Froch Gets Cold Feet on Hopkins Due To His Age

By Edward Chaykovsky

A few days ago, WBA 'regular' super middleweight champion Carl Froch (33-2, 24KOs) said he was interested in a fight with former two division champion Bernard Hopkins (55-7-2, 32KOs), 50-years-old, in a summer showdown in Nottingham.

Froch recently vacated his IBF title as the sanctioning body pressed him to make a mandatory defense against countryman James DeGale.

Hopkins became a unified champion at middleweight and then skipped the 168-pound division to capture world titles at light heavyweight. Before his retires, Hopkins is clamoring to capture a belt at 168.

But now Froch is turning away from that option, likely going forward with his plan to sit out until a possible June fight with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in Las Vegas.

Froch told BBC Sport:  "Because he is 50 and a legend I don't want want to fight him because it is almost a lose-lose situation. I am expected to beat him. If I win people will say 'he beat a 50-year-old man'. If I lose people would say 'what's going on? You've ruined your legacy. You finished your career on a loss against an old man' - so that would be traumatic. I don't think for one minute I would lose against Hopkins. It would be a great fight and a fight I would win in style."

"He talked about wanting to fight me a couple of years ago and now he is making noises again. It is unbelievable what he is doing. Through to his late 40s he was winning world titles. He is coming off the back of a loss, but he is still a fighting force to be reckoned with and a dangerous opponent. But it is not particularly a fight I get too excited about."