Carl Froch (27-1, 20 KOs) fights Glen Johnson (51-14-2, 35 KOs) for the WBC super-middleweight title on Saturday, in the second semi-final of the Super Six Classic tournament. Here's our lowdown on the clash...
Steve Bunce: Complacency could floor Froch
After a period spent lurking in the shadows, Froch storms back into the limelight when he faces off against Johnson in Atlantic City. It looks like a tipping point in the Brit's career - he will enter the ring under new management, having discarded Mick Hennessy in favour of the Hearns, and in front of a significantly larger audience, with Sky Sports screening the battle.
Froch has every reason to feel aggrieved with his recent journey into the wilderness, considering he has fought revered names for world titles. But, for whatever reason, he has been unable to escape the confines of the unheralded Primetime channel - until now.
Although the days of relative obscurity are now behind him, Froch must be wary of succumbing to the pressure posed by a fresh set of eyes who are willing him to entertain. Yes, he has attracted a reputation as an enthralling, devil-may-care slugger - and his fight against Mikkel Kessler in April last year was certainly a war - but he can, and must, be more than that.
While he is able to go toe-to-toe with the majority, that strategy can level the playing field against opponents who aren't as skilled technically. And with Johnson, he can't take the risk.
Before Froch's last bout, against Arthur Abraham in November, the supposition was that neither man would have to go looking for the other on fight night. But Froch confounded expectation by shunning a brawl, instead focusing on putting on a boxing masterclass. Abraham, an all-conquering world champion at middleweight, was made to look painfully average.
It was as if Froch realised that his gameplan of fighting on the front foot, with low hands that invited danger, had got him into unnecessary scrapes in the past. There was the loss to Kessler - a controversial one, admittedly - but also his fight with Jermain Taylor, when he was seconds away from a points defeat before pulling out a remarkable 12th-round KO. Peril was never far from his door.
"I got it right in the last fight, concentrated throughout, executed the gameplan perfectly - and if I do the same again, it could be an easy night's work," Froch said. And it should be a comfortable evening at Boardwalk Hall if he can maintain his composure in front of the glare of the Sky cameras, which will be desperate for him to captivate. It wasn't particularly compelling viewing against Abraham, but it certainly was effective.
All that said, it's one thing dismantling Abraham, who looks completely lost at super-middleweight, and quite another to do the same against Johnson, a 42-year-old former world champion who knows every trick in the book, including how to make the ring feel extremely small. The Jamaican was a late entrant to the Super Six tournament - replacing the injured Kessler - but his record, which includes a win over Roy Jones Jnr in 2004, demands respect.
So does his resilience. He looked finished at the turn of the century, losing four straight bouts between November 1999 and June 2000, but he has clawed his way back into title recognition - and the scent of a super-fight against Andre Ward this November is sure to infuse him with plenty of motivation. Froch has to match that desire, because complacency could kill his ambitions.
Froch really can't afford a defeat, given the road to super-stardom he hopes to travel in the next 12 months: first Ward, a fight in which he reckons a win would see him named the world's pound-for-pound king, and then a homecoming battle next April.
Those are dreams that will shatter if he loses his footing on the Boardwalk.
Prediction
Froch to have by far the better of it, but Johnson to survive the full 12 rounds. A points win for Froch is at 4/6 with bet365.
The war of words
"Glen Johnson's trainer is delusional. He's not only not going to win the fight; he's not going to win a round. I'm too young and fresh. From round one to 12, I will dominate."
Froch sets the bar low for himself
"I'm involved in fight of the year nearly every time I fight."
Maybe Froch will go toe-to-toe after all, then
"I was a fat guy at 175 pounds, and now I'm a lean, mean machine." Hardly the most intimidating of warnings, but it's the best we're getting from Johnson
© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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