BOKEN, N.J. (November 8, 2012) — International Boxing Federation (IBF) super middleweight champion Carl “The Cobra” Froch (29-2, 21 KOs) defends his title Saturday, November 17 against American challenger Yusaf Mack (31-4, 17 KOs),headlining the”True Brit” event, which will air in the United States live from Capital FM Arena in Nottingham, United Kingdom.
“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 both cable and satellite pay-per-view via iN Demand, DIRECTV, DISH Network and Avail-TVN for a suggested retail price of only $29.95.
“True Brit” will also be available to view via Fight Now TV, America’s only 24-hour combat sports and entertainment channel, on Cablevision channel 464 as part of the iO Gold package.
Froch graciously answered a series of questions about Saturday’s fight against Mack:
Q. You’ve made many fans in the states over the past few years. How does it feel to have this fight airing live in the states?
Froch: “It’s always fantastic to be boxing on US TV. I’ve boxed in the States four times and I’ve always enjoyed myself there. My training camp was in Manhattan (New York City) before the Andre Ward fight. It was tough there because it was getting close to Christmas and it was insanely busy, but my morning run was always great, taking in the New York skyline as I was pounding the streets – incredible.
“I’ve always been well received by American boxing fans. They really know their stuff. I think that they appreciate that I am a good, honest fighter who never backs away from a challenge and always wants to fight the best. Too many fighters try to coast through their careers and don’t test themselves, so I’m glad I’ve had those fights in the States and they were great experiences. And there’s a good chance that there’s still a big fight for me over in America before I hang up the gloves.”
Q. You’ve had an unprecedented run against many of the world’s top fighters, starting with Pascal through your last against Bute. Can you remain as “up” fighting Mack who doesn’t have the same credentials as your last 8 opponents, particularly with a Bute rematch already slated?
Froch: “Absolutely. At this level, and as a World champion, there’s no second in a fight that you can let your guard down and you have to be at 100 percent. I have prepared as hard for this fight as I did for the previous eight world title fights, for my British title fights, for my Commonwealth title fights and for my debut back in 2002.
“If I come unstuck in this fight then everything I have achieved over the last few years will go to waste. People ask me about Lucian Bute, Andre Ward and Mikkel Kessler fights, so I answer their questions. It’s only natural for them to ask; they are fights people want to see, but believe me, I only have Yusaf Mack on my mind.”
Q. Does Mack remind you of any fighter you’ve already fought? What are his strengths?
Froch: “The best thing about this fight is that Yusaf is like nothing I’ve ever fought before and that’s what sport should be – a fresh challenge every time. He’s a natural light heavyweight who is dropping down, so he’s a puncher but also a nice boxer and a mover, too. You don’t get World title shots for no reason. He can more than handle himself in the ring and I know that I have to be completely focused on the fight as this guy is dangerous and he wants to shock the world of boxing by taking my belt, in my hometown.
“So, I’ve got to give this guy respect and take him very seriously because this is his world title fight, and his big opportunity to come over here and cause an upset. I know that he’s going to be training and running harder than ever for this. Whatever you’ve seen of him before, add 20 percent for this fight. I’ve got to be ready, and I will be.”
Q. He has been fighting as a light heavyweight. Is there any concern on your part about Mack possibly being the stronger man?
Froch: “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.
“He’ll be bringing that light heavyweight power down to super middle though, I know that. I have to be watchful of him every second that he’s in there. I have been sparring with Tony Bellew for this fight. He is a great sparring partner and a World champion in the making at light heavyweight. He has a tremendous dig on him and we have some great battles in sparring, so I don’t have any issues with whatever Yusaf Mack is going to bring to the table.”
Q. What type of fight do you expect this to be: war, chess match, etc.?
“I expect him to come at me with everything he’s got as he has nothing to lose and everything to gain. 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 goodnight. 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.”
Q. Any prediction?
“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. 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.”
Carl Froch’s recent media workout (photo by Lawrence Lustig)
Bellew (18-1, 12 KOs) faces South American champion Roberto Bolonti (30-1, 19 KOs) in the 12-round co-feature for the vacant World Boxing Council (WBC) Silver light heavyweight championship and an official WBC eliminator.
Go online to www.integratedsportsmedia.com, www.fightnow.com for more information about the “True Grit” PPV. Follow Integrated Sports on Twitter @integratedppv and Fight Now TV @fightnowtv.
About Integrated Sports Media: North America’s leading distributor of International Pay-Per-View and Closed Circuit sports events has presented World Championship and world-class boxing matches featuring Erik Morales, Vitali Klitschko, Ricky Hatton, Cristian Mijares, Evander Holyfield, Roy Jones, Jr., Tomasz Adamek, Ivan Calderon, Pauli Malignaggi, Rocky Martinez, Nicolai Valuev, Amir Khan, Marco Antonio Barrera, Arthur Abraham, David Haye, John Ruiz, Wilfredo Vasquez, Jr., Brian Viloria, Giovani Segura and Ruslan Chagaev. Also World Championship and world-class mixed martial arts shows featuring Fedor Emelianenko, Tim Sylvia, Bobby Lashley, Mirko Filipovic, Bob Sapp, Jeff Monson, and Roy Nelson. In addition, Integrated Sports Media distributed numerous International soccer matches featuring teams like Real Madrid,Club America of Mexico and the National Teams of Argentina, Honduras, El Salvador and the USA. For more information on upcoming Integrated Sports events visit www.integratedsportsnet.com.
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Founded by Channel Zero, Inc. and media entrepreneur Mike Garrow, FIGHT NOW TV launched last year as the first and only 24-hour-a-day, seven-days-a-week combat sports channel in the nation. The network’s mandate is to bring the best battles, fiercest fights and stunning knockouts to America. FIGHT NOW TV caters to fight fans of every genre, giving them a front row seat to compelling coverage of MMA, boxing, wrestling/grappling, Muay Thai, kickboxing and other combat sports. FIGHT NOW TV is the place for the best analysis, live and current events, documentaries and news coverage of the biggest PPV events and match-ups from around the globe.
As in September, I once again ran out of gas in the 10th & 11th championship rounds of October & November with this column, but I recovered to complete them and will unleash a few more flurries to close out the 12th and final round.
In the first week of October, Hassan N’Dam won a UD over Curtis Stevens in an eliminator for the right to challenge Jermaine Taylor who defeated aging Sam Soliman to regain the IBF Middleweight title. How Taylor even earned this title shot is another story altogether, but it is all irrelevant as he is now the champion. However he will not have too much time to savor his victory as he has assault and battery charges pending against him and an upcoming court fight that may turn out to be the toughest fight of his life, just when things started to look up for him in boxing, we wish him luck.
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