Carl Froch wins WBC super middleweight title

Published Nov. 28, 2010 1:59 a.m. ET

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Carl Froch of Britain unanimously outpointed Arthur Abraham of Germany in 12 rounds Saturday night to take the vacant WBC super middleweight title.

Two judges scored it 120-108 and the third had it 120-109.

The 33-year-old Froch improved to 27-1. The Armenian-born Abraham dropped to 31-2.

The two men met in the ring for the first time in stage three of the Super Six World Boxing Classic.

Froch rebounded after losing to Denmark's Mikkel Kessler in April in his last fight. The 6-foot-1 Froch used his superior reach, height and technical prowess to hold off Abraham and landed several good series of punches.

''This ranks up there with my best performances,'' Froch said. ''I had a long training camp with a variety of sparring and we tried to emulate the style of Abraham a bit. Now we were able to execute the game plan.''

After a cautious start, Abraham picked up in the second round but managed only to attack in spurts.

In the sixth round, two blows from Froch seemed to connect forcing Abraham down but U.S. referee Frank Garza ruled it as a slip.

Froch hammered Abraham - on the ropes - in the eighth. The German had almost come to a standstill by the 11th but made a desperate attack for a knockout in the last round. Froch was unfazed and took the title home.

''I wanted to hit him. I tried but I could not do it,'' Abraham said. ''Nothing more to say.''

The tournament in the 168-pound class has five boxers with Andre Ward of the United States leading with six points. Froch has four points, while Abraham and Glen Johnson of the United States each have three. U.S fighter Allan Green has zero points.

Johnson was added to the Super Six after Kessler withdrew in April due to an eye injury. He will meet Froch in the semifinal, with Abraham taking on Ward.

''I have to take one fight at a time, then it's the final. Johnson seems to be a puncher,'' Froch said. ''I came here trying to preserve myself physically. I'm 33 and have two or three years left at this level.''