By Scott Gilfoid: George Groves (19-1, 15 KO’s) says that IBF/WBA super middleweight champion Carl Froch (32-2, 23 KO’s) is a broken man after their first fight together. Froch has been rumored to have seen a psychiatrist, and Groves sees the 36-year-old as being chased by demons from their past fight.
Whatever the case, Froch does seem to have changed his way of interacting with Groves. Whether that be from something he himself decided or something that was recommended by others it’s hard to say. But Froch does appear to be morose, listless and more than a little disengaged during the meetings that he’s had with Groves on television.
If that was intentional on Froch’s part, it arguably hasn’t helped sell the fight. Having a champion acting aloof and unresponsive to the barbs that are being thrown his way by Groves is kind of off putting to say the least. The old Froch was far better, with him jousting with Groves and at least trying to trade insults.
“He’s essentially telling people he’s broken,” Groves said to ESPN’s Steve Bunce. “I don’t think it’s good for the fight…First he’s saying he’s a phenomenal fighter and an international superstar who’s boxed all these huge names and never struggled. Yet he comes against me, a guy who’s beneath him and he couldn’t get up for it in the first fight, and he can’t bear to hear my name and has to see someone to talk him through those issues.”
I have a hard time believing that Froch’s way of interacting now with Groves is due to their previous fight last November. I don’t see it as a fear thing where Froch took such a beating in that fight that it’s now taken the life out of him, leaving him with a flat affect. I think it might be more of a case of what Groves has done to himself outside of the ring by working him over on Ringside and during the press conferences.
Froch did not handle those meetings at all very well, and I think he’d be the first to admit it. But this kneejerk reaction by Froch in response to become emotionally distant, you can’t see it as being better than what Froch was doing before. It doesn’t look good with Groves being able to work Froch over without firing back and getting in some digs.
I wonder what Froch’s promoter Eddie Hearn thinks about the way Froch has been acting lately. Hearn seemed to be almost gleeful when Groves and Froch were going at it on Ringside before their first fight last November. I would bet that Hearn wishes he had that version of Froch back right now, because it would make it easier to sell the fight on Sky Box Office.
Froch looked like a condemned man in his recent meeting with Groves. Froch was so distant that it was almost like he was in a trance. Groves was able to say pretty much whatever he wanted to without Froch coming back at him with anything of real substance.
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