By Daniel Smith: Perfect timing for George Groves. Just as the fanfare was just beginning to wane from the final epic clash with his nemesis Carl ‘The Cobra’ Froch, he puts on a fantastic show to reignite the public’s interest in the South London fighter. His entrance was as over-the-top as you could expect from a man who entered Wembley Stadium on top of a double-decker bus, and although he was in a significantly smaller venue, he still managed to capture the crowd’s imagination and truly excite them.
After watching some of Britain’s best up-and-comers come through their scraps in impressive fashion, many were on tender-hooks waiting to see the loser of the biggest British boxing match of all time. A shame, then, that for all the outlandish post-fight statements of intent, and despite Groves never really looking in trouble, there remains a sense of foreboding for the WBC’s mandatory challenger at Super-middleweight. As a follower of The Saint, here is what worried me about his performance.
From the first seconds of the fight, it was evident that the Groves’ camp had learnt a lot about their man from his capitulation against Froch. Groves’ cagey, unorthodox stance that we have seen his whole career had been replaced with a much more upright, peek-a-boo style. This is a direct response to the knockout punch, as Groves’ left hand was frequently seen below his waist in previous bouts, and this was seen as a weakness that needed to be corrected. It is a reasonable conclusion to come too, but seems a huge change to attempt to implement in the short few months since George’s last fight. His new stance left him looking disjointed and un-natural. In the later rounds, when his stamina was depleted and instinct kicked in, we saw that familiar left hand drop and the head lean back, but it was only for short bursts as Groves or one of his team remembered the new style. His new guard and stance may protect him better from counter right hands, but it will take a long time to fully cleanse him of his more exciting and instinctive traits. This confusion and struggle with the tactics actually saw him take more punches than I would have expected. Now, up against an opponent in Rebrasse who has only knocked out 6 of the 22 fighters he has beaten, this slightly porous defence caused him minimal problems, and Groves made sure he threw more punches than his French opponent. In the future, however, with bouts against the reasonably powerful Anthony Dirrell and the tantalizing prospect of a third Froch fight on the horizon, Groves’ defence needs serious tightening to avoid another crushing knockout defeat.
A crushing knockout defeat, for that matter, is exactly what Groves should arguably have delivered against the overmatched European champion. Whilst I accept that the Frenchman was awkward and resilient, I refuse to accept that somebody with the power to knock Carl Froch down in the first round of a bout is not capable of causing more punishment and hurt against Rebrasse than Groves eventually dished out. Rebrasse never had the power or the accuracy to properly trouble Groves, but in truth Groves never really looked like knocking out Rebrasse either. Rebrasse even went as far as to goad George and taunt him. Now whilst I understand that a more reserved and careful approach was needed, there were points in the fight when I was willing George to follow up on a good shot, only to see him go back in to his guard and wait for a reply. I have to feel that, after watching over some of his old fights, Groves should have pressed on and made his dominance felt more than he did. Perhaps he would not have taken half the tough looking punches he actually took against Rebrasse had he put together more combinations and exerted more pressure.
There were plenty of positives to be taken from the match, however. George answered most of the major questions that were being asked of him prior to the bout, the first of which involved his mental ability to still get in that ring and do his job after what was a truly spectacular knockout loss; even if you forget how colossal the fight with Froch was in terms of importance. Many speculated about whether his confident media persona could be hiding any frailties that could have remained, but Groves looked every inch as self-assured as we all remember him being. He did not flinch even when the biggest of Rebrasse’s blows rained down on him, he never once looked even close to wobbling, and he seemed to keep his focus and concentration much better right to the final bell. Additionally, he never lost enthusiasm when his big shots were not hurting his opponent, perhaps evidencing a greater understanding that he does not have to constantly entertain the crowd by looking for a knockout. All-in-all, Groves’ mental state looks completely intact, and he did show certain improvements in the technical department. I felt his jab looked more fearsome than before, even if it is only a partial improvement, and, despite the limited skills that Rebrasse displayed, Groves looked much more assured when ducking and weaving his way inside.
So, The Saint is back on the scene, but whether or not we see him with a world title depends heavily on which direction he is going in whilst in the gym with Paddy Fitzpatrick. If he sticks with the new, more careful, more traditional style, then he is going to have to intensely familiarize himself with it. Unless he can make it feel like the new Plan A, Groves will get hit with big shots, and it leaves the possibility open for him to eat another match-ending shot. Or maybe we will see him revert to his usual style, dropping that left hand, leaning the head back, and picking his shots with spite and precision. This style also has huge drawbacks too, as it leaves him open to the right hand, but it has to be said that Groves has had much more success with this more natural looking stance. More than likely we will see the more orthodox Groves in his eventual title shot, I just hope he takes two points from the camp of Carl Froch. The importance of tactics, and working ridiculously hard to ensure you’re ready to use them.
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