Carl Froch happy to fight his corner for footballers

Sunday People Tom Hopkinson22nd February, 2010

Footballers' lifestyles are again under the microscope following allegations about ex-England skipper John Terry's private life.

But a man who once blasted the vast sums of money players earn has now leapt to their defence by claiming they deserve every penny they get.

Carl Froch, the WBC supermiddleweight champion, once singled out David Beckham as "under-worked, overpaid and over-praised". Froch claimed that, pound for pound, he was a better boxer than the former England captain was a footballer. He also suggested that sportsmen's bank balances should reflect their abilities.

But after falling in love with the 'Beautiful Game' and becoming pals with the stars of his local team, Nottingham Forest, 'The Cobra' said: "When I mentioned Beckham a few ears pricked up - but I'm on the football bandwagon now.

Upset "I've been a season-ticket holder at Forest for five years now - and I finally get it.

"A lot of people get upset by the amount of money Premier League footballers earn, but I've got to say they deserve it. It's a full-time job, they work hard, play all over Christmas and I've seen what they do.

"They don't get a rest like boxers, they train hard and there are hundreds of thousands of children who leave school every year and want to be professional footballers.

"Very few make it, just a select bunch, so they deserve everything they get.

"I watched Forest train two weeks ago and was shocked at the pace and speed of the ball and footwork - the intensity.

"I thought, 'Bloody hell, I couldn't do that'."

Sadly for Froch, 32, his next fight, against Mikkel Kessler in Herning, Denmark on April 24 in the Super Six World Boxing Classic, has not been picked up in this country by Sky TV ... the people who put the mega-money into football.

"It's a very dangerous fight so I can't be upset," said Froch, "but I'll beat Kessler in style

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