Groves with big advantage over Froch in rematch

By Boxing News - 05/01/2014 - Comments

froch5629By Scott Gilfoid: Challenger George Groves (19-1, 15 KO’s) is going to have a tremendous advantage against IBF/WBA super middleweight champion Carl Froch (32-2, 23 KO’s) in their rematch this month on May 31st at the Wembley Stadium in London, UK. With the aggressive fighting style that Froch showed in their previous fight last November, Groves now knows exactly how Froch will be attacking him, and he’ll be ready for the 36-year-old Froch this time around.

Last November, Froch repeatedly would charge forward in a primitive manner and would just throw wild flurries of shots. Froch paid for this in the 1st round when he charged forward and ran into a straight right hand from Groves that decked him. Groves continued to make Froch pay for his sloppy fighting style in rounds 2-7. However, where Groves made a mistake is by not using movement to get out of the way of Froch’s all-out attacks in rounds 8 and 9, when Groves was starting to tire. This enabled Froch to land shots that he wouldn’t have been able to land against smart fighters like Andre Ward and Andre Dirrell. They would have simply dodged Froch like a matador dodging an angry bull by moving laterally to avoid the charge. Groves didn’t do that. He just stood there and covered up in a very amateurish manner and waited until Froch stopped flurrying. It’s hard to believe that Groves didn’t know better, and I still can’t figure out why Groves’ trainer didn’t tell top stop turning possum during Froch’s attacks.

Froch will no doubt be using the same approach as he always has by storming Groves at least 3-5 times per round, and if Groves isn’t smart, he’ll lose the fight. The thing for Groves to do when Froch charges him is to throw a straight right hand right down the pike to nail Froch in the head, and then aside and let him either fall or fly into the ropes. Groves then can turn on Froch and nail him while he’s helpless against the ropes. I don’t see Froch getting a clue to stop making his wild charges, because that part of his game is too well ingrained for him to adapt within the course of the Groves rematch. Groves can win an easy decision or knockout if he takes away Froch’s main weapon- his flurries – because that’s really all he has. Froch can’t compete with his limp jab because he doesn’t throw it with any snap on it, and he’s too slow to get the better of Groves in throwing single shots.



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