Carl Froch is among the latest 10 members who were inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame on Wednesday.
The Nottingham fighter was among the top super-middleweights of his era, holding the WBC, WBA and IBF versions of the world title during a 12-year professional career in which he compiled a 33-2 (24) record.
Froch won his first world title against Jean Pascal in 2008 and excelled with a thrilling last-minute win over Jermain Taylor the following year. His only losses were to unbeaten Andre Ward in the finals of a tournament for a 168-pound title, and to Mikkel Kessler – a defeat he later avenged in 2013 to give him two belts in the division.
He brought the curtain down on his career in a memorable two-fight rivalry with George Groves, which saw Froch win their first bout via a ninth-round stoppage and culminated in him stopping Groves with an epic one-punch finish in the eighth round at Wembley Stadium in June 2014.
“Boxing is the best sport in the world,” Froch, whose post-fight career has included working for Sky Sports, said. “It tests everything in a man and a woman.
“The mentality, discipline, grit, determination, heart, desire, everything is all in that ring and it is just you on your own with your opponent.”
Two-division champions Timothy Bradley Jr and Rafael Marquez, whose exciting styles earned both ‘Fight of the Year’ honours, were both inducted into the Hall of Fame along with Froch as well.
Inducted from the women’s modern category were Laura Serrano, Mexico’s first female boxing champion and the first women’s boxing Hall of Famer, and Alicia Ashley, a Jamaican who became the oldest woman to win a title at 48 and boxed until she was 50.
Brad Goodman, Top Rank’s matchmaker for nearly four decades, and Brad Jacobs, the promotional company’s chief operating officer since 2010, were selected in the non-participant category along with long-time trainer and broadcaster Joe Goossen.
American boxing commentator Tim Ryan and former HBO television executive Seth Abraham were inducted in the observer category, while Tiger Jack Johnson, Pone Kingpetch and women’s trailblazer JoAnn Hagen were inducted posthumously.
The inductees were selected by vote of the Boxing Writers’ Association of America.
