By Scott Gilfoid: The International Boxing Federation has given their approval for a title defense by IBF/WBA super middleweight champion Carl Froch (31-2, 22 KO’s) against unbeaten #6 IBF, George Groves (19-0, 15 KO’s) for November 23rd at a venue still to be determined, according to Boxing Roundup.
Groves, 25, says he’ll be talking to Sky Sports News on Tuesday about the fight, presumably to unofficially announce the fight.
On @SkySportsNews tomorrow talking about my next fight.. You all know who it is.. and no it's not the fella that's stolen my bike!
— George Groves (@StGeorgeGroves) July 22, 2013
The 36-year-old Froch didn’t have much but to defend the strap against Groves after the IBF ordered the fight. Froch could have vacated, which I thought he would do, but he’s decided to try and hold onto the belt by facing Groves. I think Froch is going to regret that decision when he faces Groves.
What gets me is the fight is way, way, way into the future. What’s up with scheduling the fight in November? This isn’t Manny Pacquiao were talking about.
The date is all wrong. That’s the same day as the Pacquiao fight, and it just seems like a bone-headed move to schedule it on that date. The idea is to schedule the fight on a date where there’s not much going on. You don’t schedule it the same day that an important fight like Pacquiao is taking place, because no one will give a fig about the fight.
I think Froch is going to have a lot of problems against Groves because he’s faster, younger, quicker on his feet, better defensively and just as strong, if not stronger than Froch. This is a bad match-up for Froch, especially now after his poor performance against Mikkel Kessler in their rematch last May.
Froch looked horrible and barely beat a fighter that looked like he phoned in his performance. Kessler didn’t look like he was there mentally until the mid-point of the fight, yet he still almost beat Froch. That tells me a couple of things. 1. Froch is losing it and 2. Froch hasn’t improved since the first time Kessler spanked him in 2010.
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