EXCLUSIVE Carl Froch sets deadline for retirement

Carl Froch

CARL FROCH onโ€ฆ When he may return
I think August, September would be a good time and that could almost be a cut-off time for me. If something donโ€™t happen by then Iโ€™ll seriously consider calling it a day. If I lost a decision against someone I really should be beating, itโ€™d be awful to have to keep boxing on to try to prove something. Iโ€™m in a fantastic position, very, very content, very satisfied and unbelievably happy with what Iโ€™ve achieved in my career, so Iโ€™m just in a brilliant place.

CARL FROCH onโ€ฆ his time away from boxing
Iโ€™ve got a great team around me, thereโ€™s no pressure off [trainer] Robert McCracken, Eddie Hearnโ€™s not bothered either way โ€“ if I fight on, if I retire โ€“ so Iโ€™ll sit back and see what opens up. Iโ€™m keeping myself in great shape. The rest is doing me good, my elbows and arms have never felt so good. A lot of boxers get dodgy elbows and mine played up in training for the potential Chavez fight in March which obviously I pulled out of because of injury to my right elbow. All my aches and pains in my joints feel like theyโ€™ve had a long-overdue rest. If I do decide to fight again, itโ€™ll be interesting to see how I respond in camp, training-wise. I could feel unbelievably fantastic physically or like, โ€˜Bloody hell, this is hard work.โ€™ I think Iโ€™ll feel great if I do start back up. Iโ€™m ticking over now but Iโ€™m talking about being in the boxing gym, sparring decent fighters and really putting myself through the strength and conditioning. I think the restโ€™s probably done me more good than harm.

CARL FROCH onโ€ฆ Andrzej Fonfara beating targeted opponent Julio Cesar Chavez Jnr
Fonfaraโ€™s not going to get big credit for beating Chavez, because people will say he was out of his weight division, heโ€™s not really set the world alight a middleweight anyway, so youโ€™re not proving a great deal by beating him, but it was still a great, intriguing match-up for me and it would have certainly got me motivated, fighting in Vegas. But you canโ€™t go through life looking in hindsight โ€“ what if heโ€™d won? What if Iโ€™d fought him in March? โ€“ but I really couldnโ€™t care less.

CARL FROCH onโ€ฆ James DeGale-Andre Dirrell on April 23
DeGaleโ€™s more skilful than brutal. Olympic gold medallist, skilful, fast hands, not a massive puncher, tough enough. If heโ€™s going to sit back on ropes, especially against someone like me, heโ€™s going to get hit hard and often, you canโ€™t soak up them kind of shots. You worry for DeGale, if heโ€™s prepared to sit there and tough it out at the top level, he might just get wiped out. But Iโ€™m not sure Dirrellโ€™s going to do that. Heโ€™ll try a tactical, skilful boxing mission. Itโ€™s a really, really interesting fight that, the first test for DeGale and if he comes through heโ€™s definitely arrived.

CARL FROCH onโ€ฆ partner Rachael and their family
Sheโ€™s five months pregnant now, due in September. We just missed the school year; Iโ€™m gutted. We have a boy, Rocco, and a girl, Natalia, so this time weโ€™re going to have a surprise, thereโ€™s not many things in life you can have surprises with.

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