Carl Froch reacts to the news that Anthony Joshua and Wladimir Klitschko will not fight until next year, opening up a mixed bag of emotions for fighters and boxing fans alike...
It is bad news for all of us who were looking forward to seeing Anthony Joshua go in with the most experienced heavyweight in the world, but I think it might be even worse news for Wladimir Klitschko.
Of course we still want to see it, but the longer Klitschko stays out of the ring, the better it is for Joshua.
Wladimir has been inactive since losing to Tyson Fury almost a year ago and the one thing we all know is we deteriorate with age. He is already 40, so the longer he leaves it, the better it is for Joshua, simple as that. December 10 is still going ahead and that means another fight under Joshua's belt, more experience and another training camp.
People shouldn't forget that Josh is still a work in progress. He will tell you that himself. If it was taking place on December 10, it would've been a genuine 50-50, a pick 'em fight, and a really, really risky fight for Josh.
We know he will fight anyone who is put in front of him but Klitschko, even next spring, will still be a risk. I can guarantee that. Yes, he could well have been out of the ring for 18 months and will turn 41 in March, but I can't see motivation being a problem.
We know he doesn't need the money but the one thing I am almost certain of is that he doesn't want to end his career with that loss to Tyson Fury.
It was different for me, but any boxer out there will tell you they do not want to bow out with a loss next to their name. Yes, Klitschko dominated the heavyweight division for over 10 years but ending it all like that will do nothing for his legacy.
Joshua might go in as the favourite but don't take anything away from Klitschko, because Fury just messed up the script, that's for sure.
You could say Klitschko should've coped with him and tried harder, threw more punches, but Tyson was tall, rangy, awkward, brave and smart in that fight. He would've been a nightmare for anyone.
We were all waiting to see if we would still get the best out of Klitschko in his next fight and unfortunately, we won't know in Manchester.
All we do know is that come next year, Joshua will be better.