournament has had a turbulent yet productive history and has reached its Semi Final Stage, with Carl Froch versus Glen Johnson and Andre Ward versus Arthur Abraham battling it out for the right to fight in the final.

Carl Froch: Aiming for the Final

The logical final would be Carl Froch versus Andre Ward, and would be an intriguing battle between an all action fighter and a smart boxer. But that is without putting Froch’s boxing clinic over Arthur Abraham in his last fight into consideration. It would be a worthy final and a great fight.

First of all WBC champion Froch must defeat 42 year old Miami based Jamaican-born ‘Road Warrior’ Glen Johnson (51-14-2, 35 KO), a fighter of the Bernard Hopkins mould who just won’t go away and keeps giving the younger fighters hell, win or lose. In 2004 he was Fighter of the Year on most people’s lists after beating Britain’s Clinton Woods, knocking the great Roy Jones Jr. unconscious and outscoring division number one Antonio Tarver in one year. Since then he has only been beaten by the very best in the light heavyweight division – including Tarver in a rematch, Chad Dawson (twice) and current IBF holder Tavoris Cloud – and never without giving his all to the final bell.

'The Road Warrior' Glen Johnson

Johnson moved down in weight to seize the opportunity of fighting in Showtime’s Super Six tournament (the last time he fought at super middleweight was against Britain’s Toks Owoh in 2000) after Andre Dirrell and Mikkel Kessler both dropped out. Johnson fought fellow tournament replacement Allen Green and knocked him out in the eighth round in an excellent performance. Now he is fighting Froch for a place in the finals and plans to grab it with both hands.

Froch (27-1, 20 KO) – along with Andre Ward – is a fighter who has benefitted greatly from the tournament. His opponents in the tournament have been Andre Dirrell, Mikkel Kessler and Arthur Abraham and he has endeared himself to the American boxing audience with his all action style. The fight with Kessler was so brutal it effectively ended the Dane’s career and remains the only defeat on Froch’s record. No shame in losing to one of the best fighters in the world in one of the best fights of 2010. Froch bounced back with the win over Abraham and will start favourite to defeat the old warhorse.

If Froch fights the way he did against Abraham – using his huge reach, heavy jab and body shots to his advantage – it should be an impressive victory for The Cobra. Johnson is skilled but is predominately a come-forward fighter who throws a lot of combinations. If Froch engages in a toe-to-toe war it could be a long, hard night’s work for him.

The fight is likely to take place in May and is almost guaranteed to go the full 12 rounds (only Bernard Hopkins has stopped Johnson in his career – in the 11th round of a middleweight title fight in 1997) and Johnson will be in Froch’s face throughout the bout. But I expect Froch’s improved display against Abraham to be the template for this fight.

After a few hairy moments Froch should find his rhythm and dominate down the stretch, and will have his arm raised at the end of 12 exciting rounds. Then he can start to prepare for a final with –shocks permitting – Andre Ward.

Happy New Year to Britain’s Four World Champions!

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The UK: Four champs and rising...

2011 should be an incredible year for British boxing. We currently have four world champions in David Haye (WBA Heavy), Carl Froch (WBC Super middle), Amir Khan (WBA light-welter) and Ricky Burns (WBO super feather) and all four will feature in some great battles in the coming year.

Khan proved that he is genuine world class and has a decent chin to boot with his points win over the beast that is Marcos Maidana. With Tim Bradley and Devon Alexander fighting on 29th January, Summer 2011 could see a unification bout that would crown an undisputed numero uno at light-welter. Khan could beat either man on the merit of the Maidana war. Fights with Zab Judah and Juan Manuel Marquez could be made in the same year. The possibilities are endless, with the exception of a Pacquiao or Mayweather bout for the man from Bolton.

Haye has grown into the heavyweight division and after dominating John Ruiz and Audley Harrison could now feature in blockbusting bouts with either Klitschko brother. Rumours are already circulating that an April 30th date has already been agreed for a Wladimir bout. The only heavyweight fights that make sense and rouse the interest are Haye versus a Klitschko. Anything else will not be good enough. Hall of Fame trainer (and trainer of Wladimir) Emanuel Steward said that the fight must happen “for the sake of  world boxing.” There are not many people who would disagree with that statement.

Carl Froch lost and regained his WBC world title in 2010 in epic battles with Mikkel Kessler (lpts12) and Arthur Abraham (wpts12). After the Kessler war, Froch rediscovered his boxing skills and gave Abraham and the world a boxing masterclass, winning virtually every second of the fight. It was a sight to behold. The Showtime Super Six tournament has been the making of Froch, and a semi-final bout against the classy veteran road warrior Glen Johnson could catapult Froch into a final against Andre Ward (if Ward beats Abraham in the other semi). Froch could see himself at the high end of pound for pound lists by the close of 2011 and he deserves it. Nobody has been matched tougher in recent times.

Last but not least, Ricky Burns surprised everybody when he defeated the unbeaten and dangerous Roman Martinez for the WBO super featherweight title in September. It was a great fight, with Burns down in round one and seemingly on the brink of defeat early on to somehow fight back to take the title on points. The Glasgow crowd roared for the home fighter to win on a memorable night. Fights with any of the other champions at the weight are winnable but there are good domestic battles to be had with Stephen Foster Jr. and lightweights John Murray, Gavin Rees and Kevin Mitchell if Burns wants to move up in weight. Whatever happens, Burns has earned the right to be called a world champion.

We should see Nathan Cleverly challenge for the WBO light-heavyweight title in 2011. Brian Magee will challenge IBF super-middle champ Lucien Bute in March. John Murray, Matthew Macklin and Ricky’s brother Matthew are all closing in on title fights.

Honourable mention must go to the fighters who have tried and failed at the highest level but will come back in 2011 to prove they belong in world class: Rendall Munroe, Jason Booth and Kevin Mitchell.

Mouth-watering possibilities for domestic battles include Gavin Rees versus John Murray or Kevin Mitchell, Matthew Macklin versus Darren Barker, James Degale versus George Groves, a rematch between Tony Bellew and Ovill McKenzie. Hey, even Audley Harrison versus Tyson Fury could be a bit of fun!

So raise your glasses to the four world champs of 2010 and let’s see if we can get some more in 2011.

Happy New Year!!

In the meantime, don’t let anybody tell you boxing is on the decline, and Happy New Year to all fans and fighters!