Carl Froch has given his final say on the anticipated heavyweight clash at Wembley between Oleksandr Usyk and Daniel Dubois.
Other icons of the game are having their say, with one even putting their money where their mouth is in Canelo Alvarez, who has put a $500k bet on Usyk.
Oleksandr Usyk is being backed by those in the industry for his experience and skills over the heavy hands of ‘Dynamite’ Dubois.
While the Ukrainian has been laser-focused on his British adversary, his former opponent, Tyson Fury, has been outspoken on his losses, which Froch blasted on social media.
Carl Froch believes Oleksandr Usyk is too good for Daniel Dubois to beat
The former super middleweight champion has not been shy in his praise for Usyk, and while many in the domestic boxing circuit are backing their fellow countryman, the Nottingham fighter has gone with the 38-year-old to do the business.
While previewing the fight for his channel, he said: “That being said, I think that’s the way Daniel Dubois can win the fight, stick it on Usyk, hopefully catch him, hopefully he’ll tire him out and get to him and make an old man of him.
“(Usyk) He never really gets hit flush, clean with shots that he doesn’t see coming because he is that good, he is a world-class top operator, similar to Vasiliy Lomachenko.
“So I don’t think Daniel Dubois will catch Usyk with a big, heavy knock-out blow, this is the difference… I just think it is going to go the distance or maybe a late stoppage for Usyk.”
‘The Cobra’ gave a blunt assessment of DDD’s chances of being able to catch the slick Olympian.
He said: “I don’t think he will be good enough, I don’t think he’s got the pedigree, I don’t think he’s got the skills, I don’t think he will land a shot that Usyk won’t see coming.”
Carl Froch explains landing the brutal KO shot to George Groves at Wembley, ‘probably the best ever’
If any boxing fan knows something about Froch, it is that he has boxed in front of 80,000 people at Wembley Stadium – something he is proud to bring up at any opportunity.
And no wonder, as it was one of the finest nights in his career when he knocked out George Groves in the eighth round to conclude their incredible rivalry.
The knockout lives long in the memory of British boxing fans and speaking to Andy Clarke for his book ‘The Knockout’ he explained the feelings of that shot.
He said: “As soon as it hit him, I remember feeling go down my shoulder and thinking ‘F- – – ing hell, I caught him sweet, right on the chin’.
“I saw him drop and I thought, ‘F- – – ing hell, that’s a great shot, probably the best shot I ever landed’.”
When he was in the ring, his mindset was only on the fight and when he saw Groves was down he was still thinking of the finish.
Froch said: “F- – – ing hell, if he gets up from that I’m in for a big finish here and it’ll look great, I wasn’t thinking, ‘Stay down,’ I was just thinking ‘Keep cool’.
“When I saw the ref wave it off I just thought, ‘Game over.’ I wasn’t thinking too much, I didn’t get too emotional, I was that much in the zone, it was just seek and destroy.”
This mindset will have to be adopted by Dubois if he has any chance of beating Usyk in the stadium in front of the nation.