By Scott Gilfoid: IBF/WBA super middleweight champion Carl Froch (32-2, 23 KO’s) thinks that George Groves (19-1, 15 KO’s) fell apart in the 8th and 9th rounds the last time they faced each other last November in Manchester. This Froch expects Groves to crumble even earlier in their rematch on May 31st at the Wembley Stadium in London, UK. Froch says he wasn’t at his best last November when he fought Groves, and that he had been told by everyone that it would be a mismatch. This time he’s taking the fight very seriously.
“Everybody told me it was a mismatch and regardless of whether George thought the right was stopped early, I still won,” Froch said . “George fell apart in two rounds. I came back at him on what was my worst possible night. He will fall apart again, I am telling you now, but this time I won’t make the mistakes I made before.”
I don’t get the part where Froch wasn’t at his best. If he wasn’t at his best does that mean Froch was loafing it during his training for the fight? I don’t believe that for as second. Given that Froch rights down each and every exercise he does and is constantly trying to improve in his workouts, why would he not be physically ready for the fight?
I think Froch is making excuses for the fact that Groves was faster and stronger than him. There’s nothing wrong with Froch admitting that he was getting whipped silly by Groves during the first 7 rounds. But it’s obviously a tough pill for Froch to swallow to admit that he wasn’t the better man for 80% of that fight. If Groves didn’t slip up in the 8th and 9th rounds by covering up after coming in close, then he would have dominated that fight.
Groves just needed to know how to pull out after throwing a shot, because he would fall forward into a clinch each time he’d throw a shot. In the clinches, Froch would nail him in the back of the head. Groves would then back up with his gloves glued to his head like a sparring partner, and then Froch was able to tee off on him the same way that he did against Lucian Bute.
If Groves can change that one small area of his game, the pulling away after throwing punches, he’ll totally clown Froch for 12 rounds and make him look bad. A good trainer like Freddie Roach or Virgil Hunter would have fixed that part of Groves’ game before he ever got around to facing Froch last November, but Groves’ trainers just blew by failing to fix the problem.
I doubt that his current trainer Paddy Fitzpatrick has taken notice of this bad habit that Groves has, so I suspect he’ll be doing the same thing in the rematch with Froch next month. Groves will still likely win the fight, but if he messes up too much in backing away like a sparring partner, then Froch will get him. As a professional fighter, I still don’t know why Groves hasn’t sat down and watched the Andre Dirrell vs. Froch or the Andre Ward vs. Froch fights to learn how these talented fighters were able to get away from Froch after clinches or after throwing punches without getting hit.
Groves has his own way of doing it, and it’s just plain wrong. He’s very amateurish still, and that’s the only thing that’s giving Froch a chance in this fight. With the right trainer, Groves makes Froch look bad. But I think this is going to be a tough fight for Groves unless he learns from his past mistakes.
Comments are closed.