Froch talking tough about Groves

By Boxing News - 05/16/2014 - Comments

froch00024By Scott Gilfoid: IBF/WBA super middleweight champion Carl Froch (32-2, 23 KO’s) has been playing it pretty soft in the run up to his May 31st rematch against George Groves (19-1, 15 KO’s), as Froch has been quiet without the angry intensity that he had in the build-up to their previous fight last November.

Froch figures that Groves won’t be able to fight hard for a full 12 round on May 31st without gassing out and getting halted in front of what will likely be a crowd of 80,000 screaming fans.

“I don’t think the fight will go the full 12 rounds,” Froch said to the Dailymail.co.uk. “The pace and the intensity I’m going to set from round one, I’m convinced George Groves hasn’t got 12 championship rounds in him. He’s not experienced.”

Froch definitely has a good point about Groves not being able to go the full 12. Groves looks more like a 6-round fighter than a 12 rounder, and it’s going to be up to him to prove that he can fight hard for more than 6 rounds on May 31st. I think Groves already established that he’s the better fighter than Froch for the first 6 rounds from the last time they fought, and I think he’d beat Froch 100 out of 100 times if their fights were just 6 rounds. Unfortunately for Groves, this is a 12 round fight, and unless he paces himself to conserve enough energy for the later rounds, he’s probably going to get knocked out unless he does a number on Froch in the first six.

Groves can go about this fight in one of two ways; he can either use up all of his energy in trying to overwhelm Froch in the first six rounds and hope that he can score a knockout before he gasses out, or he can focus on out-boxing Froch for 12 rounds. I think the smarter thing would be for Groves to focus on boxing Froch, and looking to win rounds rather than thinking knockout.

The last time they fought, Groves looked like he was trying to KO Froch and play to the crowd instead of fighting smart and going for a decision victory. If Groves goes into the fight thinking of winning a decision, I think he can do that, but he’s got to forget about trying to clock Froch with every punch.



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