It's a long way from Nottingham to Atlantic City in New Jersey. Carl Froch must therefore have felt particularly far from home yesterday after spending twelve gruelling rounds in the ring with the American boxer, Andre Ward. A unanimous points decision gave Ward the victory and with it Froch's WBC belt.(1)
This is the 34-year-old's second defeat of his illustrious boxing career and, to quote BBC Radio Nottingham's Robin Chipperfield, "[it] is unclear where Froch goes from here."(2)
Well, one place Carl Froch might go is Nottingham Trent University. He'd make a great guest speaker for my History students. At least, that is, if Wikipedia is to be believed. His encyclopedia entry contains the following memorable sentence:
"Froch is an avid fan of Johnny Cash and is also a keen historian with regards to combat."(3)
The Nottingham-born boxer would be able to provide an interesting confirmation of why History matters. Surely all good boxers would benefit from a degree in the subject? And, speaking more generally, "every shot fired [has] an echo".(4) This means that, in order to reach a proper understanding of any present-day conflict, we need to know our military history.
So, now that his career as a fighter is drawing to an end, perhaps Carl Froch could reinvent himself as an academic historian with a sideline in the history of popular music? A good starting point for a Froch lecture would be Johnny Cash's "The Big Battle" (1962):
I see sir the battle's not over; the battle has only begun
[...]
The battle will rage in the bosom of mother and sweetheart and wife
Brother and sister and daughter will grieve for the rest of their lives
[...]
For though there's no sound of the cannon and though there's no smoke in the sky
I'm dropping the gun and the sabre and ready for battle am I. (5)
In addition, Froch's professional achievements to date would surely make him a potential candidate for an honorary degree from Nottingham Trent University? After all, he's a local lad who has made a global impact in his chosen field. One day there will be plaques indicating where he lived and sparred. Perhaps he'll even be honoured with a statue adjacent to Brian Clough in Nottingham city centre?
As time passes, of course, the sportsman's name will start to become a distant memory. Which is why we need future combat historians to tell us all about Carl "The Cobra" Froch and the place he occupies in boxing history.
____
Notes
(1) Anon, "Carl Froch 'bitterly disappointed' by defeat to Andre Ward", Telegraph, 18/12/2011, accessed 18/12/2011 at, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/boxing/8964028/Carl-Froch-bitterly-disappointed-by-defeat-to-Andre-Ward.html.
(2) Robin Chipperfield, "BBC man on Carl Froch-watch", BBC News, 18/12/2011, accessed 18/12/2011 at, http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/boxing/16236412.stm.
(3) "Carl Froch", accessed 18/12/2011 at, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Froch.
(4) Johnny Cash, "The Big Battle", Ring of Fire: The Best of Johnny Cash (Columbia, 1963).
(5) Cf. John McCrae's famous poem In Flanders Fields (1915):
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
This is the 34-year-old's second defeat of his illustrious boxing career and, to quote BBC Radio Nottingham's Robin Chipperfield, "[it] is unclear where Froch goes from here."(2)
Well, one place Carl Froch might go is Nottingham Trent University. He'd make a great guest speaker for my History students. At least, that is, if Wikipedia is to be believed. His encyclopedia entry contains the following memorable sentence:
"Froch is an avid fan of Johnny Cash and is also a keen historian with regards to combat."(3)
The Nottingham-born boxer would be able to provide an interesting confirmation of why History matters. Surely all good boxers would benefit from a degree in the subject? And, speaking more generally, "every shot fired [has] an echo".(4) This means that, in order to reach a proper understanding of any present-day conflict, we need to know our military history.
So, now that his career as a fighter is drawing to an end, perhaps Carl Froch could reinvent himself as an academic historian with a sideline in the history of popular music? A good starting point for a Froch lecture would be Johnny Cash's "The Big Battle" (1962):
I see sir the battle's not over; the battle has only begun
[...]
The battle will rage in the bosom of mother and sweetheart and wife
Brother and sister and daughter will grieve for the rest of their lives
[...]
For though there's no sound of the cannon and though there's no smoke in the sky
I'm dropping the gun and the sabre and ready for battle am I. (5)
In addition, Froch's professional achievements to date would surely make him a potential candidate for an honorary degree from Nottingham Trent University? After all, he's a local lad who has made a global impact in his chosen field. One day there will be plaques indicating where he lived and sparred. Perhaps he'll even be honoured with a statue adjacent to Brian Clough in Nottingham city centre?
As time passes, of course, the sportsman's name will start to become a distant memory. Which is why we need future combat historians to tell us all about Carl "The Cobra" Froch and the place he occupies in boxing history.
____
Notes
(1) Anon, "Carl Froch 'bitterly disappointed' by defeat to Andre Ward", Telegraph, 18/12/2011, accessed 18/12/2011 at, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/boxing/8964028/Carl-Froch-bitterly-disappointed-by-defeat-to-Andre-Ward.html.
(2) Robin Chipperfield, "BBC man on Carl Froch-watch", BBC News, 18/12/2011, accessed 18/12/2011 at, http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/boxing/16236412.stm.
(3) "Carl Froch", accessed 18/12/2011 at, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Froch.
(4) Johnny Cash, "The Big Battle", Ring of Fire: The Best of Johnny Cash (Columbia, 1963).
(5) Cf. John McCrae's famous poem In Flanders Fields (1915):
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
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