Former super middleweight champion and International Boxing Hall of Famer Carl Froch has spoken of his admiration for current undisputed 168lbs champion Terence Crawford.
Froch, from Nottingham, England, was a career super middleweight, while the Nebraskan superstar has had just one bout at the weight, outscoring Saul “Canelo” Alvarez in Las Vegas in August.
Froch’s championship gauntlet saw him clash with the likes of Mikkel Kessler (twice), Jean Pascal, Lucian Bute, Andre Ward, Andre Dirrell, Arthur Abraham, Jermain Taylor and George Groves (also twice).
Asked how Crawford would have done in similar company, Froch told BoxingScene: “He’d have been there, but he’s not big, is he? He’s not a big guy. Neither’s Canelo. Skill-wise and ability-wise, I’d love to see him [Crawford] against Andre Ward. I’d love to see that fight. I think I’d have had to muscle him, lean on him and take it to him because he’s got so much ability. Ability that I envy. I look at that and go, ‘Fucking hell.’ It’s quality. Quality fighter. He does everything really well. He does everything really well because he doesn’t get hit; it’s not just his defense but his offensive work on the back foot, when he’s offensive on the front foot when he’s up close, to sit back on the ropes. I’m jealous. He’s that good, I’m jealous.
“Even Roy Jones got knocked out and he was brilliant. I know he went on too long. This guy’s 38 fighting like a 25-year-old.”
However, Froch is not quite so complimentary about the Mexican who Crawford toppled for the 168lbs belts.
“Canelo’s overrated. He always has been,” said Froch.
“He’s had a great career, over 60-odd fights, but you look down his career and you look at all these fighters he’s beat and you go, ‘Hang on a minute, he was a bit older than what he could have been… he’s always passed his best or he waited to fight him’ or ‘he never fought or he was a bit smaller.’ ‘He never fought Benavidez when he should have done.’ ‘He swerved The Monster’… and I’m not going to pull his career apart because he’s been an unbelievable, phenomenal talent from a young man, but he’s not unbeaten. He’s not like this wonder kid. He’s not [Floyd] Mayweather, is he? Top fighter, top Mexican. Fucking great fighter. Strong, tough. Don’t give a fuck. Ballsy, gutsy in there. Leave it in the ring. What a fighter. Best of all time? No. He’s got beat. I thought he lost to [Gennadiy] Golovkin as well.”
But as impressed as Froch is by some of the best boxers in the world, namely Crawford and Oleksandr Usyk, he understands fighters cannot fight forever. Froch retired on a win, knocking out George Groves at Wembley Stadium, but he was aware that the clock was ticking on his time at the top. His record was 33-2 (24 KOs).
“I used to love training, love fighting, and then when your elbows are fucked, and your nose is sore, and you can’t breathe, and your eardrum’s perforated and your Achilles tendon’s playing up, and your knee’s sore, and you’ve had ACL reconstruction, and you’re running every morning, and you’re thinking, ‘I’ve got a fucking angina.’ I used to look at the clock and go, ‘I’m doing six-minute miles. This is great. I can do six-minute miles.’
“Then I was like, ‘Fuck me, I’m doing seven-minute miles and I’m fucked. I’ve got to get it down a bit. I don’t want to be here.’
“That’s how I was in the final fight. I was exhausted, and the desire was gone at the end of my career. So I retired, because I wanted to. I didn’t get retired from the sport. I wasn’t forced to retire. I went out on the top. I retired a champion, lived the rest of my life a champion.”
Usyk and Crawford are both undisputed champions and in their late 30s. Is it the right time for them to bow out?
“A hundred percent,” said Froch.
“But if there’s mega money, and they’ve still got that desire... Only they know if they want it. So no, I can't tell them to retire, but if I was in their position, earning the money they’ve earned, being where they are, and the legacy they’ve got, that’s it, man. That’s a mic drop moment, isn't it?”
