DIRRELL 'OUT OF HIS DEPTH' - FROCH

Sporting Life1st October, 2009

Carl Froch says Andre Dirrell will be "out of his depth" when he steps into the ring to face him in Nottingham on October 17.

The former Olympic medallist takes on the British star in what will be both men's first fight in the innovative Super Six World Boxing Classic tournament.

However, Froch, who also puts his WBC title on the line, is confident of securing a knockout win - a finish which would bring him bonus points in the round-robin tournament.

"He (Dirrell) is a young Olympic bronze medallist, unbeaten in 18 fights," Froch said.

"He's coming over to challenge me for my WBC world title. He thinks he's going to win, he's confident - he means business.

"It's my job to make sure he is rendered unconscious, which sounds brutal, but that is what I am going to be doing to him the night of the fight.

"I'm going to be hitting him with some heavy arsenal and let him realise that he is out of his depth."

Froch, who beat Jermain Taylor in his first title defence back in April, admits he's given up hope of enticing Joe Calzage out of retirement for an all-British superfight.

Instead his next opponent after Dirrell is likely to be against one of Calzaghe's many victims, Mikkel Kessler.

WBA champion Kessler is also taking part in the 'Super Six' and his only defeat came against Calzaghe.

Froch has been pencilled in to fight Kessler in Copenhagen early next year and says that to follow in Calzaghe's footsteps would be to make a significant statement about his own status among Britain's great boxers, but insisted he has nothing to prove.

"Mikkel Kessler is a good fighter and undefeated other than the Calzaghe loss," Froch said.

"He has won over 40 fights and he has won in style - he is a strong, dominant super-middleweight and he means business. To fight him - well, I would be a very proud man to beat him. It would be magnificent.

"Joe Calzaghe beat him on points over 12 rounds and if I can do a better job than that it will go a long way to showing where I am.

"But I think people already know. I beat (Jean) Pascal (to win the WBC title) and he has since gone on to win the world title at light-heavyweight so people know he can fight.

"The Taylor win has cemented my status as a world class boxer, so I've got nothing to prove to anybody and I am in no way trying to emulate what Joe Calzaghe has done.

"He's happily retired and good luck to the bloke. He had a fantastic career, it's a shame we didn't get a fight on for the fans and for ourselves but it wasn't meant to be."

A rematch with Taylor could also be in the pipeline for Froch should he progress in the round-robin competition, which also features Americans Andre Ward and Arthur Abraham.

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