By Scott Gilfoid: With IBF/WBA super middleweight champion Carl Froch (32-2, 23 KO’s) still not saying whether he’ll give #6 IBF George Groves (19-1, 15 KO’s) a rematch or not, Groves is making the right moves to try and force the issue in case Froch chooses to go in another direction.
Groves met with the International Boxing Federation in the United States last week in an effort to appeal the results of his loss to Froch last November, and to have the IBF make him Froch’s mandatory. That in turn would force Froch to decide whether to keep the title and defend it against Groves or vacate the strap.
“I was out in New Jersey last week making an appeal to the IBF,” Groves said to Sky Sports. “I find out the results this week. I’m quietly confident. Our grounds was bias from the referee and that the finish was unsatisfactory. Even if it goes against me, the public demand for it is there.”
I think Groves has a pretty good case to have himself re-instated as Froch’s IBF mandatory, mainly because the referee Howard John Foster failed to halt the fight in the 1st round after Groves badly hurt Froch with a right hand that knocked him to the canvas. Froch got up on wobbly knees and was allowed to continue. With Groves, he wasn’t staggered at all in the 9th round when Foster jumped in and halted the fight.
Groves was still fighting back, and it looked like the referee reacted way too quickly to what was happening in the ring. From Groves’ stand point, if the referee is going to let a staggering Froch continue fighting, then he should let Groves continue fighting when wasn’t even staggered. Groves was covering up and appeared to be waiting for Froch to stop throwing shots before he started hitting him back.
It’s quite possible that Groves could get the rematch with Froch even if the IBF rules against his appeal. But that’ll depend on whether Froch’s promoter Eddie Hearn can get him a fight with former WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. That’s the fight Froch wants next. If Hearn can get him that fight, then I see Froch vacating his IBF title if he’s ordered to fight Groves again.
I don’t think Froch wants the Groves rematch, and he’ll take the Chavez Jr. fight is it’s there for him. Froch kind of would have to, because if he chooses not to fight Chavez Jr. when the fight is available to him, it’s quite possible that he wouldn’t be able to get the fight at a later date. Groves could beat Froch in the rematch, and then Top Rank won’t want to waste time matching Chavez Jr. against Froch.
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