Jermaine Taylor set to deny Brit Carl Froch
22.07.08
Over the last couple of days promoter Mick Hennessy has been dismayed by the ignorance behind Lou Dibella's decision to ignore the British promoter's offer of a WBC title fight with Nottingham puncher Carl 'the Cobra' Froch.
It does not take a genius to figure out that Dibella's reasons for not taking a fight with Froch are obvious.
Despite perhaps being the betting favourite to win and also capture the prestigious vacant WBC title, Jermain Taylor is coming off two back to back defeats at Middleweight and to step straight in with the dangerous yet unheralded Froch could be a bad mistake for Team Taylor.
Should Froch live up to the hype and dish out a beating on the American then the former boxing poster boy's career would be all but over at the new 168lb weight class before it even began.
A fight with the spent-force Jeff Lacy is stylistically suited to the fast hands of Taylor.
Lacy who famously got the poop slapped out of him by Welsh superstar Joe Calzaghe in 2006, has since been gifted a decision over the Vitali Tsypko and laboured to a points win over Tv celebrity boxer Peter Manfedo, with just a one point margin according to Chuck Giampa's scorecard.
6'1 Froch, who was the first Brit to medal at the World Amateur Finals currently stands at 23-0 (19ko's) and has been swerved by everyone in and around his domestic division for the last few years, ever since making his professional debut back in March 2002.
Froch is sually always conditioned and bang on the fighting weight year round, the strong British & former Commonwealth champ has offered to fight everyone and anyone at home or away. When the proposed showdown between Brian Magee and Joe Calzaghe fell through, Froch offered to fly to the Kings Hall in Belfast to save the show and fight Magee himself with only a days notice.
However Magee turned him down flat on that occasion without reason, but later when the Irishman's fortunes had changed, he was forced into fighting Froch for the British Title and was knocked unconscious in the 11th round. Former British title holder Tony Dodson, is another Brit who was supposed to fight Froch on several occasions but withdrew, before finally stepping in the ring and being knocked out inside 3 rounds.
Earlier this year the WBC matched Carl Froch against fellow unbeaten Russian Denis Inkin. Despite beating Froch on points in the amateurs several years ago, former World Military champion Inkin was dropped heavily by the part-time boxer in the closing moments of their bout and was shook up before the bell saved him.
Their proposed March fight was cancelled only 2 weeks prior to the event on account of Inkin 'suffering with an illness' which Froch sarcastically described as 'Yellow fever'. The Cobra, who was angry at having his date put back promised to knock Inkin through the ropes in their revised May date.
Exactly 2 weeks again before the May date of their fight, Inkin then cried-off this time with a 'back injury' and Froch was given an unbeaten, but limited stand-in Albert Rybacki from Poland who was completely outclassed before the referee John Keane called time on the proceedings at 2.45 of the 4th round.
"I felt sorry for Rybacki, coming in on late notice just to get knocked out. I took it easy on him and was glad the referee stopped it when he did" Said Froch afterwards.
It is now expected that Team Hennessy will sit tight and cross their fingers over the outcome of tomorrow nights clash between Jeff Lacy and big punching, but limited Columbian Epifanio Mendoza 28-5 (24ko).
Should Lacy get beaten or injured then the Froch fight may suddenly become Dibella's only real option for Taylor.
Lacy and Mendoza do share a common opponent in Rubin Williams. Lacy beat Williams in 2005 for the vacant IBF strap in7 rounds. However Mendoza smashed the then-unbeaten Williams inside the first round by brutal knockout some two years earlier.
In an interesting twist of fate, Rubin Williams was confirmed as Froch's substitute opponent for Inkin. He was ready and organising his flights the week beforehand before going deathly silent for a few days before announcing 'he couldn't find his passport'.
Is Froch really that dangerous? at this rate we'll never know.
Froch video courtesy of youtube :-
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