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Carl Froch vs George Groves

Alpha Dog 1

Confirmed this morning on sky sports that Froch will defend his titles against Groves who is the mandatory challenger.

Should make for another exciting domestic fight. Realistically cannot see any way that Groves wins this fight but it would be interested to see approach he will take to the fight.

Froch unanimous win on points for me.

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willmunny1990

Sick of Froch at this stage to be honest, warrior this, warrior that, jesus it gets boring.

Id like Groves to win although I don't think he can, haven't seen anything from George yet to even remotely suggest he can beat Froch.

I'm surprised George got under his skin the way he did, I loved it to be honest. Carl was so visibly pissed off which surprised me as this should be a routine defense for Froch.

Henno30

Don't think Froch was pissed off. That's pretty much the way he acts in the lead up to all of his fights, Kessler excluded. It was just Groves' weak trash talk that made the whole thing seem awkward. Froch handled it fairly well and left Groves looking like a tool. In my opinion anyway.

willmunny1990

Henno30 wrote: »

Don't think Froch was pissed off. That's pretty much the way he acts in the lead up to all of his fights, Kessler excluded. It was just Groves' weak trash talk that made the whole thing seem awkward. Froch handled it fairly well and left Groves looking like a tool. In my opinion anyway.

Maybe so, I personally thought Froch was annoyed but either way it wont matter a bit IMO.

Henno30

willmunny1990 wrote: »

Maybe so, I personally thought Froch was annoyed but either way it wont matter a bit IMO.

Think he was just doing his usual "I won't respond to you because I'm better than this" bit. Did that in pretty much every episode of th super six series. Was pretty funny when Ward did more or less the exact same thing to him as he finally met someone even more smug than himself

I like both of them though, smug as they are.

JacksonHeightsOwn

its all show business, nothing else really.

Myself and my brother where discussing this earlier as he's a huge Froch fan and i quite like Groves.

I think what Groves is trying to do is gain maybe an extra percent of an advantage over Froch. Just 1 or 2 percent, nothing huge or dramatic. If he can make Froch lose his cool for just a few moments in the fight, then that, i reckon Groves thinks, will win him the fight.

I think people often underestimate the parity in fighters. When world champions and other top level fighters collide, the difference between winning and losing is very minor. As i said earlier, its the matter of small percentages. So anything Groves can do to hopefully give him a slight edge, mentally, then he's going to take it, and quite frankly, he'd be stupid not to.

I like Froch, he's a mans man, and a fighters fighter. He doesnt hide in the ring, and certainly doesnt dodge any opponents. But i do have this sneaking feeling that he's going to do a Nigel Benn vs Eubank thing here, and just get caught up in the moment. With the pure intent of knocking Groves out he could find himself chasing Groves around and then finally finding himself in the 11th round, but behind by 3. It can easily happen. Froch will have to be mentally strong to not get caught up in the emotion of the fight.

There's also the sparring story. I think we all knew that Froch dropped Groves a few years, granted Groves was only in his teens at the time, but there's no denying the fact it happened. That i would expect to give Froch a massive confidence boost heading into this showdown. But Groves said something last night that only 2 days after getting dropped he "wrecked" Carl. When Froch heard this the first line out of his head was, "well, Sparring doesnt mean anything". So did Groves beat Froch up after getting dropped? I dont know, but its got me thinking.

There's also this thing in my mind. Whenever you spar with someone you're better than, you never feel intimated by them, but when you get smoked by someone, you naturally think twice about getting in the ring with them again, yet Groves, who Froch has dropped, is chomping at the bit to get in with Carl again.

So either Groves is the most mentally strong boxer on the planet, or he actually did do ok in the sparring sessions he's had with Froch.

Either wa y. Its going to be a very interesting fight, and i for one cannot wait

el flaco

As usual I've changed my thoughts on how I see this fight panning out as it gets closer.

When it was first announced I thought it was a disappointing step back for Froch. An under-experienced opponent at a time when he's been fighting the best of the division. Just when his career peaked he had to waste valuable time with a mandatory defence that was going to be a steamrolling formality.

I haven't been swayed by the build-up chatter between the two because, quite simply, I haven't really been listening. At this stage we already know what Froch is going to say, so there's nothing to be gleaned there. And as nice a bloke as Groves seems, the marketing aspect doesn't sit well with him. He becomes quite wooden when he is expected to turn on the charm.

While this may well be an 'interesting' fight, I have a feeling it won't be an entertaining one. Andre Dirrell was mentioned earlier in the thread as somebody that gave Froch real difficulty and I can see Groves using him as inspiration. In terms of styles Groves used similar tactics against Degale and will probably adopt the same approach here. We may well see Groves in Kenyan long-distance mode, Froch plodding after him, low compubox punch stats and an all-round frustrating viewing experience.

walshb

chrisbonnie wrote: »

I like Froch, he's a mans man, and a fighters fighter. He doesnt hide in the ring, and certainly doesnt dodge any opponents. D

He can't hide, he hasn't got the foot speed:)

I think folks get too caught up in giving Froch too much credit for obvious and natural "stuff."

The super 6 was a tournament that several men signed up to fight in, there was not going to be dodging in that one. Apart from the super 6 Carl has fought decent men, but nothing exceptional, and none that would be worth dodging!

wadacrack

The only exceptional fighter Froch has fought was Andre Ward. If Groves chin holds up I expect him to be competitive

JacksonHeightsOwn

wadacrack wrote: »

The only exceptional fighter Froch has fought was Andre Ward. If Groves chin holds up I expect him to be competitive

you dont rate Kessler?

granted i think he's past his prime, but i think Kessler was excellent. In their first fight he was brilliant, and it wasnt near as close as Froch would have you believe.

Ward absolutely mullered him, but there's no shame in that. Ward is head and shoulders above everybody else in that division (even though the Ring rankings have him at #5 :eek:)

walshb

chrisbonnie wrote: »

Ward absolutely mullered him, but there's no shame in that. Ward is head and shoulders above everybody else in that division (even though the Ring rankings have him at #5 :eek:)

I disagree. He beat him, but reading this it sounds like PBF-Gatti fight!

Are you talking about Ward mullering Kessler or Ward mullering Froch?

Ring have him as champion, and at 2 on p4p list!

JacksonHeightsOwn

walshb wrote: »

I disagree. He beat him, but reading this it sounds like PBF-Gatti fight!

Are you talking about Ward mullering Kessler or Ward mullering Froch?

Ring have him as champion, and at 2 on p4p list!

Ward mullering Froch, i didnt give Froch a single round, and neither did my Froch obsessed brother.

Ring have him at #1? oh wait, it was Boxrec, thats right, Boxrec. my bad

walshb

chrisbonnie wrote: »

Ward mullering Froch, i didnt give Froch a single round, and neither did my Froch obsessed brother.

Ring have him at #1? oh wait, it was Boxrec, thats right, Boxrec. my bad

Fair enough, but several reds were very competitive. It wasn't a dominating victory. Clear, but not as you suggested.

gene_tunney

The interest in this fight demonstrates the influence of sky sports marketing. I'm not sure why anyone would be majorly interested in this fight. Froch is the most overrated fighter in boxing today.

If I ever see Froch on a P4P list then I know the person rating him is clueless about boxing.

ebbsy

Enjoyed the interview on Sky Sports. Groves is entertaining if nothing else.

Whatever anybody thinks about Froch ( I think he is a good fighter ), he has fought and won at a much higher level than Groves and I expect Carl to stop him.

alanceltic

Groves is an absolute c*ck for carrying on like that in the interview and I hope Froch smashes him to pieces for it.

Have always liked watching Froch (met him once and hes a smashing fella). He isn't the most naturally talented boxer out there but he always gives 100% and never leaves anything behind, reminds me of Collins in this regard a little bit, overachieving with pure effort and balls of steel.

nacho libre

Bernard Hopkins would agree with Groves carry on. It's obvious what Groves is at. I think he has actually got to Froch a bit. Lets see if boxing skills are as good as his ability to antagonise.

I have a feeling Groves might have the style to cause Froch a few problems, but i expect Froch to win out..

Johner

walshb wrote: »

Fair enough, but several reds were very competitive. It wasn't a dominating victory. Clear, but not as you suggested.

The 118-110 card was the fairest card. 115-113 was an insult, Ward was in complete control for the whole fight. Also he injured his hand early on, Ward is on a different planet to Froch.

walshb

Johner wrote: »

The 118-110 card was the fairest card. 115-113 was an insult, Ward was in complete control for the whole fight. Also he injured his hand early on, Ward is on a different planet to Froch.

No problem with that score card. Froch was not dominated or badly beaten up. Just a step behind for most of the fight.

prettyboy81

The only way I can see Groves beat Froch is adopt a game plan similar to Dirrell/Taylor & his gameplan against DeGale. Hit & move let Froch come looking for him & try make him miss/look clumsy in front of the judges.

However, it's a risky plan to try pull of for 12 rounds boxing on the back foot & getting 2 judges to give you the decision against The Champ.

I am going to have a little bet on Groves by decision at 11/2.

but1er

groves is a nutter! i hope froch beats him silly!! so frustrating he done nothing in boxing!!

Cold Chocolate

I'd like Groves to win but just can't see it happening.

fsfg

It's my opinion that Groves split with Booth as he stopped listening to him. Groves has an ego (which was built by Booth) and I think he forced the fight rather than his team had any confidence in him winning.

Groves thinks he will win, I have no doubt about that and he thinks he is a master of mind games. I think it's working to a degree- Froch looks angry to me.

Froch underestimes Groves and he needs to be careful as I think Groves has the greater power. His downfall though is that Froch won't quit or lose his spirt and his chin is rock solid. Groves needs to avoid Froch for the whole fight and while I think is is very underrated by all, logic would suggest he won't keep froch off him (unless he hurts him) maybe Groves has a better chin than I gave him credit for but I doubt it.

Froch by late Ko with Groves ahead on points at the time.

megadodge

fsfg wrote: »

It's my opinion that Groves split with Booth as he stopped listening to him. Groves has an ego (which was built by Booth) and I think he forced the fight rather than his team had any confidence in him winning.

Groves thinks he will win, I have no doubt about that and he thinks he is a master of mind games. I think it's working to a degree- Froch looks angry to me.

Froch underestimes Groves and he needs to be careful as I think Groves has the greater power. His downfall though is that Froch won't quit or lose his spirt and his chin is rock solid. Groves needs to avoid Froch for the whole fight and while I think is is very underrated by all, logic would suggest he won't keep froch off him (unless he hurts him) maybe Groves has a better chin than I gave him credit for but I doubt it.

Froch by late Ko with Groves ahead on points at the time.

That's a pretty good summation of the whole situation.

I already mentioned that I think Groves will give him problems, and while from a betting perspective the late stoppage for Froch is probably the best bet, a small wager on Groves on pts is certainly a good value bet IMO.

Brad Goodman

Groves looks a nice boxer with decent pop but he has had 19 fights and a quick look at names and only James DeGale, Paul Smith and Glen Johnson's names stand out. DeGale and Smith are only European level (DeGale could push on but I'm doubtful) and Johnson, while it was a good win, is completely washed up now. Therefore, unless Froch has faded badly in the past few months, which is doubtful since he's looked great in his last 2 fights, I think he jumps all over Groves early and smashes him inside of of 5 rounds. I remember Kenny Anderson had Groves all over the shop on a numerous occasions in their fight. Kenny Anderson! I just can't see Groves' chin holding up for long.

MD1990

Brad Goodman wrote: »

Groves looks a nice boxer with decent pop but he has had 19 fights and a quick look at names and only James DeGale, Paul Smith and Glen Johnson's names stand out. DeGale and Smith are only European level (DeGale could push on but I'm doubtful) and Johnson, while it was a good win, is completely washed up now. Therefore, unless Froch has faded badly in the past few months, which is doubtful since he's looked great in his last 2 fights, I think he jumps all over Groves early and smashes him inside of of 5 rounds. I remember Kenny Anderson had Groves all over the shop on a numerous occasions in their fight. Kenny Anderson! I just can't see Groves' chin holding up for long.

Froch just about beat Johnson back in 2011

Johner

I would love Groves to win this but sadly I think it is coming to soon in his career.

tunguska

The undercard seems to be kicking off at 6:30pm but no mention of what time the main event is scheduled for. Anybody know, even a ball park figure would do? Cheers.

HigginsJ

tunguska wrote: »

The undercard seems to be kicking off at 6:30pm but no mention of what time the main event is scheduled for. Anybody know, even a ball park figure would do? Cheers.

Guessing the main event would be around half 10. Working till 9 so debating whether or not to get it in

alanceltic

Don't you just love when there is a needle between 2 boxers in a title fight. It definitely adds an extra dimension to the whole theatrics and there is serious bad blood between these two. I actually think that Groves has managed to really get under the skin of Froch so much so that it might actually change how he would normally approach this fight.

MD1990

good interview with Paddy Fitzpatrick