Froch: I was only 50-60% against Groves last time

By Boxing News - 05/17/2014 - Comments

froch7999By Scott Gilfoid: IBF/WBA super middleweight champion Carl Froch (32-2, 23 KO’s) says he was only at 50 to 60 percent of his maximum ability for his previous fight against challenger George Groves (19-1, 15 KO’s) last November in Manchester.

It’s unclear what Froch’s hangup was that had him at less than his best, but Froch says he’s going to be 100% for his rematch with him on May 31st at the Wembley Arena in London, UK. Let’s hope so, because it would be a pity if Froch is making excuses afterwards about something holding him back.

“I’m very confident. He [Groves] got 50 to 60 percent of Carl Froch. I take a lot of confidence that my worst performance will beat his best performance and that’s a fact,” Froch said. “I gave George Groves his chance already, and he wasn’t able to do anything with it. He lost the fight fair and square. I’m giving him another chance because he got made the mandatory by the IBF. I’m going to stop George Groves, whether it be by knockout or by the referee jumping in again. I could be a demolition job,” Froch said.

Froch really worked himself up into the beginning stages of anger while talking, and it was interesting because he was doing it all by himself. Just talking about Groves was enough to have Froch on the verge of blowing a rod.

I hate to say it but I think Froch is making excuses for his own marginal performance against Groves last time. I mean, if Froch was at only 50 percent for his last fight against Groves, then who’s fault was that? If Froch was royally blowing it by making foolish moves like squaring himself up to Groves then that’s on Froch. If he’s not at his best due to the mistakes he made in the fight, you can’t say that he wasn’t 100 percent.

Froch looked like he was at his best, but he was just making silly mistakes that was taking away from his own performance. But if Froch is going to say that his mistakes meant that he was only at 50 percent, then he might as well say he was at 50 percent for all of his fights, because he’s always making mistakes in each fight. Heck, Froch was making mistakes left and right in the Andre Dirrell and Andre Ward fights, starting with trying to fight with his left hand down by his sides instead of protecting his head. Froch made the same mistake in his win over Groves, and it almost cost him the fight in the 1st round when he was dropped.

The only way that Froch can avoid not walking onto a shot from Groves on May 31st is if Froch fights off the back foot and doesn’t come forward, but if he fights like that, he’s going to get torn apart. Groves does well against guys that are stationary or who back up on him. The reality is that Froch can’t fight without moving forward because that’s the only way he’s effective. When he’s standing still, he’s totally vulnerable due to his straight up stance and his left hand being down by his side.



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