Carl Froch harbored feelings of apprehension before defending his world super-middleweight title on American soil against former unified champion Jermain Taylor.
Froch began his life as a WBC champion with a thrilling final round win over Taylor in Connecticut in April 2009 as part of the Super Six series.
Also involved in the tournament were Mikkel Kessler, Arthur Abraham, Glen Johnson, and Andre Ward.
Discussing his second foray into the US market, Froch admits he wasn’t the confident figure he’s known for today.
“I enjoyed being on the road. When we boxed for England we were going to hostile environments and fighting top fighters back-to-back in nations tournaments, but I was always a nervous fighter. So, when I defended my title against Jermain Taylor in Connecticut, I was nervous about it all,” revealed Froch to Chris Algieri on The Rounds.
“Not so much boxing abroad, but more that it was Taylor, a former undisputed Middleweight World champion.
JERMAIN TAYLOR
“I saw him (Jermain Taylor) get out of this limousine for the press conference in NYC and he just looked like the don, he had this nice suit on and looked crisp and clean.
“I was just there with a hoodie and t-shirt and I was thinking ‘do I belong here?’
“It was quite a daunting thing for me. I was always quite nervous and apprehensive as a fighter, I was unsure of myself. And I was a new World champion and making my first defense.
“I didn’t really know if I belonged at that World level. Here I was fighting Taylor in America.
“I look back at that fight now and think how naive I was at that level. I just had to put all my trust in Rob McCracken. Also my fitness, my refusal to quit, and my competitive nature.
“I like to win,” he added.
Froch would stop Taylor in the twelfth round of a dramatic contest. ‘The Cobra’ was behind of the scorecards when halting ‘Bad Intentions’ with fourteen seconds to go.
Eventually making the final, Froch lost to the formidable Andre Ward, who was just too good for him.
