We had the chance to sit down with boxing Hall-of-Famer Carl Froch to discuss the sport’s hottest topics.
We covered everything from Tyson Fury’s possible return to the ring against Anthony Joshua to Conor McGregor’s conduct and how Joe Calzaghe turned down a "seven-figure" offer to fight Froch in Saudi Arabia.
Froch: Conor McGregor is a fighting legend but needs help
Carl Froch spoke about Conor McGregor following a recent altercation with a UFC fan. The former super middleweight champion slammed the Irishman’s conduct but hopes he can find peace within himself and become a better person.
Thoughts on Conor McGregor spitting in the face of someone chanting ‘Khabib’?
“His backstory is really humble and to go from that to being worth hundreds of millions, the biggest name in the UFC at one point, beating everyone and being a showman — I rate him from a fighter’s perspective.
“It upsets me to see him fall from grace because I had so much respect and admiration for him. I know he’s an MMA fighter and not a boxer, but it’s still a combat sport, so we have a lot in common. To take kicks and punches to the face, have a roll around, and still be the best in the business — you have to respect that. He’s successful.
“But spitting in this kid’s face? That’s wrong. You have no respect for yourself if you do that. Nobody in their right mind spits in someone’s face. The guy shouted ‘Khabib’ because he’s a fan and wanted to wind up McGregor. But McGregor could’ve just said, ‘Listen, watch your mouth.’ Instead, he lowered the standard and class. It was out of order.
“If somebody did that to me, I’d have gone for him. I’m not standing there and taking that. But that kid kept his cool – probably for the best because he’d have been taken down and choked out.
“Hopefully, McGregor can get help. My elder brother is eight years sober. He’s had his wobbles over the years, but sobriety would serve McGregor well. I hope he finds peace because he’s all over the place when you see him.
“Someone who’s achieved what he has should retire and conduct himself with class. Spitting on a fan, whether they like you or not, is unacceptable. People shout things at me about the George Groves fight or yell ‘80,000’ at me, but I just smile it off. I would never spit in someone’s face. That can’t be condoned.”
Froch: Tyson Fury will return to fight Anthony Joshua for £100m
Carl Froch claims he spoke to a close source and understands why Tyson Fury announced his retirement from boxing. Despite Fury’s stubbornness, Froch expects the former heavyweight world champion to return to the ring if the right offer comes along.
Tyson Fury – will he stay retired?
“I’m not sure because he is quite stubborn, and when he digs his heels in, similar to me, he’ll double down on it. A lot of boxers are like that. He retired because, deep down, he probably knows he's past his best. He lost twice to Oleksandr Usyk, and I know personally that he is p***.
“I spoke to someone close to his team and he’s really frustrated and p*** off that he lost the rematch. But he did lose, and he lost fair and square. It was a close fight, but it wasn’t very entertaining, not like the first one, which had moments of excitement. In the rematch, not a lot happened, but I think Usyk did enough to win. Fury shouldn’t have any complaints apart from the frustration of not going for it.
“At some stages, I thought Fury could have really gone for it towards the end. I was thinking, ‘Come on, Fury, go and stick it on him.’ Did he not have it in him or did he think he had done enough to win? For me, I wouldn’t be happy lying in bed at night, losing like that. Even when I lost to Andre Ward on the scorecards, it was close, but I knew it wasn’t really a close fight.
“I lost by a wide margin in my mind despite two of the scorecards being 115-113 to Ward. But I knew I went for it. I threw lots of hooks and body shots and tried to let the shots go, but Ward was slipping, sliding, holding, and negating my work. I was frustrated, but as I said to Rob McCracken and my wife, I couldn’t have done any more. The guy was just too good for me. I tried my hardest.
“I just think Tyson Fury had a bit more left in the tank and could’ve tried harder. He’s the bigger man and is heavier. Maybe Fury is feeling let down by himself, and that might bring him out of retirement one last time. The fight with Anthony Joshua is still huge. As much as I think it’s not as big as it could have been and isn’t as exciting without a title — if he gets offered £100m, he’ll take the fight.”
Froch: Joe Calzaghe turned down an offer to fight me
Carl Froch always wanted to fight Joe Calzaghe as a professional, but the fight never materialized. The Nottingham-born fighter revealed that Calzaghe was offered a "seven-figure" deal to fight him last year but turned it down due to personal reasons.
Did Joe Calzaghe accept an offer to fight you?
“Turki made Joe Calzaghe a good offer and he initially agreed to the number … it was big money.
“He got offered seven figures six months ago. Turki told me Joe then went home, spoke to his wife about it and that was it, the fight was off. Maybe he didn’t fancy it or maybe his hands are too sore. Or maybe he just didn’t want to get cobra’d.”
Were you part of the negotiations?
“No, I found out when I had my sit-down with Turki. I told him, ‘Don’t tell me what my end was because I don’t want to know (how much I would have made).’ But I’m not fussed; I’m not motivated by money.”
Are you gutted it didn’t happen?
“I don’t think it was about me personally. I think it was more about him and his wife. He’s in his 50s and his hands were f** when he was active, he wouldn’t be able to train properly.
“I don’t think he was scared of fighting me. The reality is, if you’re in your 50s and have had a Hall-of-Fame career, retired, undefeated, and don’t need the money, why risk it?
“Darren Barker, who’s a good friend of Joe’s, says he’s a real sound guy and not materialistic at all. He’s happy and content, so why go into the ring and potentially tarnish his legacy by fighting me? We’re both past our best. I’m an old man, and he’s even older than me.
“I’m not going to give him any s**. He had a fantastic career; he was a great fighter, and I have a lot of respect and admiration for him.”
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