The Year in Review: Six Notable Fights in 2014 – Part I — Pacquiao, Hopkins, Froch, More!

12/25/201412/24/2014 Paul Jones

By Paul “Paparazzi“ Jones – Photo © (clockwise) Paul “Paparazzi” Jones/ESB; Steve Lopez/ESB; Al Santiago/ImageSantiago; Chris Farina/Top Rank | Illustration – Paul “Paparazzi” Jones

In this two-part review, I chronicle six of the most anticipated bouts of 2014. In Part I, I cover three key fights from the first half of the year. In Part II, I describe three fights from the remainder of the year and list match-ups that deserve honorable mention.

I selected each of these contests based on their ability to produce drama, historical significance, and/or sustained action. In addition, I emphasize tilts with pound-for-pound and title implications.

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Kessler: I’m sitting by the phone waiting for Froch to call; I want to fight him in a decider

10/06/2014 Bill Phanco

35-year-old Danish fighter Mikkel Kessler (46-3, 35 KOs) says he’s waiting by the phone to get a call from IBF/WBA super middleweight champion Carl Froch (33-2, 24 KOs) to be his next opponent on January 31st next year in a fight that would be staged in London. Froch’s promoter Eddie Hearn is saying that he’s looking to match the 37-year-old Froch against either Kessler or James DeGale, Froch’s IBF mandatory challenger.

“I am sitting by the phone, hoping something is going to happen soon – I want a decider with Carl,” Kessler said to Ringside.

The problem with matching Froch against Kessler is that it’s a fight that some boxing fans would see as a rip-off considering that Kessler hasn’t fought since May of 2013 when he was beaten by Froch.

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Groves asks Froch for fight, and gets turned down

09/22/201409/21/2014 Jeff Sorby

George Groves (20-2, 15 Kos) asked IBF/WBA super middleweight champion Carl Froch a fight last night following Groves’ 12 round unanimous win over EBU super middleweight champion Christopher Rebrasse (22-3-3, 6 KOs) at the Wembley Arena in London, UK.

While Groves was being interviewed after the fight by Sky Sports, Groves spotted Froch outside of the ring and bluntly asked him for a fight, but Froch wasn’t having any of it as he told him that he’d already beaten him twice and there was no point in the fight.

Groves asking Froch for a fight took away from Groves’ moment because it was obvious that Froch was going to turn him down because he wasn’t thrilled at the idea of fighting Groves a second time after all the trash talking he’d done before their first fight.

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Golovkin closing in on Chavez Jr on Froch’s Facebook poll

08/13/2014 Jeff Sorby

On Tuesday, IBF/WBA super middleweight champion Carl Froch asked boxing fans on his Facebook account to pick out who they would like to see him fight from these three fighters: Julio Cesar Chavez, James DeGale and Gennady Golovkin. Froch initially asked fans if they wanted to see him fight DeGale or Chavez Jr. But a couple hours later, Froch added Golovkin’s name to the list.

As you would guess, Chavez Jr jumped out to a huge lead over the other contestants. However, now a day later, Golovkin has narrowed Chavez Jr’s lead considerably and is within striking distance of taking the lead.

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Arum working on Chavez Jr-Froch fight for 1/24

07/29/201407/29/2014 Jeff Sorby

Top Rank promoter Bob Arum is confident that he can put together a mega fight between Julio Cesar Chavez Jr (48-1-1, 32 KO’s) and IBF/WBA super middleweight champion Carl Froch (33-2, 24 KOs) for January 24th for the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada. Arum has been in communication with Froch’s promoter Eddie Hearn and his father Barry in working out a deal to get Froch and Chavez Jr into the ring in what promises to be an interesting match-up between two big sluggers.

“I’m convinced we can get it done,” Arum said to ESPN’s Dan Rafael. “I made a proposal that I don’t want to get into but I think it would be acceptable.”

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The Glass Is Half Full: Best of The First Half of 2014

07/12/2014 Andrew Huntley

As the final seconds of 2013 ticked away, our attention turned from whatever kind of celebratory beverage we held in our hand toward the topic of what might occur in the year to come. For fans of boxing, the future seemed uncertain; and those of a more pessimistic inclination probably felt they had good reason for viewing it as being rather bleak.

After all, at the start of 2014, the rift between promotional organizations and networks seemed as vast and impassible as it ever had at any point since it was first created. The number of appealing match-ups to look forward was rather limited, and the match-ups that had been bandied about (e.g. Floyd Mayweather-Amir Khan) did little to whet the boxing fan’s appetite. Given that context, it becomes easy to understand why some observers felt that the year would prove to be a disappointment.

Still, six months later, these fears have proved to be unfounded.

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Groves’ Style Like a Toddler With a Loaded Diaper

06/03/201406/02/2014 Paul Strauss

The title seems to be a foul, a low blow, hitting a man when he’s down. But, it’s not intended to be. No one is questioning Groves’ heart or effort. Honestly, though, all you parents and grandparents out there must certainly understand the reference. You’ve seen your bow legged little scamp ambling around with a full load. The little cuties exhibit awkward movements, which makes them look a little discombobulated.

It is just an observation about a fighter’s peculiar style, one that would seemly tire a fighter. It requires a fighter to be in an awkward position. It’s an unnatural posture, accentuated by the oversized trunks. Couple that with legs wide spread, too wide for graceful movement. Then throw in a humped back, with shoulders hunched forward and you’ve got Groves. If he was any thinner, you could put a woman’s wig on him, and you’d swear he was a dowager.

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Carl Froch believes the sport is flying after amazing Wembley night

06/02/2014 Matchroom Boxing

Carl Froch says his fantastic KO win over George Groves at Wembley Stadium connected by EE has still not sunk in – and The Cobra is urging British boxing to capitalise on its greatest night.

Froch secured back to back wins over Groves and retained his WBA and IBF World Super Middleweight titles again with a stunning eighth round knockout, in front of 80,000 fans at the national stadium live on Sky Sports Box Office.

The Nottingham star penned his finally fight diary entry in the Evening Standard today reflecting on the biggest night of his career, and confirming that while he will bide his time over his next step, he has the itch to go over to Las Vegas and sample the bright lights.

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Froch v Groves II – Postscript

06/02/201406/02/2014 John Wight

Someone once described boxing as show business with blood. Joe Frazier’s take on it was perhaps more to the point. “Boxing is the only sport where you can get your brain shook, your money took, and your name in the undertaker book.”

How to place boxing as a sport in the second decade of the 21st century? Whenever we take a measure of ourselves and society today the word civilized automatically springs to mind – and yet, interrupting this smug belief in our own sophistication, up pops a sport like boxing to remind us of the uncomfortable truth that barbarism still has its place.

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Kellerman: Andre Ward is still out there for Froch

06/01/2014 Bill Phanco

Max Kellerman of HBO offered up the idea that IBF/WBA super middleweight champion Carl Froch can always look in the direction of WBA super middleweight champion Andre Ward if he wants to get a good opponent in the near future. Ward still has a victory over Froch from 2011 that Froch has nothing to try and avenge. Ward has open to a fight against Froch for the past three years, and he’s still willing to fight him if he’s feeling up to it. Froch has been feasting lately on the unproven George Groves, and he’s not fought a quality fighter for some time since he was beaten by Ward in the Super Six tournament.

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