By Scott Gilfoid: Challenger George Groves (19-1, 15 KO’s) is amused that IBF/WBA super middleweight champion Carl Froch (32-2, 23 KO’s) has gotten to the point where he’s unwilling or unable to make eye contact when the two of them get together for press conferences and other activities where they’re contractually expected to be with each other to help hype their May 31st rematch on pay per view from the Wembley Stadium in London, UK.
Groves believes that Froch is totally psyched out from the bad experience he had with Groves during the build-up for their fight last November, and he also thinks that the grueling fight that it turned out to be also has gotten into his head.
“He can’t make eye contact with me at the press conference, he can’t do these fundamental easy things that are now an everyday thing in professional boxing,” Groves told Talksport. “Every fight you do a face-to-face. It’s for the cameras and it doesn’t need much. The man can’t look me in the eye, he can’t engage. I think that’s fascinating. He’s gone into his shell. Unfortunately for him it’s pay-per-view so he’s contractually obligated to show up press conferences and be in contact with me to build up the fight.”
This is bad. Groves had Froch totally overwhelmed in the mind games department.
It is kind of unsettling that the soon to be 37-year-old Froch can’t make eye contact with the younger 26-year-old Groves. Usually, it’s the older fighters who have no problems staring down a younger fighter because he’s got age on his side, and know the game behind stare downs and intimidation, but Froch looks totally unnerved each time he’s around Groves.
Groves was ahead in the fight with Froch last November at the time the referee stopped the fight prematurely, and it’s likely that Groves would have cruised to a decision win, had the fight gone the distance. Groves was on his way to getting his second wind, and he would have found a way to win the last three rounds to win the decision.
In the rematch, Groves just needs to be careful in getting in and out after landing his shots. He can’t clinch with Froch like he did last time, because he was getting hit with too many punches to the back of the head each time they were in a clinch. The referee just let the rabbit punches fly from Froch.
I wasn’t surprised at all about that. That kind of thing would likely be stopped immediately if there was a good referee like Steve Smoger in there, because he puts a stop immediately to fighters throwing rabbit shots. But anyway, Groves should expect to be hit in the back of the head each time he gets in close. He can either team that or he can simply avoid clinches altogether. The third option is to throw rabbit punches back.
Perhaps if Groves throws rabbit shots of his own, it might wake up the referee that he’s let the fight get out of hand, and that he needs to do something about it. Also, Groves needs to keep his guard up for when the referee breaks him and Froch, because I see Groves getting nailed on the break last time he fought Froch. The referee didn’t do anything about that either.
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