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?The Cobra? slithers into the finals of the Super Six tournament By Rich Mazon PhilBoxing.com Sun, 05 Jun 2011  Atlantic City, NJ -- And then there was two. The cast of the finals for Showtime Network?s Super Six World Boxing Classic of the super middleweight division is now known after WBC champion Carl ?The Cobra? Froch defended his belt by defeating Glen ?The Road Warrior? Johnson in a highly entertaining bout in the Boardwalk Hall and Arena in Atlantic City last night. Froch (27-1, 20 KO?s) scored a majority decision win over the 42 year old Johnson (51-14-2, 35 KO?s) who stalked him all night The durable 42 year old Jamaican chased Froch for most of the match but was kept from a distance by the rangy Englishman with the use of effective jabbing that deterred Johnson?s advances. Froch combined that jabbing with multiple combinations that deprived Johnson of following up on numerous occasions when he landed several big punches on Froch. Johnson hit Froch with big right hands as early as the second round and forced him to the corner and ropes a couple of times but Froch would escape and respond with a combination of three, four even five punches that would frustrate Johnson?s onslaught. That and also his strong chin would prove to be the biggest asset for Froch. One that he would downplay in his post fight interview. ?It?s an asset that is very valuable, but it?s not my best asset because if it was my best asset then Glen Johnson would have won this evening because he?s got the strongest jaw in the business. ? It is good though that he has one strong chin because the harder punches of the night were delivered by Johnson which drew big reaction from the crowd. Most of those punches are courtesy of a looping right that found its mark on Froch ?s head and temple. Froch?s style of fighting with his hands low and not keeping his guards high made him susceptible to those hits by Johnson who was cheered by the audience. Chants of ?Johnson, Johnson?, were heard from the crowd who was mostly behind the 42 year old underdog after he landed yet another big right hand in round number 8.That telling punch would clearly hurt Froch as he tried to survived the rest of the round . He came back by landing a volley of punches right from the start of the 9th round. His hands were far too fast for Johnson to handle and defend. He out boxed Johnson with crisp combinations that landed both on Johnson?s body and head. Johnson would connect with isolated rights for the next three rounds but Froch seemed to be inviting them to happen in order to launch an attack of his own. He fought well under constant pressure from Johnson?s come forward style and heavy punching. He seemed unfazed after receiving those hard rights and would quickly fight back in return. His boxing would edged out Johnson?s hard hands in carving out a majority win. Two of the judges cards had it for him with scores of 117-111, and 116-112. A third judge would see the fight differently as he had it a draw in an even score of 114-114. ?I don?t know what the other judge (Japanese judge Nobuaki Yuratani) was thinking. It was a bad score.? was Froch?s reaction to the surprising scorecard. Froch also spoke highly of Johnson after the fight. ?He?s very tough, very strong and durable. I hit him with some great shots but it?s like sparring an oak tree, if you can imagine that. You hit him he doesn?t move. He doesn?t stop throwing the hard shots.? Johnson showed he can still fight at a high level with this fight as he himself withstood multiple combinations from a fighter 9 years younger than him. He proved his stamina by doing most of the chasing throughout the fight and his power was evidenced by those punches that were the highlights for most of the fight. ?I felt strong.? was his remarked after the fight. But he acknowledged that Froch fought a better fight than him. ?I fell into his fight plan a little more than my own. I felt that I was in it, and when it?s close like that you really don?t know .My corner told me to pick it up because I was falling behind, so I tried to pick it up. But he kind of took me out of my game plan a little bit. Because I would get in there and start to rip hard shots and I was able to allow him to come back with quick counter punches while I was on the inside? he remarked. He added that even though Froch was able to hit back with counter punches, he was blocking most of them. ?But you know when you do stuff like that, the judges are going to give him credit just for effort.? This lost would not mean a thing for his career at this stage of it as he showed everyone watching that he can perform at a high level even at 42 years of age. His spirited and fiery effort was a delight to watch and the crowd in Atlantic City sure did appreciate his performance. But for the winner, a chance to be the tournament?s overall winner is at stake. Carl Froch will meet the other finalist and fellow (WBA) super middleweight title holder in Andre Ward sometime this fall, either in Las Vegas or New York. This will unify both belts and crown the winner of the three stage group competition which features the best of the division. Andre Ward was present in the fight as he was part of the Showtime crew that is covering the fight but is also there to scout his potential opponent . One that Froch was aware of the entire fight, ?I got my eye on Andre Ward. I could see where he was at ringside. I know that he?d be watching this to the end. I didn?t show him too much. I never really.? he said at the press conference. It will be a battle of two of the original six participants of the tournament where most of them withdrew because of injuries suffered within the tournament itself. And Carl Froch is intent on finishing the tournament strong. ?I am looking forward to the biggest fight, in the biggest tournament in world boxing, the Super Six world boxing classic.? he said. And so will the boxing world too. Click here to view a list of other articles written by Rich Mazon .  |
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