Carl Froch’s V12 Cylinders

Carl Froch’s V12 Cylinders

By Rob Tierney, Doghouse Boxing (April 7, 2009)

Carl Froch is coming to America. In fact, he’s planning on bringing his “V12 Cylinders” with him when he arrives in Connecticut. However, Jermain Taylor shouldn’t be worried. It doesn’t seem that the Champion is referring to any of Antonio Margarito’s foul methods of play. Instead, Carl Froch plans on bringing power and brute force so he can show the world that he is the true Super Middleweight Champion in a division with multiple title claimants. In Jermain Taylor, he faces a man bringing his own bad intentions.

The fight, which will be aired courtesy of SHOWTIME Championship Boxing on April 25th, is pitting the current WBC Super Middleweight Champion against a former Undisputed Middleweight Champion in Jermain “Bad Intentions” Taylor. The 168 lbs WBC title will be at stake and fireworks are expected to fly at the Foxwoods Casino & Resort when the fighters square off in Mashantucket, CT.

During Wednesday’s press conference featuring the two contestants, Carl compared his own fighting power to that of a “V12 Cylinder engine.” However, he didn’t impress the former Champion. Here is what Jermain had to say to the press in anticipation of the April 25th bout.

“He’s cocky,” Taylor commented of Froch. “Who has he fought?” Jermain seemed more than confident that he would take the title away from the British Champion at the end of the month in New England. Still, Froch promised to gain recognition for himself with an American public that continues to struggle with the correct pronunciation of his name. “It’s Froch with a cchh, not cckk” he told reporters.

Carl Froch is undefeated with 24 wins in 24 fights. Even more impressive are his knockouts in 19 of those 24 fights. However, unfortunately for Froch, American fans will most likely fail to recognize most of the names listed on his resume. All of this could change quickly however should “The Cobra” sick his venom into Arkansas native Jermain Taylor.

On the other hand, Jermain is missing life at the top since getting dealt two painful defeats at the hands of Youngstown, Ohio’s Kelly Pavlik. He told reporters this week that he was “training hard in Miami” in preparation for the fight because he was “missing the belts.” A win over Carl Froch on April 25th could shift the momentum back in his favor while putting another Championship Belt in his trophy display.

Since defeating Bernard Hopkins for the undisputed title on two separate occasions in 2005, Jermain has had a difficult time capitalizing on his initial rise to fame. A draw with Winky Wright in his second defense, as well as two unenthusiastic wins over Kassim Ouma and Cory Spinks, did nothing to rise Taylor’s stock as a pound for pound fighter in the sport. Finally, after losing to Kelly Pavlik twice in the last two years, Taylor was left with no place to go, but upward.

In November of this past year, Jermain moved up in weight and out pointed Jeff “Left Hook” Lacy in his Super Middleweight debut sparking interest over Taylor’s possibilities in a division left void since the shocking retirement announcement of former Champion Joe Calzaghe. Considering that there are now three other Champions claiming titles at 168, I felt obliged to ask Jermain if he considered Froch to be the best belt holder of all the other title claimants. I was hoping to get a sense for his motivation in making a fight with Froch as opposed to other Champions in the division. However, he seemed hesitant to bank on Froch as the toughest opponent in the division just yet.

“I can’t say that,” replied Taylor, “but he has the belt,” referring to the WBC strap which currently resides in Froch’s possession. It appeared as if Taylor, along with ringside promoter Lou Dibella who was also in attendance, viewed the fight with Froch as the best possible bout that could be made in what is currently an open division. Dibella told reporters the following when asked about the upcoming bout in Connecticut.

“Jermain came to me and told me that he wanted me to make the fight. Jermain Taylor wanted to win the WBC 168 lbs title.”

Still, the skeptics are on call considering that Froch seemingly has not fought anyone at Jermain’s caliber to date. When I asked Carl about fighting former opponents with Jermain’s style, here is what the champion had to say.

“Jermain jabs well and he’s got a great right hook. I don’t quite remember fighting anyone with a similar style to Jermain’s, but I have sparred with boxers that have a similar style to his fighting.”

Yet, Froch did not mention any names which only leads fans to wonder if the champion has something special in store for Taylor when they square off in just over three weeks at the Foxwoods Casino.

In what could easily be called a dark horse candidate for fight of the year, Carl Froch and Jermain Taylor are expected to bring power and pride on all cylinders to the table. Each man has something to prove, each possibly with a chip on his shoulder, in what could be one for the archives come late this month in CT. It promises to be a great night for SHOWTIME and a great night for the sport.