Carl Froch discusses AJ-Whyte rematch
Speaking to Genting Casino, the always outspoken Carl Froch predicted Dillian Whyte to beat Anthony Joshua because he wants it more, then brutally added that whoever loses must retire.
The 46-year-old 'Cobra' from Nottingham shared his thoughts on the Joshua-Whyte rematch, insisting he has no problem with AJ and wished him well for his upcoming August match. The former English, British, Commonwealth and World champion also questioned DAZN's PPV pricing and discussed the Benn-Eubank fight.
Here's what he had to say:
I don’t have beef with Anthony Joshua I just think Dillian Whyte wants it more
“Whyte has seen better days, I think he's past his best. He got chinned by Povetkin, fair play to him he got the rematch done, but then he got obliterated against Fury. It seemed like the beginning of the end for him then. But I'm hoping Whyte gets right up for it and gets his mojo back. And I'm hoping AJ proves me and a lot of other people wrong and proves he did not lose his soul in the Ruiz fight.
“I'd love AJ to put in a really good performance and show everyone that he believes in himself and still means business because if he wins there's big fights out there for him. People think I've got beef and not very nice things to say about Anthony Joshua but I've not, I'm just brutally honest.
“Based on what I've seen of Joshua in his last two or three fights, his lackluster performance against Ruiz in the rematch, his back to back defeats to Usyk, I just think it's going to be a really close fight. Dillian Whyte has seen better days, he's not had great performances either, they're both past their best, but I think that Whyte has probably got a little bit more in the tank mentally. I think he wants this more. It's a tight fight that could go either way.”
Whyte beats Anthony Joshua but both should retire if they lose
“My instinct is that Whyte beats AJ but that's just based on AJ's last couple of performances. If AJ's back to his best he can do a demolition job on Whyte. But based on previous performances suggests Whyte just edges it on points. I think they're both going to be knackered by round nine and we will hear the final bell. I think the loser should retire because if AJ's lost three of his last six and Whyte's been knocked out by Povetkin, knocked out by Fury, and scraped through against Franklin. There's a case to say that there's nothing left in defeat.”
Boxing fans were promised no PPV – so something isn’t working
“I'm a boxing fan as well as a boxing pundit, so I'll be honest for the fans and say DAZN came in and promised a subscription channel but without PPV. We were told no PPV. PPV's dead and subscription is the future, but what changed?
“I suppose if people want to watch the fight they'll pay for it. Eddie's done a fantastic job overseas and over here, there's been loads of big fights, but he's bringing PPV back, so something is obviously broken with the model. Something is not working with the model for them to re-introduce PPV.”
I’d love to see Chris Eubank vs Conor Benn in September
“It's definitely a fight I want to see. I like Chris Eubank and Conor Benn. I've done a lot of training and sparring with Chris Eubank. Massive fans of Eubank and really fond of Conor Benn. I know his management team really well, so I want the best for him. I know he's got this failed drugs test hanging over him and I think he's going in front of the British boxing board of control, which I think he needs to do.
“So once that's heard by the board and there's a resolution, then we'll know if he's being punished and once that's happened, hopefully he can put this all behind him. He has failed a drugs test but whether he's cheated or not, that will be concluded after the hearing. Drugs test aside, it's a great fight but the sting has gone out of it a little bit since Eubank lost to Liam Smith. It has killed it a little bit. If Eubank was on the back of a decent win then I would say it's a great fight but at the moment I'm thinking it's an easy win for Conor Benn. He's a massive favourite.
“I know Eubank’s gots a rock solid chin because I hit him on the chin God knows how many times in sparring. I used to wear 18oz gloves but he could take a punch, he's hard like his dad. You saw that with George Groves, he was teeing off on him, but going down to 157 for the Benn fight, I think he was drained like a boiled chicken, he was done. And then staying in camp and fighting Liam Smith at 160, I think he was still feeling the effects of that long camp. I'm hoping that's all it was. I'm hoping he's not gone as a fighter. He's not had that much punishment, he's not had loads of fights, but if I'm basing it on that performance against Liam Smith, I think it'd be an easy win for Conor Benn. I think Conor Benn catches Eubank if the Smith fight is anything to go by, but I hope Eubank gets in with his legs underneath him and he's not hollow like he was against Smith.”
Frank Warren talking rubbish – I never ducked Joe Calzaghe
“Frank Warren said that when I met with him years ago, all I was interested in was when Joe Calzaghe was stepping up to light heavyweight. And that's pure rubbish. He said Froch came to meet me to discuss a Calzaghe fight and all I was interested in was when Calzaghe was stepping up to light heavyweight because I didn't want to fight him. The only reason I went down from Nottingham to London, a three hour drive in my old battered car at the time, was to secure the fight with Calzaghe because I was mandatory for the belt.
“So why would I go down there and say I don't want to fight him? It's rubbish. I went down to do the deal with him and Frank told me he was stepping up to the light heavyweight. There was no deal to be done. I didn't want to be promoted by Frank Warren. He's trying to slander my name because I'm a fighter that's remembered for fighting anybody. I've never ducked anybody. To try and say that I swerved Calzaghe is an insult and it's pure bullshit. I think he's lost his marbles.”
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