Carl Froch is having none of the atmosphere in Saudi Arabia for some of the most significant events in the boxing calendar.
The former world champion, who once fought at Wembley in front of 80,000 people, responded to promoters Frank Warren and Eddie Hearn defending the crowds. During the recent June 1 heavyweight double in which Zhilei Zhang defeated Deontay Wilder and Daniel Dubois stopped Filip Hrgovic, the muted noise was noticeable and picked up on by some boxing personnel.
One of these was Froch, who hit back at some of the media who “The Cobra” alleges gained free tickets and are reluctant to be critical.
“I feel like I am the only one who will tell the truth and who addresses it,” said Froch on his podcast ‘Froch on Fighting.’ “Anybody else who is asked questions, they’re just s*** scared of losing their media accreditations, and they won’t get invited. So you ask the likes of the gad Gareth Davies what the atmosphere is like, and he says, “Yeah, it’s alright, it’s fine. I love it out here.” Of course, you do. You’re on the payroll.
“Even Jim White, I love Jim White, but he was asked about the atmosphere and said, “Oh, the atmosphere is fantastic. I don’t see the problem. [That’s because] Turki Alalshikn was on the channel the other day and invited him out there, and he was like, “Oh yes, Your Excellency. It’d be an honor to come out there and watch the fight. What’s that? Oh, business class flight? Oh, go on then. Champagne on arrival if I have to.” So what I’m saying is they feel obliged to be complimentary about the atmosphere because they are on the payroll.
🤫 @FrankWarren pipe down, the atmosphere is dreadful and I say it how it is. Fact 🫵🏼
📺 Full episode; https://t.co/BFJUm9XlR1#FrochonFighting #Boxing pic.twitter.com/0F9jFpQ3D4— Carl Froch MBE (@Carl_Froch) June 6, 2024
“But me, I’m not on the payroll so I’m not worried. I can just be honest. It’s all about Froch on Fighting and telling the truth. And my honesty and the fact that I’m not geared towards a certain agenda and I’m not trying to please anybody means that my honesty upsets certain people. That’s why Brick Top [Frank Warren] gets so annoyed.
“I’ve told you, Brick Top, get on the channel. Let’s have a face-to-face, not over the phone or over a Zoom call. Let’s get face-to-face and have a good old-fashioned, passionate, amicable debate,” added Froch.
Saudi Arabia will host its first event outside the Middle East on August 3 when Terence Crawford tops Los Angeles against Israil Madrimov. The fight will represent the first opportunity for many American fans to sample a Riyadh Season card. Detractors of Saudi Arabia hope that the vast majority of fans are from the US, meaning there shouldn’t be a problem with any crowd noise.
The views expressed in this article are the opinions of Phil Jay. Learn more, read all articles from the experienced boxing writer, and follow on Twitter @PhilJWBN.
