Boxing can deliver some truly amazing fights, but some mouthwatering match-ups ultimately never take place. And, of course, sometimes fighters hit their primes in different eras to what could have been brilliant rivals (such as, say, Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson) and the fight isn't ever a realistic option.
In this new creative series, the DAZN team will play fantasy matchmaker anyway and bring together two fighters who were the proverbial ships that passed in the night, or even a complete generational 'what if?' scenario, and attempt to play it out as realistically as possible with both boxers at their peak.
Of course, this means this is all for fun. But then, a 'what if?' in boxing can sometimes be as engaging as a very good real fight that takes place.
Episode one of this series will pit two former world champions against one another, as we wonder who would win between Carl Froch and Sergey Kovalev.
Carl Froch
After winning his first world title against Jean Pascal in a ferocious battle at the end of 2008, Carl Froch was a must-see attraction. Armed with an extensive amateur background, the Nottingham fighter often neglected his boxing skills as he participated in multiple explosive encounters against leading names such as Jermain Taylor, Mikkel Kessler, and George Groves.
It was in the aforementioned fights that Froch displayed the toughness that his entire career was built on. Trailing on the scorecards after being dropped and outclassed by Taylor, Froch produced a stunning last round to stop the Arkansas man with only seconds on the clock. It was a gutsy showing that impressed American audiences despite British networks shunning the fight.
Froch’s showing in the innovative World Series league brought him the only two defeats of his career as he was outfought against Kessler before being outclassed by Andre Ward. The tournament did bring notable wins over Andre Dirrell, Arthur Abraham, and Glen Johnson, but against two of the competition's better fighters, Froch fell short.
Despite not earning success in the competition, Froch wasn’t ready to give up on his dreams of becoming world champion again. In 2012, in front of an electric Nottingham Arena crowd, Froch served up the performance of his career as he battered Lucian Bute in five rounds to become world champion for a third time.
Victory over the feared Canadian was the platform for Froch to resume another memorable reign on top of the world that culminated in a thrilling two fight series with Groves. Down and out in the first round against the London fighter, Froch rallied to score a controversial stoppage later in the fight and the fury surrounding the decision from Howard Foster to halt matters led to the perfect swansong for Froch.
In front of 80,000 people at Wembley Stadium, Froch found the punch of his career to stop Groves in their eagerly anticipated encounter. The result was enough to bring satisfaction for Froch as he announced his retirement from boxing shortly afterwards. A superb career complete with world titles, high level fights, and a ton of brutal entertainment was sadly over.
Sergey Kovalev
An anonymous figure in the preliminary stages of his professional career, Sergey Kovalev built his ledger in random American cities as he aimed to build on the amateur success he had enjoyed whilst representing Russia. After placing his career in the trusted hands of Kathy Duva and Main Events, Kovalev was about to enjoy a stellar rise that would eventually occupy a lofty position on boxing’s mythical P4P list.
Arriving in Wales as something as an unknown figure in 2013, Kovalev justified the faith paced him by Duva as he bludgeoned Nathan Cleverly into defeat to become world champion. The following year, Kovalev added further glory to his rapidly growing reputation as he handed Bernard Hopkins the most vicious beating of his career with a 12-round mauling that also included a first-round knockdown.
Seeking the biggest challenges available, most notably a unification clash with Adonis Stevenson, Kovalev was often frustrated in his pursuit of further greatness. Defending his belts against the likes of Jean Pascal and Isaac Chilemba, Kovalev continued to look menacing but his place at the top of the 175lbs division was under threat due to the arrival of Andre Ward.
Over two memorable fights in 2016 and the following year, Kovalev and Ward were evenly matched until the Oakland man finally proved his dominance in the second meeting. In their original clash, Kovalev dropped Ward early and appeared to be the victor, but the three ringside judges saw things differently as Ward was handed the nod. He would make it 2-0 against the heavy-handed Russian seven months later with a controversial stoppage that saw Kovalev repeatedly hit below the belt.
With his ego massively bruised, Kovalev dusted himself off to become world champion again with victory over Vyacheslav Shabranskyy. He would trade wins with Eleider Alvarez before putting up a spirited effort against Canelo Alvarez before eventually being rescued in the penultimate round of their 2019 meeting. That remains Kovalev’s last fight with no sign of a comeback on the horizon.
Kovalev vs. Froch: Who would win?
Despite their top-level careers only crossing for a few months, a potential showdown between Froch and Kovalev, at light-heavyweight, could've been a real possibility in 2014. Froch had constantly been linked to fights above 168lbs and no stranger to seeking out the toughest opponents available, Kovalev would've provided him with the challenge his desire needed.
When picking a winner in this mouth-watering clash, it’s hard not to factor in Kovalev’s extra size and power when essentially taking on a smaller man, albeit an extremely durable one. Kovalev made a mockery of fighter’s so called ‘chins’ as he dented Hopkins, Pascal, and Ward with relevant ease, and with Froch hitting the floor against Taylor and Groves, boxers renowned for skill rather than power, there’s no doubt the Russian could put Froch on the floor.
Keeping Froch grounded could be a problem and that’s where Kovalev might unravel. Despite demonstrating signs he could box with opponents as well as hurt them, Kovalev’s effectiveness in later rounds did suffer if a fighter managed to take his power. Froch was renowned for taking his opponents to a place they might not like and as he proved against Taylor, he’s got no problem taking out a tiring fighter in the later rounds.
The DAZN prediction
For all Froch’s machismo, the most admirable trait he possessed, he was too easy to hit. Kovalev found the target often against some of the sport’s most masterful boxers and he would have no issue scoring shots against Froch. Those frequent attacks would give Kovalev a handy lead on the scorecards and after adding in a knockdown or too, ‘Krusher’ would celebrate a wide points victory at the end of 12 rounds.