Betting tips / Ralph Ellis / 14 December 2011 / Leave a comment Bet Now View Market

After Amir Khan's failure last weekend, experienced British boxer Carl Froch will come up against a tough foe in a foreign land, but Ralph Ellis sees the hardnut from Nottingham being focused on the 12 rounds in front of him and nothing more.

What a delight, in the midst of a round of refereeing rows in other sports, to see Amir Khan's mature reaction to his own controversial defeat to Lamont Peterson in the early hours of Sunday morning.

While his immediate reaction - with the adrenaline still pumping - was one of bitter disappointment, the Bolton man has decided against an official complaint.

Khan really could claim to have been robbed, deducted two points in a fight in Washington, against a Washington fighter, by a referee who has hardly ever taken charge of a fight outside of Washington. And one of the judge's cards had been clearly altered to take a vital round away from him.

But Khan has vetoed any attempts by his camp to lodge an appeal. If he's going to get his world light welterweight titles back then he plans to do it the right way, in the ring. "There's not much point in appealing - better I make my point in the rematch," he said. "It's how you come back from something that matters. I changed and improved after I was knocked out by Breidis Prescott and this is another wake-up call."

The plans for an immediate rematch with Peterson - likely to be in Las Vegas on March 31 - will destroy any hope that Sheffield's Kell Brook was nursing of an all-British light welterweight world title fight early in 2012. Brook has his own first taste of fighting in America this weekend on the undercard of Carl Froch's Super Six final against Andre Ward.

Froch will hopefully have been watching the Khan fight closely. He shouldn't need to be told that, to beat an American in America, you're normally best to knock the guy out rather than trust the judges. After all he thrashed Glen Johnson in Atlantic City but one of the judges scored it a draw; and he also was way ahead when he beat Andre Dirrell but one judge said he'd lost the fight.

Thankfully Froch is of the same sanguine stock as Khan and knows that in boxing, away wins come at a much higher price. While Khan couldn't deal with Peterson's brawling style, Froch is far more experienced and streetwise. If the going gets rough, he'll get going with it and do what he has to do.

It's why backing Froch at [3.85] has to be fantastic value. He started the Super Six tournament as a big outsider and has fought his way to the final. He won't stop scrapping now - and, like Khan, if he doesn't make it all the way to the unified titles he'll blame nobody but himself.

Five things you might not know about Kell Brook

1. Born May 1986 in Sheffield, his proper name is Ezekiel

2. He was hyperactive as a child and at the age of nine his dad Terry, a property developer, took him to the boxing gym to try to work out some energy

3. He beat Nathan Cleverly by one vote to be named the 2009 Young British Boxer of the Year.

4. He switched to Barry Hearn's stable after a fall out with former manager Frank Warren over several incidents in his private life - they included a conviction for assault which was subsequently overturned on appeal.

5. His training routine: "Up at six, do a circuit. Return to the gym at 11 to do my pads and bags. Come back again around four to do my shadow, sparring and sit-ups. On Tuesdays and Thursdays I also do weights."