It’s always a subjective thing, compiling a pound-for-pound top-10, but whenever a fighter, a former fighter who once graced most p-4-p charts is drawing up such a list, the picks are worth looking at. And former super-middleweight king Carl Froch, now happily retired and able to look back on a terrific career, has provided his picks for the ten best pound-for-pound boxers today.
Froch, who faced a number of fighters who were, at one time, pound-for-pound entrants, is a pundit for Sky Sports these days and he gave the Sky Sports guys his top-10. See what you make of this:
1: Sergey Kovalev
2: Roman Gonzalez
3: Andre Ward
4: Tyson Fury
5: Guillermo Rigondeaux
6: Terence Crawford
7: Saul Canelo Alvarez
8: Gennady Golovkin
9: Carl Frampton
10: Kell Brook
Interesting. Is Kovalev deserving of being so high? Many fans may disagree with Froch’s pick for the top spot, as well as the high placing of Fury. And Alvarez above the man his critics say he will not face in GGG? But Froch backs up his picks and he does make some good points:
“The big-punching Russian is my kind of fighter,” Froch says of Kovalev. “Impressive performances over Nathan Cleverly, Jean Pascal and Bernard Hopkins deserve merit especially when it’s been without any regard for where the bout has been held.”
“It’s a travesty that this three-weight champion has barely graced our TV screens,” Froch says, correctly, on Gonzalez.
“His slippery, point-winning style leaves many people cold,” Froch argues when speaking on his former rival, Ward. “Recent years have seen him reluctant to take any risks at all and there is talk he may not fight Kovalev. Does Frock know something we do not with regards to the November fight between Ward and Kovalev?
“Beat the man to become the man. Simple as that,” Froch says of heavyweight king Fury.
“The king of stink in terms of who he’s fought, but his pedigree is unquestionable since his win over Nonito Donaire,” Froch says of avoided Cuban master “Rigo.”
“Not only can the American box, but I feel he can get in the trenches when he wants to,” Froch says of unbeaten Crawford, the man he calls “The king of the 140-pound division today.”
“I know he gets deserved stick for his catch-weight fights, but he’s beat Austin Trout, Erislandy Lara, James Kirkland, Miguel Cotto and only dropped a decision to Floyd Mayweather when he was boiled a bit himself,” Froch says of Canelo. “I still genuinely don’t think he’s a middleweight.”
“Triple-G just hasn’t fought anyone to justify his lofty place for me,” Froch says of Golovkin. “I don’t think he’ll run through Kell Brook like others are saying.” Froch is clearly no big fan of GGG, a fighter he himself could have fought before retiring.
“A second world title with a fight of the year candidate against Leo Santa Cruz earns his spot in my top 10,” The Cobra says of “Jackal” Frampton.
“Since Mayweather retired it’s between him and the exciting Keith Thurman [who is the best] at welterweight,” Froch said on Brook.
Froch’s top-10 is sure to cause debate, but whose top-10 doesn’t!
