Carl Froch, the former WBC super-middleweight champion, has let slip a surprising detail about his sparring sessions. The boxer, known for his rock-solid chin, revealed that Tony Bellew was the only man to ever knock him down during training.
Froch, nicknamed "The Cobra," built his career on being a strong, come-forward fighter. He packed a big punch for his weight and often relied on his ability to take shots to land his own. His famous granite chin helped him weather many storms in the ring.
One of Froch's most memorable fights came in April 2009 against Jermain Taylor at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Connecticut. In that bout, Froch tasted canvas for the first time in his professional career, going down in the third round. But he showed his grit by staging a dramatic comeback. With just 14 seconds left in the 12th round, Froch knocked Taylor down, leading to a referee stoppage with only 6 seconds remaining on the clock.
Froch capped off his career in style in 2013, scoring a one-punch knockout victory over his great rival George Groves in front of 80,000 fans at Wembley Stadium.
Despite his reputation for durability, Froch recently shared a surprising revelation during an interview with Stephen Hendry's Cue Tips. He admitted that Tony Bellew, a bigger and heavier sparring partner, managed to drop him during a training session.
"When I used to spar Tony Bellew, I was trying to f****** knock him out 'cause I knew he was trying to knock me out. He's bigger than me, he's 14 stone, I'm 12 stone, so he's a bully as well. He's a big strong **** and he can punch hard. He's the only man to ever drop me in sparring. I got up, carried on, gave him as good as I got, but it was good for me to be involved in hard competitive spars."
Froch's candid admission sheds light on the intensity of their sparring sessions. Despite the two-stone weight difference, with Bellew at 14 stone (196 lbs) and Froch at 12 stone (168 lbs), the sessions were fiercely competitive. Froch emphasized that he got right back up and continued sparring, giving as good as he got.
The story serves as a testament to both Bellew's punching power and Froch's resilience. It also gives fans a glimpse into the grueling nature of sparring sessions between top-level boxers, where the line between training and competition often blurs.
