Carl Froch says he thought it was “a sell-out” when he was first told he was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
The 45-year-old former four-time world super middleweight champion retired in 2015 with 33 wins in 35 fights – a record that included 24 knockout wins.
Froch hung up his gloves with the WBA and IBF belts still in his possession.
“Anyone who wants to call me a has-been must now realize that I am a legend, a living legend,” Froch said.
“I’m not fat. When you look at my career and my resume, if I say so myself, it massively stands out among the best of the best in world boxing.
“I never got the stamp of approval, this rubber stamp that I have now.
“Being inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame puts my name up there with the likes of Sugar Ray Leonard, Roberto Duran, Thomas Hearns, Marvin Hagler – the fighters of the late 70s and early 80s that I admired so much and grew up watching.
“To join the Hall of Famers, the best fighters to ever walk the earth, and my name to be with theirs, is just awesome.”
“Join All the Big Boys”
Froch, better known in the ring as ‘The Cobra’, admits he has to ‘pinch himself’ when talking about the honor, which will see him and other members of ‘the class of 2023’ officially be inducted into the Hall of Fame at a gala in New York in June.
“When I got the phone call to say I was going to be inducted, I thought it was a sell-out,” Froch said. BBC East Midlands Today.
“I slowly realized it was the time of year they were doing it and I had been on the shortlist for a few years and hadn’t quite made it.
“I wasn’t sure, this guy has an American accent and he’s talking about Canastota[New York]so I thought ‘this is genuine’.[NewYork)thenIthought’thisisgenuine'[NewYork)thenIthought’thisisgenuine’
“It was amazing to have the conversation and to have confirmation that I was joining all the big boys.”
The Nottingham fighter then makes a phone call to his friend Lennox Lewis, the former three-time world heavyweight champion.
“I called him and told him I would join him in the Hall of Fame,” Froch said.
“It means a lot. It’s huge.”
