(Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)
England's newest version of Joe Calzaghe, Carl Froch, recently dismissed the idea of fighting a high-risk, low-money main event with top American contender Allan Green, suggesting to the media that he has much bigger fish to fry.
There was plenty of smack-talk exchanged between the two, and Green, for his part, said he would "go to any lengths to knockout Froch," even travelling to Britain—Froch's home turf—to "get it on" with the 168-pound champion.
"He certainly talks a good 'un," said Froch. "But if he thinks he can come over to Nottingham and knock me out in six rounds, he's mental. He's just looking to put food on his plate. But it doesn't work like that.
"Why should I give him a shot? No one gave me a chance, did they? I had to fight an eliminator with Jean Pascal, who has shown just how tough he is by winning the world light-heavyweight title.
"Then I had to go to America to defend against Jermain Taylor, one of the best pound-for-pound boxers in the world. It doesn't get any harder than that.
"He's got a blemish on his record, yet I am unbeaten. I've seen him fight, and I know how to beat him. He [Green] isn't a big enough draw, so it isn't going to happen.
"The only way I'll fight him is if he becomes No. 1 contender. Then it will be him who is flat on his back looking up at the ceiling at Nottingham Arena.
"Also, American TV doesn't want a Froch vs. Green fight, so what's the point?"
Froch says he is feeling rejuvenated as of late, having recently enjoyed a relaxing vacation in Turkey, which has also seemed to revitalize his fighting spirit.
He says he feels anxious to get back in the saddle, and intends to start training this week in hopes that a new proposal that he has been wishing for will come to fruition.
Froch has his mindset on American fighters once again, and the undefeated Brit is eyeing a showdown with another unbeaten southpaw, American Andre Dirrell.
The 26-year-old Dirrell, who is 18-0 with 13 KO's, is from Flint, Michigan. He won the middleweight bronze medal for the USA at the 2004 Summer Olympics.
Southpaw Dirrell was a standout as an amateur, and won the National Amateur Championship at Middleweight (165 pounds) in 2003. He also competed at the Panamerican Games in Santo Domingo that same year.
So, now that recent fight negotiations with Bernard Hopkins, Kelly Pavlik, and Mikkel Kessler have all but fallen through the cracks, the slugger with the Iron Jaw says he is ready for his promoter, Mick Hennessy, to get things moving forward regarding a proposed fight with Dirrell in September or early October.
"I haven't spoken to Mick for a week, but I know he is working on something," said Froch, "and I'm hoping it's a match with Dirrell."
"I realize that I have mandatory obligations, however, I also want to unify the division," said Froch.
The Englishman is also making claims that No. 2 Ring Magazine-ranked Canadian/Romanian fighter Lucian Bute purposely avoided him in favor of a rematch with No. 3-ranked Librado Andrade, a Mexican fighter who also trains in Montreal, Canada.
"I wanted Bute because I was confident I could beat him, but he showed he didn't fancy the job by pricing himself out of the fight," boasted Froch.
"He would have earned a million from fighting me—much more than he will get for a rematch with Librado Andrade. But now I'll be happy to give Dirrell a whupping instead."
"Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it!"
—Unknown
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