Boxing

Will Las Vegas make or break Carl Froch?

Michael Beattie

October 16, 2014

IBF and WBA champion Carl Froch is determined to fight in Las Vegas before he hangs up his gloves © PA Photos

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Carl Froch and his promoter Eddie Hearn have reopened negotiations with Top Rank for a Las Vegas shot at Julio Cesar Chavez Jr after initial talks stalled due to a dispute between the Mexican and his representatives.

"I've said before if I can't fight in Vegas I'll probably call it a day," Froch told the Daily Mail. "It has to be big, and Chavez Jr is that man. Hopefully we'll have an announcement soon."

The glitz and glamour of a fight night in Las Vegas is incomparable but, as British boxers before Froch have found, it can either make a career or leave it in tatters.

We take a look at how some of Britain's previous world champions fared after entering the ring in Sin City:

Hitting the jackpot

Lennox Lewis is the last undisputed heavyweight world champion © AP

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Lennox Lewis

Six Vegas fights and six victories for the Canadian-born British heavyweight, who twice won the WBC heavyweight title in Nevada. It was also the scene of the crowning glory of Lewis's career - the points victory over Evander Holyfield in 1999 that saw him become the undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.

Eight months after judges had controversially declared Lewis's first fight with Holyfield at Madison Square Garden a draw, the Briton again landed the lion's share of the punches and this time convinced the judges he was a worthy winner, despite some ferocious exchanges in the middle of the bout that convinced some at ringside that Holyfield might have done enough to win the contest.

Lewis left the ring with his WBC belt and Holyfield's WBA and IBF belts, but a contractual dispute with the IBO delayed the awarding of the vacant title before relenting to leave Lewis as the last undisputed heavyweight world champion.

Having given up his WBA belt within six months, he defended the three remaining titles twice in Las Vegas, following a unanimous decision against David Tua in 2000 with a fourth-round knockout victory over Hasim Rahman in 2001.

Nigel Benn

Touted as one of the most explosive rounds of boxing ever seen, Benn defended his WBO world middleweight belt with a first-round TKO against Iran Barkley in 1990. In his second Vegas fight - he had defeated Jose Quinones in the first round a year earlier en route to the title - the Dark Destroyer flew out of his corner and floored Barkley within seconds of the first bell.

As Barkley got back to his feet, the American attempted to counter Benn's wild haymakers with some heavy blows of his own. But once more Benn floored Barkley, only to hit him with an illegal right hand and risk disqualification.

Referee Carlos Padilla took no action, however, and while Barkley got to his feet for a second time, Benn quickly knocked him down yet again. With the three-knockdown rule in effect, the fight was over; Barkley's camp protested but Benn had caught him cold to claim his second Vegas victory inside one round.

Joe Calzaghe survived a split decision against Bernard Hopkins that preserved his undefeated record © AP

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Joe Calzaghe

Welshman Calzaghe retired from the ring with an undefeated record in 46 fights, but he never came closer to defeat than against Bernard Hopkins in his penultimate bout in 2008.

Making his light-heavyweight debut, the Italian Dragon was floored by a heavy right hand from Hopkins in the first round and struggled to find his range in the early exchanges before forcing the American on to the defensive from the fifth round.

Hopkins showed all his guile and wile to stay in touch with Calzaghe, taking a full two minutes to recover from a low blow in Round 10, but the bout was still considered to be in the balance heading into a breathless final round. In the end, the judges awarded a spilt decision to the Welshman, much to Hopkins' disgust.

"Look at my face, I don't have a bruise. I busted him up," said Hopkins. "I took a guy to school who was undefeated. The whole world knows I won this fight. I controlled the pace like a true veteran."

It was to be Calzaghe's only Las Vegas appearance. A final points victory over Roy Jones Jr at Madison Square Garden capped a sterling 15-year career before the year was out.

Busted flushes

Frank Bruno was no match for Mike Tyson in their second fight © AP

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Frank Bruno

Twice Frank Bruno stepped into the ring with Mike Tyson in Las Vegas with a world title on the line; twice he departed defeated.

Bruno emerged from their 1989 encounter credited with rocking Tyson, who by then had already established his reputation as a fearsome world champion. An unlikely victory failed to materialise, but Bruno had established himself as a champion-elect, though it would be six years before he laid claim to a world title.

By the time of their rematch in 1996, Bruno was WBC champion and Tyson would be fighting for the third time since being released from prison.

Tyson brutalised Bruno over three rounds. Bruno was deducted a point for holding on in the second round, and had no answer to a 13-punch barrage early in the third, which prompted referee Mills Lane to wave off the fight.

His second visit to Vegas spelled the end for Bruno. With fears over losing vision in his right eye should he re-enter the ring, he never fought again.

Naseem Hamed

For so long Naseem Hamed talked the talk while his heavy hands allowed him to walk the walk as he built up an impressive 35-bout unbeaten record, but the Prince was dethroned in dramatic fashion by the superior ring technique of Marco Antonio Barerra on his Las Vegas debut in 2001.

Barerra dismantled Hamed over 12 rounds with what amounted to a boxing lesson for the 27-year-old, who had arrived promising to "give Las Vegas a devastating knockout."

In the event, Barerra outclassed his opponent, the Mexican exposing Hamed's limited technique before pushing the Briton into a turnbuckle in the final round, perceived by some as retribution for an illegal move on Barrera's compatriot Cesar Soto that turned their 1999 bout in his favour.

Hamed's career unravelled after that. He claimed one final victory against Manuel Calvo in London a year later, but retired soon after.

Ricky Hatton

The man who returned the crooning tones of Blue Moon to the MGM Grand claimed three wins in five fights in Las Vegas, losing to Floyd Mayweather over ten hard-fought welterweight rounds that even forced the undefeated American to concede that the Manchester native was "one hell of a fighter" in 2008.

But it was his second defeat in Nevada a year later that spelled the end for Hatton.

Back at his preferred light-welterweight trim, the Hitman was adamant that he had the reach, hand-speed and resilience to defend his IBO belt against Manny Pacquiao, a belief shattered by a second-round left hook that left him unconscious before he reached the canvas.

It was a career-ending blow for Hatton, who retired and battled depression and thoughts of suicide in the coming years. He attempted a high-profile comeback in 2012 in an effort to atone for what he perceived as a sorry end to a career that had taken in 45 victories, only to be floored by a left hook to the body from Vyacheslav Senchenko that sent him out of the ring for good.