By Chris Cella
This Saturday night in Nottingham, England, IBF super middleweight champion Carl “The Cobra” Froch (29-2, 21 KO) puts his title on the line against challenger Yusaf Mack (31-4 17 KO).
Never short of confidence leading up to a fight, Froch casually predicted a knockout over Mack.
“I’m not one for picking a round, but I think that it’s going to be a knockout night for me again in front of my home fans,” Froch says.
“Yusaf Mack has never been in an atmosphere like a sold-out Carl Froch show in Nottingham. The viewers are in for a real treat. When my fans get behind me, my punches are that much harder, and he’ll be in real trouble on the night.”
Froch is coming off an impressive performance in which he upset and derailed then champion Lucian Bute via 5th round TKO this past May.
Through his title run, Froch has taken down some of the top fighters in the division, including Jean Pascal, Jermain Taylor, and Glen Johnson, and looks to continue his domination against Mack and earn a rematch against undefeated WBC super middleweight champion Andre Ward, who he lost a unanimous decision to last December.
About the matchup with Mack, Froch commented, “I am stronger than him, no question. I don’t think there’s a super middleweight out there in better shape than me, and there are some super-fit guys in this division. But I can honestly say I feel in incredible shape, fit as I’ve ever been, and I am convinced that he won’t be able to match me for heart, punch power, desire and skill.”
Mack earned this title shot against Froch following two solid wins in 2012, and has been consistent throughout his career. His biggest problem has been that he has not been able to rise to the occasion on the big stage, having fallen short in world championship fights as well as title eliminators.
Another question will be how he will respond to Froch’s power. In all of his defeats, Mack suffered a knockout each time he faced a heavy hitter like Froch, so how he goes in and executes his fight plan should be interesting.
“I expect him to come at me with everything he’s got, as he has nothing to lose and everything to gain,” said Froch.
“He will have seen what I did to Lucian Bute. He knows that if I get into a rhythm, and get my shots off, it’s good night. So, he’ll be at me from the start, wanting to make an impression to get me on the back foot, and I’ll be doing the same. It’s going to be a ferocious pace and great to watch.”
“True Brit,” presented by Matchroom Boxing, will be distributed in the United States by Integrated Sports Media for live viewing at 3:00 PM/ET – 12:00 PM/PT on bothcable and satellite pay-per-view via iN Demand, DIRECTV, DISH Network and Avail-TVN for a suggested retail price of only $29.95.