By Adam Cuthbert: May 31st; put the date in your diary fight fans, this one is going to be explosive. Just 82 days had passed since the controversial ending to one of the greatest all-British fights in recent memory. But while it initially looked as if we would have to wait to get a clear and decisive ending to the fight, Eddie Hearn gave us the news we waiting for. Froch vs Groves 2 was announced at a yet to be decided venue.
Now I’m going to be totally honest, in the build up to the first contest, I was hoping for Carl Froch to shut George Groves up within 2 rounds. How could this newcomer to the title fight scene be talking about beating a warrior like Froch with such ease? Had he not watched some of the previous wars his opponent had been in? Was this arrogance/confidence just a ploy to get inside Carl’s head before fight night? Whatever it was it didn’t endear me to George Groves in the slightest. Froch/Groves 1 for many was a real Rocky 4 moment. The chorus of boos that greeted his announcement at the Phones4You Arena left zero doubt in the mind who the majority in attendance were backing. However, George Groves display on November 23 surprised many (especially Carl Froch). The boos slowly turned to cheers, every solid right hand connecting with Froch’s chin brought a roar of excitement. The fight ended with the crowd cheering Groves, incensed that Howard Foster had robbed us of a clear winner to what was a cracking tear up between two men who have not loathed each other to this extent since Chris Eubank and Nigel Benn.
Now let’s not dwell on the last fight. The record books will show Carl Froch as the winner, that can’t be changed. What we can concentrate on is the rematch. Groves’ confidence will surely be sky high given his performance the first time round. His speed and accuracy was far too much for Froch to handle, supported by an incredibly accurate jab, it seemed that almost every right hand St George threw was able to land. One question is though; will Froch be concerned by this enough to change his tactics for the rematch? In my opinion he must do to try and counter the speed of Groves’ shots, and it was proved that George has the power to put Carl on the matt. The way to do this may be to develop a more counter punching style, combined with a better defensive guard. Froch has for many years relied on his ability to withstand heavy punishment, normally stepping up his game in the latter rounds to force through a win. No fight showcased this more than the Jermaine Taylor fight back in 2009. Knocked down for the first time in his career in the third round, Carl was behind on points and on his way to defeat before stopping Taylor with 14 seconds remaining of the 12th round. This isn’t 2009 though, and Carl Froch is not the fighter he once was, regardless of what he tells us himself.
Now one thing sticks in my mind. Before the first bout, many people in the media were discussing just how much Froch’s final fight against Mikkel Kessler had taken out of him. Despite his reputation, he is not superhuman and any man taking the kind of punishment that Carl has over the years will eventually succumb to it. Kessler/Froch 2 was a war, this statement proved by the fact that we have yet to hear whether or not Mikkel Kessler will ever fight again. This fight obviously took something away from Froch; he didn’t look at all the same fighter when he stepped into the ring last November. Yes, he was still able to build somewhat of a comeback and start troubling Groves, and yes, we may never know if George would have been able to ride the storm in the 9th to take the fight the distance, or even stop Froch. One thing was for certain though; Groves was able to hurt Carl many times during the fight, which begs the question; will Froch’s ability to sustain prolonged punishment have been weakened further.
Inspired by his first effort, I fully expect Groves to follow a similar game plan; beating Froch to the jab, before landing his powerful right hand. He will have learned from November though that his cannot risk getting into a slug fest. When the opportunity arises, he can let his combo’s fly, but he must be aware enough to get back out before Carl is able to start trading blows with him. Patience will be the key, and if he can deliver another performance like his last, the cheers he received after his controversial loss in Manchester could this time be followed by the almighty words….. AND THE NEW!!!
May 31st cannot come soon enough.
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