CARL FROCH changed the face of British boxing 11 years ago tomorrow — in front of just 3,726 American fans.
And not a single soul was watching on live UK TV.
Carl Froch beat Jermain Taylor with just 14 seconds left on the clock
Froch’s sensational pay-per-view second victory over fellow Brit George Groves in front of 80,000 fans at Wembley gets all the credit.
But a 2009 stoppage win over Jermain Taylor in Ledyard, Connecticut — with just 14 seconds left and behind on two judges’ score cards — must be one of the most tragically uncelebrated successes in modern British boxing.
In the Cobra’s mind, his first WBC super-middleweight title defence — long before he became a star attraction on Sky TV — knocks a long list of fabulous fights out of his top three.
Froch told SunSport: “It was only when I watched it the next day on the laptop with my trainer Rob McCracken that I realised what an amazing fight it had been.
“I couldn’t remember most of it because I had a concussion from round three. I went to bed with my ears ringing, my nose sore, my head and body aching — but I still had my title to wake up with.
“What a shame that I didn’t really have the backing of the British public or a big broadcaster behind me at that time, I think the highlights went out on Sunday afternoon back home.
“But it’s in my top three, along with beating Lucian Bute for the IBF title and the Groves rematch win.”
Froch had won the WBC green and gold 12st strap in December 2008 — but other fighters were getting bigger TV exposure, leaving his Rocky-like win over Taylor going under the radar.
Froch beat the American in front of just 3,726 American fans
The British super-middleweight started slowly and was dropped
After refusing an easy fight to take on feared Taylor — a former undisputed middleweight king with the scalps of Bernard Hopkins and Jeff Lacy on his record — Froch started slowly and was dropped.
He rallied, but going into the final round he was down 106-102 on two cards and apparently destined for a miserable flight home with no belt, no TV deal and dwindling prospects aged 31.
Yet with 66 seconds of the fight left, he dropped Taylor as he refused to let his dream slip away after seven years slogging away as a low-profile pro.
Froch, 42, added: “I knew for a fact that I had to get the stoppage in the last round but the message was not to force it.
“I dropped him in the neutral corner, he was down for about 14 seconds but the ref called it eight!
“Then I knew it was my last chance, I put him in his corner again and just pretended he was a punchbag. I bit down on my gum shield and threw as many punches as I humanly could.
“The way the fight was stopped, with so little time left, made me realise how close I came to throwing it all away.”
The Hollywood ending catapulted Froch into the Super Six World Boxing Classic tournament — where he made life-changing money.
Froch was down on the judges scorecards before his comeback win
But he eventually lost his WBC crown after defeats by Mikkel Kessler and Andre Ward.
He would return to claim the IBF title from Bute — before exacting revenge on Kessler and then twice beating Groves.
But that epic Taylor stoppage was Froch’s sliding-doors moment.
Froch said: “The Taylor win got me a Super Six contract worth around $10million at the time.
“I look back now and feel like I brought great PPV fights back to this country — after a few other fighters failed to deliver and fans were walking away.
“I did it the hard way, I fought everyone I could and I would not have it any other way.”
Froch is not arrogant, he will tell you about his slow jab, low guard and clumsy footwork.
But he worked harder than anyone, took the toughest route and paved the way for a golden era of British boxing.
Froch said: “Some people think I was lucky, having left it so late against Taylor — but I believe a real man makes his own luck and I put in all the hard work.
“People can look at my style and my faults, point out all the things I didn’t do as well as other fighters but I was never knocked out or stopped.
“And when I was knocked down, then I got up to win.
“The Taylor fight means more than the world title because of the dramatic finish. When people see it for the first time, they are always pretty amazed.
“It’s sad it seemed to slip by so many people when it happened — but I did OK off the back of it, I suppose!”
Froch celebrates with his trainer Robert McCracken
Joe Calzaghe speaks about hypothetical Carl Froch fight
Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
