Dean Mouhtaropoulos - Getty Images
Nathan Cleverly will have to wait to fight Carl Froch (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)
Carl Froch has been branded as arrogant by Nathan Cleverly after apparently turning down a fight with WBO light-heavyweight champion.
Cleverly admitted defeat in his quest to face Froch in the summer at Cardiff City stadium, and will now fight Tommy Karpency in front of his beloved Welsh fans at Cardiff's Motorpoint Arena on February 25th.
Froch lost his WBC super-middleweight title against Andre Ward in the Super Six final in December. Froch's promoter Eddie Hearn is reportedly poised to announce a home-and-away battle with Lucian Bute.
Here is what the Welshman said to Skysports about Froch rejecting the clash.
I just think it makes sense and it would be a great fight. I know he'd have to move up a weight but it's an opportunity for him to become a two-weight world champion and if it's going to be an easy fight for him then why not do it.
I think Cleverly's bitterness comes from the fact he has a poor title defence coming up in February against an opponent who won't really test him. There is no doubt that the Cleverly vs Froch fight would be a great fight, and I can see it happening in the future. Froch will probably be looking to put his defeat behind him by showing the boxing world he is better than his performance against Ward. I'd love to see a rematch with Kessler if that could happen, and then see Froch move up to fight some bigger names in the light-heavyweight division. A fight between the two of them would see two fighters with granite chins, just banging away at each other for 12 rounds - which is what we all want to see.
I can understand Cleverly's disappointment but there will be plenty of big fights in the future for him...a lot bigger than Tommy Karpency.
0 recs | 9 comments
hes arrogant? oh no! the earth is round!
cylee1180 - January 19, 2012
I do love that fight, actually.
Just while we’re on the topic, my opinion of Nathan Cleverly has dropped pretty drastically in the last year. Nothing to do with what he’s saying here, but whereas a year ago I’d have rated his potential no worse than B+, I’ve got him at B or B- now.
Scott Christ - January 19, 2012
I’m a bit iffy on Clev. The Bellew fight told me a lot about his prospects should he mix it with the big names in the division. Could he beat Tavoris Cloud? Maybe, Hopkins or Pascal? Perhaps, but there’s no way on earth he could hang with or even come close to beating Chad Dawson. Chad Dawson despite his last effort against B-Hop remains the most talented light heavyweight in the world. So I agree Clev is somewhere between the B to B- range, Dawson is an A- and if he can maintain his new found hunger, coupled with the talent he could surpass everyone else in the division, if he hasn’t already based on pure talent alone.
CollegeDropIn - January 19, 2012
I’m not his biggest fan (I don’t know if he has a biggest fan), but I agree that a determined, hungry Dawson pretty much wipes the mat with everyone in the division. Problem is getting and keeping him in that mindset.
Scott Christ - January 19, 2012
Since the Mohammedi fight, where the Frenchman was fooling him for the latter half of the fight, he seems to have moved away from fighting behind the jab. I think Cleverly fights arrogantly now, if that’s possible.
Dafs - January 19, 2012
Totally agree. There’s a great clip in the Murat fight where, between rounds, Vince Cleverly is telling his son how fabulously he’s doing (after one of the rounds where Nathan had been wagging his tongue at Murat and getting hit for no reason whatsoever) when Dean Powell pretty much shuts him up and tells Nathan to get on the jab and stop fooling around. Somewhere along the lines, through a combination of hype, his dad and increased confidence in his abilities, Cleverly’s ego has become ridiculously inflated to the point that it is fundamentally inhibiting his career progression. Until he suffers a big loss, which he will, he’ll stay on the current track, methinks.
Oli Goldstein - January 19, 2012
Pretty much my thoughts
He has very good if not great ability, but declines to use it. It gives us entertaining fights, but not great for his condition
Sweet science - January 19, 2012
“I can understand Cleverly’s disappointment but there will be plenty of big fights in the future for him…a lot bigger than Tommy Karpency” if he leaves or forces warren to make them otherwise look forward to 4 years of this
pong102 - January 19, 2012
Eddie Hearn says he’s more likely to move down to 160 than up to 175. Strange, but if it lead to a Froch/Martinez fight I wouldnt mind at all.
Matchroom v Warren is getting like a minor scale Top Rank/GBP feud btw, cant see them doing much business together.
Shitali Klitschko - January 20, 2012 via mobile
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