Betfair Big Interview: Carl Froch

Betfair Big Interview Ralph Ellis30th October, 2009

David Haye could be world heavyweight champion next weekend - so Betfair headed off to Nottingham to meet one of Britain's other World Champions, Carl Froch, and find out what it's like before a big title fight . . .

"The run up to a fight is a nervous time because your livelihood is on the line and your life is on the line too. Especially in David's case, have you seen the size of the man he's fighting?"

Hi Carl, and first of all congratulations on your win over Andre Dirrell...

I'm very satisfied with it. At the end of the day I'm still world champion, I came out with no injuries and problems, I didn't really take any shots, and I've got two points in the Super Six series. I would have liked a bonus point but it was impossible to pin him down and knock him out because of his tactics.

Does it help to know you can go 12 rounds like that?

It does if you've never done it before, but I know I can do 16 or 20 rounds when I'm in shape. I don't cut corners. The main thing I took from the fight was knowing I could be patient if required.

So what's the plan now, how long do your rest before you start again?

I'm going to Cuba because my older brother's getting married. It's an all-you-can-eat five-star resort, so I might come back weighing 13 stone if I'm not careful! In reality I'll be steady, I don't drink, I've got a very clean lifestyle, so although I am 32 I'm not doing too bad. I'm naturally quite slim, due to my half-Polish genetics. A lot of my mates who are 25 or 26 look a lot worse than me!

Mikkel Kessler coming up next?

Absolutely, and I'm looking forward to it. Win, lose or draw when he fights Andre Ward he will be next for me, and he's getting knocked out then as well! He'll stand and fight and when I catch him he'll go, unlike Dirrell who wanted to play kiss chase. Kessler's a proud man. He'll box and move.

Won't his fight against Ward be a formality?

I don't think it will. Ward's a good fighter. He was a light heavyweight gold medallist in the Olympics. But, like Dirrell, has he got the experience to go in against a veteran like Kessler? We'll find out

The Kessler fight should get you a higher profile...

Titles are more important than that. And I've got a good enough profile already. I got 9,000 fans at three o'clock in the morning in Nottingham and I can't walk down the street! I'm doing alright, don't worry about that!

Do you like the Super Six format?

I do, but also because it will mean when I beat Kessler I'll be the WBA and WBC champion. It's a unification fight, I can be undisputed champion. These fights don't really happen all that often, it's difficult in pro-boxing to get the fights you want. He was due to fight me before but it never happened, the same way the Joe Calzaghe fight never happened. In this tournament I'm guaranteed it.

It's good times for British boxing all round, then, with David Haye fighting Valuev next week. Is there a buzz about the sport?

It's getting there, it goes through peaks and troughs, with Calzaghe retiring and Ricky Hatton being finished there's nobody else representing Britain in the bigger weights. It's nice for me and David Haye to be flying the flag.

What will it be like for him now, the week before?

There's a lot of weight on your shoulders running up to a fight. When you box it's almost like a big release. Beforehand you get nervous and apprehensive. It's precarious times because your livelihood is on the line, and on top of that, literally your life is on the line too. Especially in David's case, have you seen the size of the man he's fighting?

He's huge...

Exactly, if he gets hit on the chin he's going to be in serious trouble. Although I think he can keep out of his way and out-hit Valuev. David's a really fantastic, skilful fighter. I used to box him when I was an amateur. I used to spar with him. I couldn't lay a glove on him. He was taller and bigger than me but he's just so skilful and quick. You have to acknowledge those skills. Valuev is slow and cumbersome but he can punch like a mule can kick. David has to be careful, but he can do this.

Haye's done a lot of trash talking to wind Valuev up. That's not something you seem to do?

If somebody winds me up, and I don't like somebody, I'll give them some back. I don't sit back and let somebody talk down to me. But like you've just said, it's trash talk, and it's called trash talk for a reason. It's rubbish. David Haye tries to get his opponents into the ring by doing that and it's fair enough. A Klitschko fight will be massive, it will make David Haye the heavyweight king of the world. Sometimes these fighters have no bottle and need to be wound up the wrong way. If it works it's what you have to do. I read Frank Warren say David's got no chin, but then he has got agendas. He's had a pop at me too. Whoever's not with him he just writes off, but I'm doing the business, and David Haye is going to do the business,

Will you be going to cheer him on?

I was going to go out there, but I've found out where it is in Nuremburg and it looks like hostile territory, so I'm going to stay home and watch it on TV!

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