The Big Interview: Carl Froch retires

The real warriors find peace when there are no wars left worth winning – that's what Carl Froch told himself when he retired.

And the best ones are happy that they called time at the peak of their powers, without damaging the legacy they worked so hard to create,

It can take a lifetime to build a reputation and moments to lose it, as Froch will tell you. He had somehow been written off despite beating George Groves, the first time around.

The controversial nature of that ninth round stoppage led to the biggest British fight of our time, post-war, a grudge rematch drawing 80,000 people to Wembley Stadium last year.

'The Cobra' told everyone what he was going to do, get in there and shut Groves up for good. He did exactly that – and in a round less this time.

Where could he go from there? That headline fight in Las Vegas was still a pipe dream, but truth was it was never going to happen.

His clash with Andre Ward was so drab the first time, there's no way that would draw enough money. Julio Cesar Chavez Jnr might have – until he went and lost again.

Mikkel Kessler has joined Froch in hanging up his gloves, so forget a third clash between those two great combatants. Both have respect for each other and feel they have nothing to prove.

They are probably the only fights he could get up for now. There's always be a Gennady Golovkin or a James DeGale casting aspirations his way, for an young versus old lion battle.

They have everything to gain and Froch, at age 38, all to lose. With that exhilarating Wembley experience his last abiding memory of the ring, it's D-Day. Game over.

He said: "I don't think my last fight will ever be topped, it was a massive occasion and a fantastic night for British boxing and myself. No one will ever take that away from me, it's impossible.

"So many athletes go through their career and never get that defining moment. I've had mine and I have got two wonderful kids, with a third child on the way.

"I've never gone through my career thinking about what I was going to earn, money doesn't motivate me. I've always enjoyed the sport.

"I've earned massive fight purses and been involved in the biggest British contest ever, post-war. As a fighter, I've never done anything that's not a genuine attraction.

"I'm very busy outside of boxing and I have financial freedom, so I am looking to forge a new life for myself in television and acting.

"I look back on what I have done in my career with great satisfaction and pride, I've fought everybody that was put in front of me and been a four-time world champion.

"I'm a very happy man each day and every night when my head hits the pillow."

It brings the curtain down on a man whose 12 world title fights in the space of seven years saw him face - and, more often than not beat - the best.

Plans to join Sky Sports as a pundit and make his acting debut later this year, due to the marketable good looks unbecoming a retired boxer whose had wars in the ring, are his new calling.

The fighting pride of Nottingham first laced up the gloves when he was still in primary school, growing up in the Colwick part of the city.

Representing the Phoenix Club out of Gedling, he displayed an aptitude for the sport, but ended up leaving when his family relocated for work.

Not wanting to box for anyone else, the next time he fought competitively was when he was a man, but he soon raced to the country's top honours.

He picked up two senior ABA titles at the age of 21 and 23 respectively, going on to compete at the 2001 World Amateur Championships.

It was there where he - Frankie Gavin would later become the first male to get gold - became the first-ever Brit to win a medal at the tournament.

Bronze at 75kg was his last great accolade before hanging up the vest and head-guard, with a great grounding and a 88-8 unpaid record.

He said: "I was one of three brothers, I felt sorry for my mum! Lee was the oldest and Wayne the youngest, we were always beating each other up.

"I spent most of the time defending myself from my big brother, until me and Wayne used to gang up on him. Boys will be boys.

"I started boxing when I was 10, but I stopped for a while I was 15 because my mum, Carol, became a licensee and got a pub in Newark.

"The gym was so far away from where I was living that I ended up having four years out, I was taking a break from the sport but I was missing it.

"When I was 19, I got back to Nottingham and carried on in the amateurs, but I always knew my style was better suited to the pros. My hands were quite low and I threw punches from my hips.

"Most amateurs worked off vertical forearms, going for the jab and then the left hook. I didn't enjoy fighting like that, even though I did well.

"I noticed it the most when I boxed for England, because it was all about scoring points.

"I felt like I was being held back a lot, I just wanted to get stuck in and have a scrap, like I would later do as a professional."

When the time came to punch for pay, a 24-year-old Froch turned over under the tutelage of Rob McCracken, who would remain in his corner for the rest of his career.

They took Mick Hennessy as their business manager and operated under the Panix Promotions banner, operated by Panos Eliades.

His stable featured Froch, fellow new signing Matthew Thirlwall, David Walker, Lee Meager and Leo O'Reilly. They were dubbed 'the Real Class of 2002.'

Froch soon made a name for himself, stopping people for fun until Vage Kocharyan became the first to take him the distance for eight rounds in his ninth fight.

His first title shot came next, halting Alan Page in seven to become the English champion. It led to a title at Commonwealth title holder Charles Adamu in 2004.

The never-stopped Ghanaian proved as hard as he looked and tried every trick in the book to try and drag Froch into the trenches, to no avail.

He lasted the distance but relinquished the crown, establishing Froch as a domestic super middleweight force to be reckoned with after 12 bouts.

He said: "It was nice to come from the amateurs, where you have that team camaraderie, into a professional camp where there was a good group.

"I went with Rob, who has been my coach since day one, and I learned my trade at a gym in London. The hard rounds of sparring could be a nightmare.

"I had partners like Howard Eastman, a really heavy puncher, and Wayne Alexander when he was a British champion. It was always a hard night's work.

"The amount of gym wars I had there, I'd love to watch some of the footage back. I really learned the rough and tough side of the business. Anything can and did go.

"It got me ready for what lied ahead in the pro game and I called on that when I had to go 12 rounds for the first time, against Charles Adamu for the Commonwealth title.

"He was just a horrible, nasty fighter. He'd hold, headbutt, elbow you, whatever he could. And, by the eighth, I was almost out of breath.

"But then I put him down in that round and I thought to myself 'he bleeds, he can be hurt!' It gave me the strength to finish the fight strong.

"That was such a learning curve for me, at that point in my career. It gave me that lease of experience to go forward."

Froch retained in 11 for his first defence against Canadian Mark Woolnaugh before putting up his crown, with the vacant British title also on the line, against Damon Hague.

A stunning right hand finished Hague off inside a round, giving him both the straps. He would go on to win a Lonsdale belt outright with wins over Matthew Barney, Brian Magee and Tony Dodson.

It was his last British title defence, against ageing former WBC world champion Robin Reid, that cemented him as the hot prospect going on to better things.

A battered Reid retired at the end of the fifth, leaving little doubt that Froch had arrived and was deserving of the jump straight up to a global platform.

The WBC crown was vacant, with unbeaten Canadian contemporary Jean Pascal lured to Nottingham to co-challenge for the big green belt.

Froch's training camp nearly cost him the fight, after another 'gym war' left him with a perforated eardrum and a cracked rib from his final sparring session.

A hard-fought war where neither man would back down went to the cards, with Froch crowned the victor by unanimous points decision. Dreams did come true.

He said: "I won a Lonsdale belt and that's more than I ever thought I'd achieve as a boxer, so I was over the moon. I never, in my wildest dreams, thought I'd be a world champion.

"Jean Pascal was a tenacious man who had the attitude to match. He came over to Nottingham unbeaten thinking 'who's this skinny kid? I'll take this vacant title.'

"He gave me mouth at the press conference and the weigh in, but I was so up for the fight. To get a chance at the best belt in the world, in front of my hometown, was something else.

"I had a sore rib going into the ring, a few niggles in fact, but I always competed with injuries. I'd never pull out of a fight.

"We just had a 12-round tear up. I should have boxed him more, to be honest, but I backed him up and started to believe I could beat him.

"We punched holes in each other until I, rightly, got the decision. That was the start of my world title journey."

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As an elated Froch celebrated in the ring, his trainer was keeping something from him which he couldn't hide anymore. McCracken's mother, Christine, had passed away just days before.

Froch recalls: "Rob being the man he is, I never had the slightest clue, not even by his demeanour. It was only when I had my glove lifted, after the fight, that he told me.

"He wasn't going to let that interfere with my dream shot at a world title. It was such a sad time for him, but he never let it show. He deserves so much respect."

Now Britain's latest world title holder, doors should have been flung open for Froch. But his timing wasn't great, with terrestrial television again falling out of love with boxing.

He was keen to become a fighting champion, too, and was prepared to hit the road and prove it. Jermain Taylor's camp got in touch and it was off to the United States.

Froch still harboured hopes of an all-British clash with Joe Calzaghe and, indeed, the retired Welshman might even lure him out of retirement today.

He needed a scalp like Taylor to state that case, but this was no pushover. The first Olympic boxer from Arkansas was a dangerous customer and nearly took his title.

Taylor planted him on the canvas with a booming overhand right in the third and, going into the last, Froch was behind on two of the three judges' scorecards.

What they hadn't counted on was Froch's never-say-die attitude as he launched the latest of salvo that maintained his grip on the WBC title.

An all-out Taylor began shipping punches and was dumped in the corner by a right hook to the jaw. He took further punishment before he was pulled out, with no complaints. Time left? 14 seconds.

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Froch said: "I had won the world title live on ITV1, then the recession hit and they pulled out of boxing. There was nothing for me to do.

"I wasn't going to sit around looking at the belt on my mantelpiece, I wanted to be defending it. Four months later, I was back in there.

"We went to Connecticut for Jermain Taylor and I thought 'I fancy this.' He had just beaten Jeff Lacy, one of Calzaghe's biggest wins, so I wanted to a job on him.

"What a fight it was. It was the first time I was put on the seat on my pants in a professional ring. I told myself 'I might be down, but you won't be keeping me down!'

"I climbed off the canvas, looked at him, smiled 'good shot' and came back after him. I started to hurt him from the ninth, I walked through a couple of big punches and kept pressing.

"I think there were 18 unanswered punches in the last round when I forced the stoppage. It was like three in one – he was out on his feet, the referee was jumping in and the towel followed.

"It was a conclusive finish and what a time for that to come. It was unbelievable."

Three months later in July 2009, Froch agreed a deal that would dominate his career for the next two years, agreeing to take part in the 'Super Six' tournament.

The brainchild of American television company Showtime, this six-man competition would see the winner walk off with both the WBC and WBA world titles.

Froch joined Andre Dirrell, Mikkel Kessler, Arthur Abraham, Jermaine Taylor and Andre Ward in the line-up, first facing Dirrell back in Nottingham that October.

An ugly points victory took Dirrell's '0' by majority decision and set up a fight with Kessler, who had lost his WBA belt to Ward, in Denmark.

A close contest was hard to call but, at the final bell, it was clear Kessler would get home advantage. Controversially, he got all three judges.

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Perhaps the loss of his unblemished record after 26 pro bouts hurt him more than losing the belt but, this being tournament boxing, he would soon get the chance to bounce back.

The WBC strap was again vacated, due to Kessler's withdrawal with an eye injury, so Froch was given a lifeline to take on feared puncher Arthur Abraham in Helsinki, Finland.

With that defeat still fresh in his mind, Froch was taking no chances on foreign soil again and handed Abraham a boxing lesson, winning convincingly on points.

He said: "I had Andre Dirrell first in Nottingham, which turned into a boring, horrible, awkward fight but I won it fair and square.

"We wanted to go to Denmark earlier to get ready for Kessler, but the planes were grounded because of a volcanic ash cloud. We should have postponed.

"But his promoters, Sauerland, sent a private jet and, like an idiot, I jumped on it and went over. It was the one time I didn't take my coach's advice.

"I had never taken weight off but, this time, I had to sit in a hot bath for four hours before the weigh in. I felt exhausted and that told in the ring.

"I was drained by the fifth round. I felt Kessler beat me fair and square. In his backyard against 'the Great Dane' – he was treated like David Beckham over there – I knew I wouldn't get the decision.

"I was devastated but, with it being a tournament, I knew I would get the chance to win a world title back, which I did the very next time against Arthur Abraham.

"He was very much like Gennady Golovkin is now – a big puncher who was going around knocking everyone out. A lot of people thought I was going to lose again.

"But, like Golovkin, I just thought he was a small middleweight and I was a big super middle who was full of confidence. He was with Sauerland, too, and I wasn't going to lose to them for a second time.

"I punched in bunches and used my amateur style of range and technique. It was almost a flawless victory, too easy, and I was WBC champion again."

With two Super Six wins out of three, Froch went back to the United States for his semi-final against Glen Johnson in Atlantic City.

Again, he was in it for the long haul and overcame Johnson by majority decision, putting him into the decider and the chance to become a double world champion.

All that was left was Andre Ward. A Floyd Mayweather-esque southpaw at 168lb, the Olympic gold medallist is as aloof as they come.

He slipped and moved to frustrate Froch, who spent most of his time punching thin air. He was never out of it, but Ward was nicking the rounds.

He let his jab slide in the later rounds, though, which allowed Froch to come back into it although it wasn't enough, Ward winning unanimously.

Froch said: "Andre Ward is very effective at doing what he needs to do, he's got a very fast jab and he's almost impossible to hit. To beat him, you'll have to knock him out.

"When I lost to Kessler, I had bumps and bruises and my nose was broken. We were both cut, my rib was sore and I could barely breathe.

"I gave him my belt with pride, from one warrior to another. I had lost to a proper man. With Ward, it barely felt like I had been in a fight. It was more like I had been pick-pocketed.

"The frustration of that was just awful but, after that, came the built up pressure and the excitement to go on."

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The Super Six was over by 2012 and Froch was left with no world title and seemingly little prospects, leading to a split with Hennessy.

Matchroom had started their monopoly of British boxing on Sky Sports, so siding with promoter Eddie Hearn was arguably the only way to go.

Hearn planned to build him up again slowly, with a couple of keep-busy dates building back up to the big paydays Froch had become used to.

'The Cobra' had other days, insisting he wanted to fight the best out there he hadn't already shared a ring with. That meant Lucian Bute.

The IBF world champion had clocked up 30 straight wins and was an obvious target, with the belt and scalp that he would represent.

As his mandatory challenger, the bout had to happen sooner or later. A turn up for the books followed when Bute folded in five, with Froch putting in one of his most devastating displays.

He said: "Eddie wanted to get me a nice easy fight to get me back into it and put me on Sky Sports. It wasn't massive money they were putting up, either.

"I told him to get me Lucian Bute. I knew I'd beat him. In my mind, I was almost unbeaten. I was ill-prepared for Kessler and I don't how anybody can get the better of Andre Ward, he's a nightmare.

"No one had ever beaten me up but, once again, I was the underdog. People were coming up to me saying 'good luck' and I could tell in their eyes they feared the worst.

"I wanted a comeback fight that made the public go 'wow, this kid is brave.' He was a very slick southpaw, but I knew he'd never be comfortable with a 12-round warrior.

"I knew, one way or another, I'd get him out of there, it just so happened that it came early. I shell-shocked and tore him apart from there. I was a world champion again."

That great night for Froch in Nottingham saw him return to the arena to face mandatory Yusaf Mack, who didn't last three rounds.

He then gained sweet revenge on Kessler in 2013, who came to London this time. The roles were well and truly reversed, with Froch winning with all three judges.

Taking his WBA title, Froch finally became a double world champion for the first time. But to keep his IBF crown, he had to meet his next mandatory.

And that was George Groves, by virtue of that famous win over James DeGale. 'Saint George' was all too voicerifous about what he'd do to him should that come to pass, too.

It worked, with Froch agreeing to a bout he was by no means up for to shut up 'that ginger kid' personally. He wasn't ready, though, and it showed.

They met that November in Manchester where a stunning upset so nearly took place when a huge right hand dropped Froch in the first, the bell later bailing him out.

Smelling blood, Groves slung everything at him as Froch came on coming, eventually settling down enough to move ahead on the scorecards.

In the ninth, it was Froch who was dishing out the punishment as he trapped Groves in the ropes, referee Howard Foster suddenly diving in for the stoppage.

Everybody who was watching went absolutely berserk, screaming that the fight should have been allowed to continue. Froch, who played no part in the call, was suddenly Public Enemy No 1.

He said: "I hadn't trained properly, simple as that. I was dancing on a television show with my partner, Rachel, and that ate into half of my training camp.

"For the rest of it, I stayed at home running on the treadmill and, every now and then, I would go up to Sheffield and hit the pads.

"He believed he could do the job and he had a very good start. He's a capable fighter, he punches hard and he's fast.

"He was stood in the middle of the ring staring me out, like some sort of Hercules. I just wanted to go out and chin him. My boxing skills were left in the locker room.

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"Round one I got put on the deck, for the second time in my pro career, and I could have no excuses. It was heavy, but I walked onto a silly one.

"He hit me with everything but the kitchen sink to try and build on that, but I knew he had stamina issues from us sparring in the past. I managed to wear him out.

"By round nine, I was catching him with everything. His legs had gone and he was on his way to be knocked out, let's be honest.

"But what a fantastic favour Richie Davies did both of us, if it was that. He's here for the safety of the fighters and he bailed Groves out of taking some serious punishment.

"I got dogs abuse, after also being booed when I got into the ring. On my way backstage, I was getting spat at. I was still the champion – and everyone hated me. It's a fickle sport.

"It was 24 hours before I decided I wanted to fight Groves again."

As the public demanded a rematch, the IBF ordered in January of last year that Froch set a date to defend against Groves again within 90 days or vacate their belt.

An astute businessman, Froch held off agreeing until the terms were absolutely right. He would get no better office than Wembley, live on Sky Box Office at the end of May. With that, it was on.

The fight itself was four times the spectacle of the first but, inside the ropes, it was a completely different affair. Froch, this time, was as prepared as he'd ever been.

He said: "The preparation between the two fights was like chalk and cheese. The second time, I was under pressure. There were all these question marks over me.

"A world title training camp, for me, would normally last 14 weeks. I'd have a fortnight of prep work, pretty much just ticking over, and then a solid 12 with Rob.

"I'd probably do 120 to 150 rounds of sparring and it's not easy stuff. I'll use Tony Bellew for an example, when we shut the gym up in Sheffield.

"We shut all of the fire doors, pulled all of the curtains up and we had a 12-round war. We were both wobbled and hanging on at points.

"That was the week before the Groves rematch. That's the sort of intense training that you have to go to get yourself ready."

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The two fierce rivals again locked horns in a cagier affair than their first meeting but, come round eight, it was clear again Froch was back on top.

Groves, foolishly, decided this was the time to come out swinging and instead found himself penned in the corner, where he went for the left hook.

His chin was exposed for the best shot of Froch's storied ring life - a hammer of a right hand which knocked his hated adversary clean out.

Age: 38

From: Nottingham

Fights: 35

Wins: 33 (24 KOs)

Losses: 2

Draws: 0

Titles held: English, Commonwealth, British, WBC world (twice), IBF, WBA.[/breakout]

He said: "I was so focussed, I got in the ring and I couldn't look Groves in the eye, because he winds me up. I genuinely can't stand the kid. I turned my back on him for the whole of the announcements.

"All I wanted to do was show him my gum-shield. I'd had a scientific one made, that's supposed to realign your jaw and make you punch harder.

"Groves had asked the same company for one, but a stipulation was that they couldn't do it for him if they were supplying mine.

"We got to the centre of the ring and I smiled at him, so he could see it. It's the little things like that which can psyche you out.

"Round one to the finish, it was edge of your seat stuff. There wasn't much happening, it was tit for tat. I felt I was in control, backing him up and hurting him with the body shots.

"He was fading and he's so naive and stupid, because he'd told everyone at the press conference he'd knock me out with a left hook.

"I saw him go for it in desperation and he moved onto my right hand, in the corner where I needed him. He's dropped his hand and left the door open.

"All I had to was take the shot and, all in one moment, it was like the weight of the world had been lifted off my shoulders, with Groves a crumpled heap on the floor.

"The first fight was the perfect foil for that rematch at Wembley - you couldn't have wrote the script any better. Even Groves admitted everything happened for a reason.

"I won both fights fair and square but, the first time, the referee could be found guilty of stopping it too early. It was very controversial.

"For him, it was to get flattened in front of 80,000 fans. It was very satisfying for me to knock out someone as arrogant and disrespectful as that on such a large platform."

With that, it was satisfaction guaranteed and, so it has proved, the end of the road. Froch proved a knockout on the grandest of British stages. Did he ever tell you about that time?

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