Carl Froch rates Kell Brook and Tyson Fury in his pound-for-pound list but who's No 1?

Do you agree with The Cobra?

By Carl Froch, Boxing Expert & Columnist @Carl_Froch

Carl Froch picks his top five pound for pound fighters in Britain.

Undefeated world champions Kell Brook and Tyson Fury are the very best fighters that Britain has to offer, according to Carl Froch's pound-for-pound top five.

But there can only be one king. And Sky Sports expert Froch, the former world super-middleweight champion, has some bad news for Anthony Joshua, James DeGale and Scott Quigg, who haven't been included in the top five.

Read on for The Cobra's best British boxers...

5. Carl Frampton

Carl Frampton: The stats

  • IBF super-bantamweight champion
  • WBA super-bantamweight champion
  • Record: 22-0 KO14
  • Key win: Scott Quigg via SD, Feb 2016

Having proved to be the best domestic super-bantamweight by defeating Scott Quigg last month, Frampton has also earned a spot in Froch's top five. Settling years of debate inside the ring will do that for you.

Still undefeated after 22 fights, Frampton's stock will continue to rise according to the Sky Sports expert. "We saw his last fight against Quigg, he wasn't at his best, but still good enough to win," Froch said.

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Watch how Carl Frampton v Scott Quigg unfolded

"I think he'll go on to become an improved boxer and dominate on the world level in his weight division for a couple of years to come."

To live up to Froch's bold proclamations, Frampton must have pound-for-pound kings Guillermo Rigondeaux and Leo Santa Cruz in his sights. Proving his superiority to those South Americans would be a comparable achievement to any of Froch's other top five.

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I think he'll go on to become an improved boxer and dominate on the world level in his weight division for a couple of years to come.
Carl Froch on Carl Frampton

4. Amir Khan

Amir Khan: The stats

  • Former WBA light-welterweight champion
  • Former IBF light-welterweight champion
  • Record: 31-3 KO19
  • Key win: Zab Judah via KO, July 2011

"We know all about Amir Khan," said Froch. "He's going over to Canelo [Alvarez] now trying to step up in weight." A victory for the Bolton boxer against the big-punching Mexican would justify his decision to remain Stateside but a clash with Kell Brook still looms.

We've seen Khan lose three times but he is a two-time former world champion and could argue his accolades warrant a higher spot on Froch's list. Khan would leave Froch with little choice should he progress past Alvarez and into an all-British welterweight collision with Brook.

Ringside Rewind: Amir Khan defeated Mexican legend Marco Antonio Barrera in 2009

The Olympic silver medal winner has Paulie Malignaggi, Marcos Maidana and Marco Antonio Barrera on his resume and has unquestionably done more than any other major boxer to fly the British flag proudly in the United States, forging a home-away-from-home in Las Vegas.

3. Lee Selby

Lee Selby: The stats

  • IBF featherweight champion
  • Record: 22-1 KO8
  • Key win: Evgeny Gradovich via TD, May 2015

Like Brook, Selby holds IBF honours and has already began a new chapter of his career by winning his first fight in the United States back in October. A near-perfect resume is somewhat spoiled by defeat in just his fifth pro bout, but that remains a distant memory for the Barry Town boxer who has drawn unlikely comparisons with the great Floyd Mayweather.

"He's a box of tricks, he's like a little magician in the ring," Froch said. "The stuff he can do, talent-wise and pound-for-pound, he's got to be up there."

A look at Welsh wizard Lee Selby ahead of his featherweight fight against Eric Hunter

Selby will make the second defence of his featherweight gold on Anthony Joshua's undercard, live on Sky Sports Box Office on April 9, so keep an eye on the Welshman that Froch rates as Britain's third-best boxer.

He's a box of tricks, he's like a little magician in the ring.
Carl Froch on Lee Selby

2. Kell Brook

Kell Brook: The stats

  • IBF welterweight champion
  • Record: 36-0 KO25
  • Key win: Shawn Porter via MD, August 2014

A second-round stoppage of Kevin Bizier isn't enough to command the top spot, but interestingly Froch rates Brook two places above welterweight rival Khan. There's only one way to settle this…

"Talent-wise and skill-wise, he's phenomenal," Froch said. "But he's not proved it in those top-level fights that we need to see. He did what he needed to do to stay at No 2 and tap on the door to No 1."

Highlights as Kell Brook thrashed Kevin Bizier in two rounds

The journey into pound-for-pound territory began in 2014 when Brook ripped the IBF title away from Shawn Porter in the champion's backyard. A rugged decision victory in California has been followed by three routine defences but, as Froch said, Brook can only improve his No 2 spot on this list by toppling a big name.

The Sheffield man has already bandied about the names of Manny Pacquiao, Miguel Cotto and Timothy Bradley, and claiming one of those scalps would sky-rocket Brook into world pound-for-pound conversations.

1. Tyson Fury

Tyson Fury: The stats

  • WBA 'Super' & WBO heavyweight champion
  • Former IBF heavyweight champion
  • Record: 25-0 KO18
  • Key win: Wladimir Klitschko via UD, Nov 2015

Funny how a 36-minute spell can transform your standing in the sport. At the opening bell of November's world heavyweight championship fight against Wladimir Klitschko, Fury was merely another underdog heading into the champion's territory.

Twelve expertly boxed rounds later, Fury owned boxing's most prestigious titles having completed the job, the hardest possible way. No other British boxer has a CV boasting a win over anybody of Klitschko's ilk. "After dethroning Klitschko, you can't put anybody else at No 1," Froch said.

Carl Froch rates Tyson Fury above WBC champion Deontay Wilder

Still unbeaten, Fury is set to rematch Klitschko which should cement his spot at the forefront of Britain's best. Should he advance unscathed, he will find himself targeted by a new wave of exciting heavyweights including Anthony Joshua, Charles Martin and Deontay Wilder. If he remains standing in the land of giants, a list of Britain's best will not come close to rating Fury's legacy.

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