Froch’s Wembley memories

Anthony Joshua and Wladimir Klitschko are heading to Wembley, so who better to look back at an historic night than Carl Froch…

The venue

I had never been to Wembley when it was announced. But before the first fight up in Manchester I looked at Wembley every day! I was staying at the Hilton opposite the stadium because I was doing that dance programme. I remember American Football games and football matches happening but all I did was run round it trying to get fit. I was doing two laps a day and that was taking me 10 minutes. It was weird because that’s why I ended up back there for the second one. Wembley had a link from the very start. 

The press conference

I was quite calm and relaxed. I’d had some good sessions with Chris Marshall, the sports psychologist, so I knew I wasn’t going to get drawn in. I can remember my brother having a stare down with Groves and I remember him doing that Rubik’s Cube, of course. It took him about five minutes and I think the world record belonged to a 10-year-old who would’ve done it in about six seconds flat. 

The shove

As much as I wasn’t responding to his attempts to wind me up emotionally, I wasn’t going to have him whispering sweet nothings in my ear, or feel his breath on my earhole. I was still cool and calm but I gave him a shove and whether it counted or not, it gave me an edge because George didn’t respond. I think if he’d have done that to me, I’d have been rolling round on the famous turf.

The weigh-in 

That was good. Wembley Arena was packed and I remember being up on that stage, thoroughly enjoying it all. Thinking back to most of my other fights, there was always something bothering me in the build-up, even when it came to weigh-ins. But this one was different. It was fun.

The arrival

I’d always turned up about three-and-a-half hours before a fight but I wanted to arrive early for this one to watch Anthony Joshua fight. I can remember standing at the back underneath the stands and watching it and there was probably only 15,000-20,000 present then, but the noise of the crowd sounded like a Colosseum. When a roar went up I heard it but it just disappeared into the air, not bouncing off the roof or walls, very surreal. I just remember thinking: ‘this is a …

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