Froch wants Groves to prove he’s not over-the-hill

By Boxing News - 01/28/2016 - Comments

groves5(Photo Credit: Lawrence Lustig) By Scott Gilfoid: Carl Froch says he wants to see former three-time world title challenger George Groves (21-3, 16 KOs) to prove that he has something left in the tank when he gets inside the ring this Saturday night in his 10 round bout against Italy’s Andrea Di Luisa (18-3, 14 KOs) at the Copper Box Arena in London, UK.

Froch wants to see if Groves isn’t over-the-hill already at age 27 after getting whipped recently by WBC super middleweight champion Badou Jack, and twice knocked out by Froch himself.

Froch notices that Groves no longer has that youthful aggressive look to him ever since he was wiped out by Froch in their first fight in 2013. The knockout loss seems to have taken something out of Groves’ hide because he’s been almost passive ever since that fight. The power is still there, but the aggressive come forward style that Groves once had has completely disappeared.

Groves’ stamina, or lack thereof, is about the same as it was when he was beaten by Froch in their first fight. It just looks like Groves is fighting on pins and needles since that knockout loss. The second knockout defeat that Groves suffered against Froch obviously didn’t help matters, because Groves has looked almost like a shot fighter since that in his bouts against Christopher Rebrasse, Denis Douglin and Badou Jack.

“Is it a mental thing with Groves? Is it down to his age? Has he got old before his time? I hope,” Froch said to skysports.com. “I am not sure he is going to do well again. I haven’t seen enough to suggest he will get back to anything like that first fight against me in Manchester,” said Froch.

I totally agree with Froch. I’m not sure that Groves is going to be able to do well again in his career. I mean, I hate to say it, but I think we may have already seen the best of Groves from his first fight with Froch, and with his wins over mostly obscure 2nd tier fighters.

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Technically, Groves has a win over a 1st tier guy in beating Rebrasse, but I don’t consider Rebrasse as 1st tier. I see him as a second tier guy with limited punching power and not much talent. As such, I think Groves has done nothing in his career other than beating weaker opposition to pad his record. When Groves did step up on three occasions in fights against Froch and Badou Jack, he lost all three fights.

“He [Groves] didn’t look that good in the second one against me,” Froch said. “Against Christopher Rebrasse, ‘Mama’s Boy’ Denis Douglin and Badou Jack, he’s not been anywhere near what we’d all call his best.”

I think that Froch is right. Groves looks nothing like the fighter he was back in 2013, and I don’t think he’s going to be able to find his way back to where he was before. Groves looks older too.

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Back in 2013, Groves still had a youthful look to him. But now that he’s almost three years older, Groves looks like he’s visibly aged a great deal since that fight. Groves looks a lot older than he was back then in my view, and he doesn’t look like he aged well. I’m not sure if the knockout losses at the hands of Froch caused Groves to age, or if it was something that was going to happen regardless. Either way, Groves looks old to me, and I believe that he’s already shot his load as a fighter and is going downhill fast.



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