Could Gennady Golovkin Be Carl Froch’s Final Opponent?

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carl-froch_a_2321375bWBA World super-middleweight champion Carl Froch(33-2, 24KO’s) has been unable to find an appropriate opponent against whom he can end his storied career.

Three names have come up, but none have not come to fruition. James DeGale(20-1, 14KO’s) was looking like the frontrunner after the IBF named him as the mandatory challenger to Froch over the new year. Froch promptly vacated the belt, essentially vetoing the notion of repelling another young challenger’s efforts after two hard fought wins over George Groves.

In DeGale’s stead Mexican star, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr(48-2-1, 32KO’s) was the preferred option given his in-ring style and his name value. He represented a winnable fight and an enviable purse, along with an opportunity for Froch to sign off with a big night under the Las Vegas lights for the first time. An injury to Froch’s elbow postponed the fight, and JCC Jr signed to fight Andrzej Fonfara in the interim. Chavez lost his fight against Fonfara by quitting on his stool after the ninth round in his first stoppage loss. That effectively squashed the perception that he presented a genuine threat to Froch, and so killed the fight.

Then there was Andre Ward(27-0, 14KO’s) who remains the only unavenged defeat on Froch’s record. Talks were happening through the media, and the American stated his willingness to travel to the UK to make the bout happen but not to Froch’s hometown of Nottingham. It was unclear where he stood on the matter until he signed to face a British alternative in Paul Smith just a week or so ago. A fight with Smith will be a much easier route back between the ropes for Ward after eighteen months of inactivity.

With all the logical avenues blocked, other names have begun to float around the Nottingham ‘Cobra’ and one, in particular, will have the bloodthirsty amongst us salivating at the prospect.

Middleweight champion Gennady ‘GGG’ Golovkin(32-0, 29KO’s) has been terrorising his division for the last few years but would have to jump up eight pounds to meet Froch. His trainer Abel Sanchez has said he’s able for the move up on numerous occasions. Froch’s promoter Eddie Hearn has told iFL TV his man quite likes the idea of facing GGG in spite of his daunting reputation. At this point in a long, brutal career, it’s all about being up for the fight.

“Froch does quite fancy the GGG fight. He’s not an idiot; he knows how tough a fight it is and at thirty-eight years of age he’s gotta wanna get in there with a beast. But, he’s quite sick in the head Froch, so I think we all know he’s capable of doing that.”

So what impediments are there to making this fight? With different promoters, different divisions and all of the usual pugilistic politics that come into play, it could be a difficult deal to process. Hearn breaks it down as he sees it.

“It’s really about the money. At the moment, HBO will not put up the money required for me to pay Carl Froch what I want to pay Carl Froch for that fight. In six months I think they might. If that fight was on PPV in America[clicks his fingers] it happens like that, right? Otherwise, HBO have got to stump up the money for Golovkin. If they do it, the fight can be made.”

Unsurprisingly, money is the key ingredient. Hearn does not want to insult his man by offering him a significantly smaller purse than the one he received for knocking out George Groves last May in Wembley Stadium. More importantly than a personal slight, an offer such as that would not serve as the proper incentive Froch would need to prepare for taking on a sledgehammer-fisted assassin like GGG. As Hearn pointed out, he’s nearly forty, why bother taking the risk and the punishment if it isn’t worth his while. That worth will be generated once the suits at HBO deem the fight as big enough for them to back, and then it becomes a real possibility.