Carl “The Cobra” Froch and Andre “The Matrix” Dirrell will weigh in ahead of this Saturday’s Super Six World Boxing Classic showdown in the historic setting of Nottingham’s famous Old Market Square at 5pm on Friday. The two men clash at the Trent FM Arena in the city on Saturday with Froch’s WBC World Super Middleweight title on the line against the undefeated American hotshot. However they will come face to face for one last pre fight event at in front of the City Council Offices on Friday afternoon as they step on the scales to ensure that they are both inside the 12 stone Super middleweight limit.
As ever Froch is confident that he will make the weight without any difficulty but he believes his opponent may be struggling to shift those last few pounds. “My weights down, I was already a pound inside the 12 stone limit when I woke up yesterday morning so that won’t be a problem,” said the Champion. “I’m eating good food and I’m feeling very strong.
“Dirrell’s quite tall for a super middle at 6 foot 1 so I think he probably struggles a bit to get down to 12 stone.. From what I’ve seen of him since he arrived in the U.K. he looks a bit like a boiled chicken the way his cheeks are sucked in. He looks quite gaunt so maybe he’s struggling with the weight because when I met him in New York a few months back to launch the Super Six tournament he looked a lot fuller and healthier. He looks a lot different now so I think he has to work very, very hard to get that weight down and I’m sure travelling from the States at the weekend won’t have helped either.”
Friday’s weigh in at the Old Market Square is open to the public with a large contingent of Cobra fans expected to cheer on Nottingham’s World Champion prior to what is expected to be an explosive showdown at the Trent FM Arena on Saturday. Nottingham Council have really thrown their weight behind the cities very own World Champion and their backing has been of huge importance to Froch. “The Council has been very supportive and it’s a real boost to know that you have a whole city behind you,” said the Champion. “I know myself and everyone at Hennessy Sports really appreciate the great support we have here and I’ll be looking to repay that on Saturday night.”
The Carl Froch – Andre Dirrell WBC World Super Middleweight title fight will be screened live on pay per view in the UK and Ireland on new satellite channel Primetime (Sky channel 480) as part of a knockout Super Six tournament double header from Nottingham and Berlin. The tournament officially kicks off in Germany when former marquee Middleweight Champs Arthur Abraham and Jermain Taylor clash at The O2 World Arena in Berlin before the action moves to Froch’s hometown and the Trent FM Arena in Nottingham.
To watch the opening night of the Super Six tournament on Primetime (Sky channel 480) call 0871 200 4444 (+448702 416 666 from the Republic of Ireland) or see http://www.primetimelive.co.uk. The event is available at a special price of £12.95 until 24 hours before the fight after which it will then increase to £14.95.
Tickets for Froch V Dirrell are available from the Trent FM Arena, Nottingham Box Office priced £30, £45, £125 and £250. To purchase tickets call the Box Office on 08444 124 624 or visit www.trentfmarena.co.uk. Tickets are also available from Ticketline on 0844 888 4402 or via www.hennessysports.com.
Froch: Dirrell’s drivel masks insecurities
LONDON (October 11th ,2009) – WBC World Super Middleweight Champ, Carl Froch says he’s happy to let Andre Dirrell’s mouth make all the running ahead of their Super Six World Boxing Classic showdown at the Trent FM Arena, Nottingham on October 17th. Froch will launch his Super Six tournament campaign with his second WBC World Super Middleweight title against the unbeaten American hotshot who has already fired a number of verbal volleys across the Atlantic prior to his arrival in Nottingham today
In his latest tirade directed at the Champion prior to boarding a flight for the U.K. Dirrell boasted, “When I get finished with Froch he’ll have a look in his eyes as vacant as the title he won when Joe Calzaghe gave it up rather than waste his time with such a trivial defense.
“He wants me to stand up to the plate? I’m going to be slamming him with line drives and home runs from both sides of the plate like Mickey Mantle. Boxing and the U.K. will be thanking me for relieving them of Froch’s greenhouse effect. I’m going to punch holes in that gasbag. His title reign will become vapor. If you ask me, Mr. Froch sounds more than a little worried about fighting me. I suggest he wear a diaper under his trunks so he doesn’t embarrass himself in front of his fans while walking into the ring next Saturday. I said it before and I’ll say it again, he can kiss my Yankee Doodle.
“Froch is going to discover on October 17 that his new world really is flat … flat on his back,” continued Dirrell. “I’m going to expose him like a “Page 3” pinup in The Sun. I’ve had my best training camp ever and I’m ready to shiver Froch’s timbers from stem to stern. This is step one in showing that I am the heir apparent to the throne Joe Calzaghe vacated as the king of the super middleweight division, something Froch has never been able to achieve.
Froch though believes that the talk emanating from the challenger masks an underlying insecurity. “I think it’s a case of his mouth writing cheques that his butt can‘t cash,” said Froch. “All this trash talk from him this close to the fight only confirms the first impressions I had of him when we all met up in New York to launch the Super Six. I think all the big talk is just to mask his own insecurities that maybe he’s not ready for this level. It sounds like he’d sooner take me on at baseball then step in to a ring with me.
“I think it’s dawned on him that now he has to step into the ring with the world’s best fighters and maybe he’s starting to doubt his own ability. If that’s the case then the last place he needs to be next Saturday night is in a boxing ring at the Trent FM Arena, in front of 10,000 Cobra fans and with me standing in the opposite corner. It’s going to be a very, very lonely place for him and all the talk in the world will count for nothing when that first bell rings.”
The October 17th bout will be screened live on pay per view in the UK and Ireland on new satellite channel Primetime (Sky channel 480) as part of a knockout Super Six tournament double header from Nottingham and Berlin. The tournament officially kicks off in Germany when former marquee Middleweight Champs Arthur Abraham and Jermain Taylor clash at The O2 World Arena in Berlin before the action moves to Froch’s hometown and the Trent FM Arena in Nottingham.
To watch the opening night of the Super Six tournament on Primetime (Sky channel 480) call 0871 200 4444 (+448702 416 666 from the Republic of Ireland) or see http://www.primetimelive.co.uk. The event is available at a special price of £12.95 until 24 hours before the fight after which it will then increase to £14.95.
Primetime will build up to the event by screening Froch’s previous two world title fights, his twelve round thriller with Jean Pascal to win the WBC title and his sensational final round KO over Jermain Taylor in the U.S. in April. The fights will be broadcast from 7-10pm on Primetime each night leading up to the Super Six tournament double header on October 17th. Primetime will also broadcast FIGHT CAMP 360°: Inside The Super Six World Boxing Classic, a new reality series that will give fight fans unprecedented access into the lives of the Super Six tournament participants.
Tickets for Froch V Dirrell are available from the Trent FM Arena, Nottingham Box Office priced £30, £45, £125 and £250. To purchase tickets call the Box Office on 08444 124 624 or visit www.trentfmarena.co.uk. Tickets are also available from Ticketline on 0844 888 4402 or via www.hennessysports.com.
For more information on the Super Six World Boxing Classic including exclusive videos, photography, expert analysis from Al Bernstein and Steve Farhood, and much more please visit www.WorldBoxingClassic.com or visit http://www.hennessysports.com/worldboxingclassic.htm.