The Cobra Returns

Return of “The Cobra”

May 31, 2011

This Saturday in Atlantic City sees the return of arguably the best entertainer in boxing today.

When I say “entertainer” I don’t mean the man with the best ring entrance, or the man with the best trash talk. I mean the man who offers the best value for money:

Carl “The Cobra” Froch.

Seriously, can you even remember seeing a bad Carl Froch fight?

You can’t say that about the likes of Amir Khan or even pound-for-pound champ Manny Pacquiao.

Khan’s tussle with Paul McCloskey was as messy in the ring, as it was outside. Following the farcical last-minute TV switch from Sky, the Bolton man produced six uninspiring rounds. Meanwhile, Filipino superstar Pacquiao’s recent bout with Shane Mosley was derided by many pundits as a friendly sparring session.

These days too many champions are criticised for their caution – either for avoiding opponents or adopting a safety-first approach when actually in the ring.

But neither criticism can be aimed at Froch.

His last five fights with Jean Pascal, Jermain Taylor, Andre Dirrell, Mikkel Kessler and Arthur Abraham have all made utterly compelling viewing. It’s a huge shame that so few fans have been able to see them.

After some questionable decisions by his former promoter Mick Hennessey, Froch has been isolated on the little-known subscription channel Primetime. At a time when his career, his reputation and his earning power should have been peaking, “the Cobra” has found himself cruelly under-exposed.

Froch back on Sky Sports

Boxing fans should be delighted that Sky have realised the error of their ways and welcomed Froch back into the fold. The Froch-Sky Sports partnership will offer the Nottingham fighter the high profile he richly deserves.

The bout with Glen “Road Warrior” Johnson (51-14-2) should serve up another dose of brutality. Both have granite chins and aren’t afraid to let their punches go. Johnson may be 42, but he’s durable, battle-hardened and has been in with a host of big names.

Expect it to go the distance and expect it to be the sort of fight that takes another few months off Froch’s lifetime as a boxer.

He’s no Bernard Hopkins, who spectacularly became the oldest world champion in history last week by defeating WBC and IBO light-heavyweight champ Jean Pascal in Canada.

Using every bit of ring nous he’s acquired over two decades in the sport, Hopkins, 46, unashamedly nullifies his opponents. He takes few clean shots and in truth his fights can be pretty drab at times.

Less of a tactician and more of a gladiator, Froch prefers to go to war. He relies on his power and his extraordinary punch resistance. He takes risks. Huge risks, in fact.

But that’s what makes him so entertaining.

Hopefully new promoter Eddie Hearn, master of the blossoming Matchroom stable, can get Froch the big paydays he deserves as he enters the twilight of his career.

We should enjoy him while we can. It may be some time before we see another British fighter like Carl Froch.

Ralph Welch

info@ultimatefightclub.co.uk

* Carl Froch v Glen Johnson can be seen on Saturday night  on Sky Sports 1.

Batista MMA career in limbo after Strikeforce buy-out

 

Batista MMA career in limbo after Strikeforce buy-out

27 May, 2011

Dave Bautista, better known as fromer WWE superstar “Batista”, has had to shelve plans to enter the cage and embark on an MMA career.

Batista, a six-time world champion and firm fan favourite in the WWE, had hoped to emulate Brock Lesnar and make a successful switch from the pro wrestling ranks to MMA.

Since leaving WWE a year ago, Batista has been publicly courted by Strikeforce CEO Scott Coker. Negotiations were slow and complex.

But that didn’t stop Batista from engaging in a public slanging match with another former pro wrestler, Bobby Lashley, who has been building his own combat career (6-1) since leaving Vince McMahon’s company in 2008.

The two were building up heat ahead of a potential fight that would have surely generated big numbers for Strikeforce.

A clash between Batista and Lashley, both Wrestlemania headliners, would have generated huge interest from the crossover fanbases of pro wrestling and MMA.

However, since the UFC’s shock purchase of Strikeforce, Batista has admitted that any agreement is “dead”. The last few weeks have bought no further news and it seems that his fighting career is genuinely over before it started.

Unlike Lesnar, who had top drawer genuine wrestling credentials from his college days, Batista would have had to start from scratch in building an MMA skill base. At 42 years old, it would have been a mammoth task to expect him to make an impact.

However, like many MMA fans, I’m genuinely disappointed that he won’t get the chance to even try.

Ralph Welch

info@ultimatefightclub.co.uk

Final Thoughts on Groves - DeGale

Final thoughts on Groves-DeGale

Posted 25^th May, 2011

Booth proves himself the chess master

After a build-up dominated by insults and heated exchanges, there was one very cool head in the O2 Arena.

Adam Booth, trainer to both George Groves and David Haye, has rightly attracted the plaudits for masterminding victory.

It was a tactical masterclass, nullifying DeGale’s strengths and convincing the occasionally erratic Groves to stick to a gameplan.

With Booth in his corner, Haye may well succeed where all others have failed and finally conquer the Klitschko’s.

DeGale will reach his destiny

It would be easy to dismiss Saturday as a setback for James DeGale. But the loss of face aside, in fact the defeat may hasten his journey to a world title.

I’m convinced DeGale will emerge from this a better, hungrier fighter. He may have lost an unbeaten record, but in truth it’s a vastly-overrated prize in modern boxing.

This experience of promoting and competing in a super-fight will steel him for the challenges that lie ahead.

He will be eager to prove two things to the doubters hastily writing his obituary. Firstly, that he is capable of being a world champion. And secondly, that he CAN beat George Groves.

I wouldn’t bet against either.

Beware the Cobra

One extremely interested observer on Saturday was Carl Froch. “The Cobra” returns to our TV screens in early June against grizzled veteran Glencoffe Johnson in the next instalment of the Super Six.

Once that tournament concludes, it’s no secret that Froch, one of the most entertaining fighters around, will be seeking a huge fight on home territory.

If George Groves continues to progress, Froch may well have found his opponent.

Ralph Welch

info@ultimatefightclub.co.uk

Talking point: Diaz at a crossroads

23 May 2011

Talking point: Diaz at a crossroads

Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz claims he is ready to ditch the Octagon and enter the professional boxing ranks.

But can fighters switch from the cage to the boxing ring that easily?

Diaz: “There’s no more fights for me here….”

Over the past 15 months Strikeforce’s 170-pound champ Nick Diaz has  dominated the division. His most recent victory, over British hopeful Paul “Semtex” Daley, was a real barnstormer. The two sluggers served up five minutes of brutal striking that had the arena on their feet.

A bloodied Diaz emerged victorious and his most dangerous opponent had been dispatched. It’s left him with little incentive to stay with Strikeforce. Glory and bigger paydays lie in boxing and a fight with former IBF champ Jeff “Left Hook” Lacy.

Lacy is known to British fans as the man Joe Calzaghe dominated in 2006 to win the IBF super-middleweight title. Entering the ring with an unbeaten record and a puncher’s reputation, Lacy was outclassed that night.

Since then the American’s career has nosedived. In 2009 he was stopped by Roy Jones Jr, a fortysomething fighter well past his best.

But if Diaz thinks he will be an easy ride, then he‘s wrong. Lacy may no longer be a world-class operator. But the boxing ring is his home. And whilst Diaz might be a force in the Octagon, the skills required to compete between the ropes are entirely different.

Trading places is hard to do

In recent times there have been a few occasions where MMA fighters have taken up boxing and vice versa.

They’ve almost always ended in failure.

The most notable was James “Lights Out” Toney’s shambolic attempt to challenge UFC legend Randy Couture in the cage at UFC 118. Toney, a legendary trash-talker, was scornful of MMA and its reliance on mat grappling. In his eyes, he’d simply knock Couture out before the fight went to the ground.

Universally, MMA commentators thought this incredibly naïve and Couture would teach the boxer a lesson.

They were proved right.

Within 15 seconds, Couture had taken down Toney and three minutes later submitted him via an arm triangle. It was an embarrassment and Toney was duly released from his multi-fight UFC contract.

The difference between punching in boxing and MMA

Toney’s disregard of the striking skills in MMA is typical of many boxers. They see the upright stance and looping punches of an MMA fighter as crude. They’ve honed their own boxing skills on tight guards, crisp punches and lots of upper-body movement such as the “bob and weave”.

In boxing, long, looping punches are predictable and rarely result in knockouts. Many boxers operate best “in the pocket”, nose-to-nose and able to release short, punishing punches to both head and body. Ricky Hatton was a fine exponent of this.

Those tactics are completely redundant in MMA for one reason: takedowns.

If you’re that close to your opponent, then it’s all too easy for them to suddenly switch from striking to grappling and shoot for the legs. Within miliseconds you’ll find yourself on the mat, in a vulnerable position.

That’s why MMA striking must happen at a greater distance. And whilst looping punches may be less effective in boxing, where fighters wear heavy gloves, MMA fighters wear 4oz versions.

This means that every fighter has potential knockout power.

Toney showed the danger of under-estimating what’s required to switch disciplines.

Nick Diaz should heed that warning.

Money, money, money

Of course, the big variable in all of this is UFC supremo Dana White, whose company has just purchased Strikeforce. Notoriously unafraid to speak his mind, White has voiced his disapproval at Diaz’s latest move.

In my opinion, White will dangle a carrot in front of Diaz in the shape of a bout with all-conquering UFC welterweight champ Georges St-Pierre.

Both have big reputations. And In this business, big reputations equal big bucks. It will be too hard for Diaz to ignore.

There’s one thing that boxers and MMA fighters will always agree on…

Money talks.