Meet Me in Monaco: Carl Froch Gets Arthur Abraham by the Mediterranean

Carl Froch has finally found a locale for his Super Six bout with Arthur Abraham that fails to give him the screaming meemies. After holding the tournament hostage for weeks, Froch recently agreed to face Abraham in the Principality of Monaco. Now that Froch has had his nerves soothed, he is back to talking like an extra from “Get Carter.” “Make no mistake about it,” he said last week, “I fully appreciate the threat that Abraham presents to me in this fight. Whenever two warriors go into battle there will be bloodshed. But there will be only one victor in Monaco and that will be the Cobra.”

Given his paranoia and persecutionmania, perhaps Froch would feel more comfortable swapping blows with Abraham in the corridors of Broadmoor or Carstairs. Froch seems traumatized by his points loss to Mikkel Kessler in Denmark last April. Everyone loses a close decision now and then, but where most saw a nip-and-tuck affair, Froch saw crop circles, flying saucers, and little green men out of the corner of his eye. Rumors were aswirl that Froch would be in touch with Interpol if the fight landed anywhere but in his lounge or on his terrace in Nottingham. More and more Froch kvetched until, finally, even the entrenched overlord of boxing—money—was toppled. A fantastic gate in Germany was sacrificed so that Froch would rise from the sulks, abandon his thumbsucking routine, and cease threatening the stability of the World Boxing Classic.

Consequently, Froch may have adversely affected the bottom line of the promotion with his suspicions.

Froch-Abraham, alas, will not even take place in Monte Carlo, depriving Showtime blow-by-blow announcer Gus Johnson of half-baked allusions to “Never Say Never Again” or The Grand Prix. No, it will take place in Fontvieille, a district with a population estimated to be around 3,000. Monaco itself has only about 35,000 residents, which means that Manny Pacquiao drew more folks to his fight with Joshua Clottey at Dallas Cowboys Stadium than there are people in all of Monaco. In fact, barring Vatican City, Monaco is the smallest country in the world. And this is where the only all-European fight thus far in the Super Six will land on October 2nd, in a rainy month sans the throngs of tourists to be found during summer hours.

It remains to be seen whether a site fee was negotiated somewhere along the way, but, if so, it can hardly match what box office receipts would bring in Berlin.

Monaco has not hosted a prizefight in nearly four years. Its last major bout took place in 1994 when Anaclet Wamba and Adolpho Washington labored to a draw for some cruiserweight Gyricon title or other. Only ten cards have been held there in the last 20 years, and not a single distinguished professional fighter has ever emerged from Monaco. Even with its reputation as a tax sanctuary and a sporting town, it’s difficult to imagine thousands of Monegasques, or, more importantly, Monacoians, turning out to see a pursuit long since forgotten by Formula 1 enthusiasts and Omaha/8 players.

Nor is it a sure thing that Britons, Armenians, or Germans will follow their heroes en masse to Nice Côte d’Azur Airport, where they will board a helicopter to Monaco.

But two things regarding this Group Stage III bout are certain; first, that Froch-Abraham will be the best fight of the Super Six, and, second, Mikkel Kessler, who lives in Monaco, will be one spectator guaranteed to be at ringside. His ticket, however, will be complimentary.

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