By James Allen: On May 31st, in front of the biggest post-war attendance for a boxing event in this country, Carl Froch provided a definitive finish in his rematch with ‘Saint’ George Groves. Not since prior to Froch’s demolition of Lucian Bute in May 2012 had there been so many questions surrounding ‘The Cobra’ and whether he could still produce the same level of performance that made him a three-time world champion.
In his first contest with Groves in November of last year Froch was put over in the first round by what has now become the most replayed knockdown in recent memory. He got up from the sledgehammer-like blow and trudged through eight more rounds of Groves unloading heavy artillery in high volume on him, but somehow managed to stay on his feet. Froch produced a rare rally in the ninth that brought about the heavily contentious stoppage from referee Howard Foster, which helped make the rematch in to the extravaganza it eventually became.
So after all of the advertisements, the interviews, the behind-the-scenes footage, the predictions, the build-up, the undercard and the fireworks (and the red double-decker bus that nobody could explain) the fight was upon us. But it could never have lived up to the hype.
Before Froch struck the fatal blow in round 8 it had been quite a tactical affair. Froch was much more reactive to Groves that in their first fight and much more active with the jab too. This kept Groves at a greater distance, so whilst he still landed some good shots, they were much more sporadic, and their impact somewhat lessened by Froch’s defensive work. That being said I still had Groves leading 68-65 at the time of the stoppage, it was just a much more competitive and closely fought match than their first.
The finish when it came was a thudding right hand down the middle as Groves lay on the ropes, attempting to counter with the left hook he predicted he would stop Froch with prior to the fight. The londoner went down heavily and seemed to be out for a second before coming to and beginning another protestation of the stoppage, the validity of which was undermined by the unsteadiness of his legs when he stood up.
What is next for both men? Froch, after answering all the doubters with such an emphatic performance, has again expressed his desire to fight in Las Vegas; the fight capital of the world. A viable opponent could be Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, who has a large hispanic following and in need of an opponent after negotiations for a clash with dominant middleweight Gennady Golovkin reportedly broke down. Froch’s promoter, along with what seems like a lot of the British boxing media seem keen for a match with James Degale, who scored a knockout over undefeated American Brandon Gonzales in a career best performance on the undercard to Froch-Groves II. This would seem to be at best a lateral move for Froch who is looking to check un-ticked boxes this late in his career. A match with Degale would not be as lucrative or prestigious as the rematch with Groves was, and a matchup with Chavez Jr would mean more money for fighting a more limited opponent; the risk/reward ratio just doesn’t appear to be worth it. And despite Froch repeating his desire to avenge his defeat suffered at the hands of Andre Ward, this seems the most unlikely of all to occur. Ward is considered the apex of the twelve stone division and his scalp would be worth more than any, but the American is in the midst of a nasty contract dispute that could see his absence from this ring extend in to 2015 and beyond.
As for Groves the future is brighter than it may appear in the fresh wake of legitimate defeat. Despite failing to fulfill his pre-fight predictions, he performed very well on the biggest stage he is ever likely to grace, and in the end there is no disgrace in being caught with a good shot from a great champion. As he himself was quick to remind us all after the fight, Groves is only twenty-six years old which gives him plenty of time to build on this experience and use it push on in search of more glory. This pursuit will be engineered by his new backers Sauerland Promotions, who also have WBO Super-Middleweight Champion Arthur Abraham in the ranks. The Armenian born German, along with WBC champ Sakio Bika present Groves with perhaps an easier task than he made for himself against Froch as he looks to become a world champion. He could also have a rematch with Degale if nothing better materializes for the pair, but without a belt on the line it would be too much like retreading old ground.
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