Jose is Ron the way to fame
THE COBRA STATS
understand it now. another lifetime ago.
“To answer the question, I would have to say, ‘No, I will not fight again.’
“But the fighter in me is still saying if (promoter) Eddie Hearn comes to me and says, ‘I’ve been on to Kessler, he wants the decider.’ F***ing hell, I’d have to look at it!”
Froch may not have got the plaudits for his career until his latter years in the ring but at least they came.
That night at Wembley was the perfect send-off for him. After a controversial TKO win in the first fight, he settled the dispute with
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JOSE DE SOUSA is known as ‘The Special One’ in darts.
And he wants to become Portugal’s greatest sportsman when Cristiano Ronaldo’s reign is over.
He dreams of his footballing hero coming to watch him play in the World Championship at Alexandra Palace.
But for now De Sousa (right) is happy to be a dangerous underdog in the PDC Home Tour, where he dropped only
BORN July 2, 1977, Nottingham
35 fights 33 wins
24 by knockout 2 defeats
■ First pro fight, March 16, 2002, beating Michael Pinnock at York Hall in London by TKO
■ Won English supermiddlewieght title in November 2003 against Alan Page
■ Won Commonwealth supermiddleweight crown against Charles Adamu in March 2004
■ Won vacant WBC supermiddleweight title against Jean Pascal by unanimous decision in December 2008
■ Lost WBC belt to Denmark’s Mikkel Kessler in April 2010
Groves on the biggest platform and opened the door for Hearn to use the national stadium for huge fights in the future.
That includes Anthony Joshua’s epic heavyweight duel with Wladimir Klitschko three years later.
It has become commonplace for Froch to be mocked on social media for bringing up the 80,000 fans so much but, like his work as a Sky Sports pundit, he doesn’t care if he upsets people.
“People laugh at the 80,000 because I told Floyd Mayweather when I was interviewing him before the Manny Pacquiao fight, which one leg in the competition’s first phase.
Tonight he takes on two-time Ally Pally semi-finalist Nathan Aspinall and Jamie Hughes, hoping his phone’s inbox will be full of messages.
He said: “It never stops after I win a game. It’s on fire. I would like to think I can be the biggest
■ Beat Arthur Abraham in Finland in November 2010 for vacant WBC crown
■ Lost the belt again to Andre Ward a year later in Atlantic City
■ Won the IBF supermiddleweight title from Lucian Bute in his hometown in May 2012
■ Added the WBA belt to the IBF one by beating Kessler in the rematch at the O2 Arena in May 2013
■ Beat George Groves in Manchester by TKO in November 2013
■ Ended his career with a devastating knockout punch at Wembley Stadium to beat Groves in the rematch on May 31, 2014
was comical,” added Froch. “But just think about it for a minute – 80,000 at a boxing match, me and George Groves.
“People will laugh and say, ‘Oh, talking about the 80,000 again.’ I will talk about it until the day I die.
“You have a look at that ring entrance, look at that event, look at that performance and you would be proud too.
“I should be shouting it from the rooftops and I will be until the day I die.
“It’s not the best fight of my career, but it’s one of the biggest nights of British boxing since the War. I was the catalyst.” sportsman in Portugal. Maybe I can have a better body than Ronaldo!
“I like football so much, especially from the time of Figo, Ronaldo and other great players. “It is amazing to be mentioned in social media, saying that I’m ‘the Ronaldo of darts’. “Maybe I can even be ‘The Special One’ like Jose Mourinho!”