Firstly, I for one have to say that the May 31st George Groves V Carl Froch rematch is something I cannot wait for. I tuned in on the night of the first expecting a routine win for the Cobra and an early stoppage. Although I had seen Groves perform well against James DeGale and the like I just thought that against Froch he was meeting someone far superior, more experienced, durable chin and good hand movement with reasonably good power.
What I and many of us witnessed was an inspiring performance from Groves and one hell of a nights entertainment. It was an absolute belter- with some great action and one of the better fights in the UK in the past couple of years.
I for one was completely shocked at Froch’s lack of confidence- he really did not seem to expect Groves to come out swinging. Like many of the fans in Nottingham I was completely won over by the courage & determination shown by the underdog. He seemed to have worked out a fantastic game plan and stuck to it, using some great right hands along with the jab that seemed to have Froch on the back foot for so long. Rounds 1-5 certainly were completely Groves and he just seemed to be buzzing on the atmosphere and feeding on the panic from his opponent.
When Froch hit the deck at the end of the first round I really thought that was it. It wasn’t just some “lucky” punch, Froch had taken a fair bit of punishment and it was a solid hit, right on the button- had it been any good middleweight other than Froch, I’m not sure they would have recovered.
As the fight got on though things definitely seemed to change,. Groves perhaps seemed a little less able to get those great jabs on Froch the way he had earlier and had begun taking quite a few hits himself. The momentum definitely changed and as the time wore on I just had a tiny feeling that Groves had maybe missed his chance to put Froch down for a 10 count.
At the time of the stoppage I was absolutely livid, I couldn’t believe!! I cursed the referee up and down and went completely berserk that a possible victory was robbed of Groves, I thought he was robbed, cheated and Froch had completely got out of jail.
About 3 days later I watched the fight from start to finish maybe 3 times, and again a week later and I felt completely different. Yes, Groves was ahead on points; yes, he had put Froch down, and yes, the referee may have interrupted things early. But at the end of the day Groves had given Froch his best, and Carl was still there throwing his trademark jabs (some even after the fight was stopped).
After re-watching the fight, I just felt that even if the fight had went on another 30 seconds, maybe even another full round, Carl was always going to be the one with his hand raised at the end. Groves gave everything he had in that fight, and I just feel that by the end he was on the back foot, running low on energy and there was only going to be one outcome.
Fast forward 3 months and we have a second bout to look forward to and I absolutely cannot wait. In a way the referee has done Groves a great favor- by saving him from being knocked spark out he now has a great chance to avenge his defeat. Whilst he was beaten in the last fight Groves has come away hugely better off, with a wave of supporters starting to back him not to mention the international recognition he has gained.
With a slightly aging “Cobra” and a young determined Groves, George has a really serious chance to do the business. Let’s not forget though Carl Froch is a warrior; he has faced some of the best in the business, but like it or not age is not on his side. But the thought of him and Groves standing toe to toe in the middle of the ring again is mouthwatering!
As for a result in the rematch, If Groves can move better, not get hit as much and land those right hands like he did in rounds 1-5 of the first, I think he could take a points victory and that’s what his best chance is. He is not going to knock Carl out. I don’t think and he certainly won’t win a slugfest, but if he can just run him ragged a bit, dance round and hit Carl he has an excellent chance.
However, Carl won’t make the same mistake again, and whilst he is a bit older he is also wiser and more experienced so I see another stoppage probably in the 8th or 9th and with Groves on the floor.
Hope you enjoyed my article and I look forward to your comments.
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