Sakio Bika has closed out the year by calling out Carl Froch, saying the two should get in on in an IBF-WBA-WBC unification fight in Las Vegas next year. Thus far, Froch has expressed no interest in fighting Bika, but he should, and here are five reasons why.
1. Andre Ward Rematch Ain’t Likely Nor Smart. Topping the Cobra’s list of preferred opponents is divisional top dog Andre Ward, but it’s hard to see why. Sure, Froch would like to avenge his loss to Ward, as any gladiator would, but a repeat of Ward’s lopsided points victory is far more likely than Froch scoring revenge should that come to pass. For his part, Ward shows little interest in whomping Froch again. Finally, while Ward vs. Froch II is probably Froch’s most lucrative fight option, that is only by a matter of degree, and the extra money just isn’t worth a second bad defeat.
2. Gennady Golovkin Doesn’t Want Froch. Number two on Froch’s list of preferred opponents is Gennady Golovkin, but that doesn’t mean GGG wants the Cobra. Golovkin has expressed slight interest in moving up to 168 lbs, let alone in fighting the division’s most rugged boxer-puncher. Like Ward, Golovkin would be a big money opponent, but Froch would be the (possibly slight) favorite. Yet Golovkin isn’t nibbling, so this match-up looks unlikely.
3. Stylistically, Sakio Bika is a great opponent for Froch. Bika is one of the most avoided fighters in the sport because he is tough as nails, awkward, and sometimes dirty. Fighting him is like mixing it up with a mincer, and hardly anyone looks good in the ring with him, but Froch just might. In Bika, Froch might just have the perfect foil for every leg of his boxing stool: 1) Punching; 2) Boxing off a piledriver jab; 3) Rough-housing. The fight should be very entertaining, and it’s one Froch can win.
4. It’s a three-belt unification fight. If Froch beats Bika, he walks away as the IBF-WBA-WBC champion. Well, technically Andre Ward is the real WBA champ and Froch is the “regular” (fake) champ, but being even the fake champ means something when you have two extra belts. Having those extra belts sweetens the pot for a rematch with Ward, since Ward can realistically claim to be the Undisputed World Champion if he lifts Froch’s titles (who cares about Robert Stieglitz’s pretensions?). If Ward moves up to light heavyweight, Froch becomes Undisputed World Champion by default.
5. Froch would be in the promotional driver’s seat. Ward and Golovkin are unlikely to offer Froch better than 50-50, but against Bika Froch can not only claim a bigger share of the pot, he can also put the fight on his home ground. Bika suggested Vegas, but he is an Australian citizen and Froch is a Briton. The promotional logic there dictates a showdown on British soil, and as the clear big name in the mix, Froch can demand and get the biggest cut of the action.
