Groves advantages over Froch

It's interesting that in a fight where so many people favour the champ (yours truly included), that the opponent would have so many advantages in terms of attributes.

Hand speed: Groves
Power: Arguably Groves
Foot speed: Groves
Jab: Groves has an excellent jab, so does Froch.
Reflexes: Groves
Shopworness: Froch, far more than Groves

Obviously Froch has the experience, and his resolve is unquestionable. But are we overlooking the various skillset advantages Groves has? Or, is this just another fight where on paper Froch could struggle, but his inner Frochness gets him through?

Personally, I see Froch winning by beasting. Can't see Groves dancing his way to a victory over 12. Froch will get to him.

I think Froch is just too tough and physically strong and Groves doesnt have enough experience yet to deal with him.

Froch's chin is a 10 out of 10, he actually seems to enjoy being hit which he may well regret a few years down the line. Groves chin is maybe a 7 out of 10. Think this will be the deciding factor personally though its definitely a live fight for me and fair play to Groves for stepping up to take it.

Yeah, I admire Groves ambition. good for him. Probably helps that he'll bank a serious paycheck, too, but fair play

Could be a SD either way I think.

Groves is too quick and if he bags enough early rounds up until the halfway mark there is a chance he will slow down and Froch is at his best late in fights so might start winning rounds after the half way point.

I would like to see Groves pull off the upset. Give Froch something else to moan about.

If Groves can box to a plan and stay away from Froch's right then he could box his way to a SD/UD.......but surely Froch will land something of note on Groves rather timid chin and it'll be goodnight gracie.

Reborn-DeeMcK-Reborn wrote:Could be a SD either way I think.

Groves is too quick and if he bags enough early rounds up until the halfway mark there is a chance he will slow down and Froch is at his best late in fights so might start winning rounds after the half way point.

I would like to see Groves pull off the upset. Give Froch something else to moan about.

Groves is quick, but he is not known for avoiding punches that easily. Did very well versus Degale, but I blame Degale as much as anything for that. Sierra caught him a fair but. Froch will catch him.

People catch Groves when he gets sloppy, which tends to be when he relaxes a little too much (see Smith Jr).

I think a fight of this magnitude will keep him sharp for all 36 minutes like with JdG.

That said, at SOME point I do think Froch will catch him and drop him. If not KO/TKO then enough to make up for lost rounds to take a UD at the final bell.

It just feels like man v boy. I like groves, and I'm no froch fanboy, just think froch will take what groves gives, better than groves takes what froch gives... at some point he'll wear him down and take him out.

Essentially froch will go to war and take him to the trenches. Groves won't be able to take it because when all is said and done, froch is a throwback fighter and a true warrior. Groves isn't.

Power: Froch (groves has fought nobody of note and has knocked poor opposition out)

Experience: Froch (no need for a comment)

Foot Speed: Groves (Froch plods in my opinion)

Hand Speed: Groves (quick sharp combinations although Froch maybe slower, he throws a hell of a lot more punches)

Jab: Both have great jabs. Frochs performance against Abraham really showed it off.

Reflexes: Groves by a mile. Younger and fresher

Shopworness: Groves

Warrior Rating: Froch 10 Groves 7

Chin: Froch by a million miles

Prediction: Groves to outwork and outbox Froch for first 4-6 rounds. Punches will land to no effect. Groves then becomes disheartened and tired. At this point, the ring turns into a trench. Carl brings him into it and starts to tear Groves apart from round 6 onwards. The war ends in round 9 with a very tired battered and bruised Groves lying on his back in no mans land with The Cobra celebrating.

Froch TKO 9

Shopworness is Froch not Groves sorry.

Great time for Groves to challenge- Froch's wars have got to catch up with him a some point soon, so why risk waiting for someone else to be in the right place at the right time, and if it proves otherwise and Froch still has enough in the tank, he loses to a credible, respected champion, learns from the experience and has plenty of time to come again-everything to gain and little to lose- in some ways it reminds me of when Watson fought McCallum, and I expect a similar outcome, late stoppage for Froch, but Groves to give a good account of himself.

Nice one Sean, I probably agree with most of your points. However having watched them both close up in the flesh in their respective matches, I just can't see how Groves can keep Froch off him, he'll bully him physically and punch him around the ring, they looked different weights to the eye when I watched them at the O2.

Groves definelty has more fluidity , better skills and moves. But he'll have the plan of the decade to pull this off.

Froch in 6 for me

Cheers Rodders

Are things like chin, power and shopworness in isolation worth anything when it's quite that one boxer will be able to take the others power far easier than vice versa?

I dont really think its a good time for Groves to be challenging Froch. He could have used a couple more testing fights. Theres no real evidence that Froch has slipped meaningfully. With Groves ranked highly with the WBC and WBO I think he would have been better targetting Stieglitz or Bika which would have been good opponents irrespective of the belts they have anyway. If he won against one those then the Froch fight becomes even bigger and his share of the money is increased. I think Hearn just needed a ppv opponent for Froch and decided to rush Groves slightly.

Froch is one of the best fighters in the world and is on top of his game. Nobody in his division would beat him in the UK in front of his own fans. Groves just doesnt have what it takes to beat Froch. Froch also has a grudge against Groves and he will look to teach him a hard lesson. I expect a knock out from Froch.

Winchester i also agree. However, standby for a major backlash in about 10 minutes regarding a certain fighter called Andre Ward....

Ward hasnt proven himself like Froch. People say he won the Super 6 but every other fighter had to travel to fight him. He had home advantage in every fight. So the tournament was unfair to begin with and it shows that Ward is the one that has the issue.

Again i agree although we cant dismiss him proving himself because he would not have won the super 6 if he wasn't good enough i suppose. But i would like him to travel, which he should of had to do against Froch, Kessler, Abraham etc. They all travelled so why cant he?

Would he have won the Super 6 if he had to face Froch in the UK? I dont think so. But he should let us find out instead of avoiding Frochs challenge. I have much more respect for boxers like Froch and Kessler who travel and get on with it to prove themselves.

Froch, Kessler, Abraham, Bika and Dawson, yes Ward is totally unproven just because he didn't fight Froch in the UK, I guess we should dismiss every win at home then.

I don't mind Groves but for me you should crawl before you can walk, never fought anybody near Frochs class and certainly hasn't earned a world title shot.
Froch is at the top of his game at the moment and this could end a lot earlier than people think,Froch was punch perfect against Bute,far too early for Groves IMO,Froch will be well motivated for this especially in front of his fans and experience will make all the difference.

Groves' excellent win against DeGale was gained against a fine opponent, but one who, to this day, will waste time and rounds in sitting on the ropes or otherwise failing to work hard enough.

Once in a while, Froch has been accused of the same habit of coasting through the odd round - however that accusation is a bit of a dead letter these days. Since the first Kessler fight, where Froch didn't throw enough in the middle rounds, he has rarely given opponents a minute's peace (barring the Ward contest, in which he was forgivably outclassed). I suspect that Groves can forget about taking breathers in this one and consequently, I find it hard to see him maintaining the pace that he will need for the whole fight. As I've said elsewhere, this will be a different world for George, and he'll be doing well to hear the final bell.

cant agree that groves has better power than froch his two step up in classes he hasnt be able to get rid of his opponent in Johnson (no shame there though)and degale. the rest have been well below anything froch has been fighting. think if were talking about power the key issue here for me is chin of the opponent. froch can certainly take anything groves gives him but not so sure the other way round

The sensible prediction is Froch KO, but i got a feeling that Groves might just box rings around him all night and actually embarrass Froch with his speed of hand and foot. I also think he will trouble Froch with his timing of big shots when Froch is off balance and leaning in to throw punches and might easily put Froch on the seat of his pants if only briefly.

Seanusarrilius wrote:
Hand speed: Groves

Yes..

Power: Arguably Groves

Nope, his last opponent lead with his chin, anyone with a decent punch is going to get a KO there.. I do think Groves has power but I don't think it will be as exceptional once he faces people who have a better defense.. I would say Froch also does not have Huge power but I think they are probably even, with Froch having stopped the better fighters, so should maybe have the edge.

Foot speed: Groves

ok

Jab: Groves has an excellent jab, so does Froch.

Again you have to give this to Froch as his jab has looked as good if not better than Groves against higher quality opposition.... where was Groves Jab against Degale, not nearly as dominant... was quite good at times against a slow and still Johnston...

Reflexes: Groves

Yes

Shopworness: Froch, far more than Groves

Not at all, going by Froch's last three fights he has been at his best. so no reason to say he is shop worn as yet...

Obviously Froch has the experience, and his resolve is unquestionable. But are we overlooking the various skillset advantages Groves has? Or, is this just another fight where on paper Froch could struggle, but his inner Frochness gets him through?

You have missed a few out, one very important thing, CHIN. Froch has a great chin and Groves chin is fairly suspect. Also stamina, Froch often gets stronger as a fight goes on and carries his power through the fight. Groves from what I have seen burns up allot of energy with his movement and power punches..

Froch is also taller and has a longer reach.

Personally, I see Froch winning by beasting. Can't see Groves dancing his way to a victory over 12. Froch will get to him.

The only way I see Groves winning is if he catches Froch with a bomb early and stays on him for an early stoppage... the longer the fight goes on Froch will take control..

tunes666 wrote:

Seanusarrilius wrote:
Hand speed: Groves

Yes..

Power: Arguably Groves

Nope, his last opponent lead with his chin, anyone with a decent punch is going to get a KO there..  I do think Groves has power but I don't think it will be as exceptional once he faces people who have a better defense.. I would say Froch also does not have Huge power but I think they are probably even, with Froch having stopped the better fighters, so should maybe have the edge.  

Foot speed: Groves

ok

Jab: Groves has an excellent jab, so does Froch.

Again you have to give this to Froch as his jab has looked as good if not better than Groves against higher quality opposition.... where was Groves Jab against Degale, not nearly as dominant... was quite good at times against a slow and still Johnston...

Reflexes: Groves

Yes

Shopworness: Froch, far more than Groves

Not at all, going by Froch's last three fights he has been at his best. so no reason to say he is shop worn as yet...

Obviously Froch has the experience, and his resolve is unquestionable. But are we overlooking the various skillset advantages Groves has? Or, is this just another fight where on paper Froch could struggle, but his inner Frochness gets him through?

You have missed a few out, one very important thing, CHIN. Froch has a great chin and Groves chin is fairly suspect.  Also stamina, Froch often gets stronger as a fight goes on and carries his power through the fight. Groves from what I have seen burns up allot of energy with his movement and power punches..

Froch is also taller and has a longer reach.

Personally, I see Froch winning by beasting. Can't see Groves dancing his way to a victory over 12. Froch will get to him.

The only way I see Groves winning is if he catches Froch with a bomb early and stays on him for an early stoppage... the longer the fight goes on Froch will take control..

I don't really consider chin a part of someones skillset although Froch definitely has this to his advantage. Froch is slowing and showing a little wear and tear from several tough fights. Of course he is more worn than Groves. Groves hasn't had any tough fights.

chin might not be a skill set but certainly is a crucial part of any boxers attributes. one of the most important in fact. not that groves is that chinny but if they do trade at any point there's only one winner because of this

I think Groves is really going to feel the step up in class when Froch lands clean. Yes he has sparred with Froch and Kessler but in real battle its an entirely different beast. This fight has arrived 12 months early for Groves, Froch is currently in the form of his life and Groves hasnt got the strength or experience to be able to keep Froch off him.

Team Groves must know something we don't. No way would they let Groves, at this stage of his career, in with a prime Froch.

manos de piedra wrote:I dont really think its a good time for Groves to be challenging Froch. He could have used a couple more testing fights. Theres no real evidence that Froch has slipped meaningfully. With Groves ranked highly with the WBC and WBO I think he would have been better targetting Stieglitz or Bika which would have been good opponents irrespective of the belts they have anyway. If he won against one those then the Froch fight becomes even bigger and his share of the money is increased. I think Hearn just needed a ppv opponent for Froch and decided to rush Groves slightly.

Whilst i see your point about having a couple more testing fight, and that Stieglitz or Bika being more winnable fights, Groves v Froch is a better fight in terms of public interest, and in terms of credibility (ignoring the elephant in the room i.e Ward) Froch is a recognised champ, and that's who credible contenders should want fight- there were easier fights for Watson than McCallum, but I respect him more for trying and losing against the better fighter than beating a lesser one.

Groves definitely has many attributes in his favour but the OP misses two key factors, workrate and will. These are where Froch wins big.

The other attributes are close but Froch is far fitter and puts on pressure which Groves won't have encountered before.

He was pressured against Anderson and so nearly fell apart when to his credit, he found the answers. Froch however, is a whole different beast and this will be key.

Unless this is Froch's aging fight, and there are no significant signs of this just yet, then he will keep coming. He will be easily the fittest, hardest working and toughest opponent of Groves's career to date.

This is, in my opinion, the massive difference. If he can stand up to this (mentally and physically), and is fit enough to carry his gameplan through, then an upset is on the cards.

If I was a betting man though, it would be Froch all the way.

Froch is on the form of his life and there are so many questions yet for Groves to answer. A Groves win is certainly possible and without this type of chance, he will never know what he's capable of, but it has to be Froch.

Groves is good but he's not shown enough yet to suggest he's ready to beat Froch.

I actually find this quite an intriguing match-up. The world-class warrior versus the young, talented and unbeaten challenger.

Clearly Froch has more experience at the highest level, but Anderson aside, Groves has always stepped up. Can he step up further? He was expected by many to lose to DeGale & didn't. Not saying he'll beat Froch but he has enough to cause a scare.

I don't think Froch will take him lightly, and that makes it all the more interesting. Could be a walk through a la Yusuf Mack, but I actually believe it will be much tougher than that. I'm going to plump for a Froch tearing into a tired and battered Groves, still on his feet with the ref jumping in somewhere around rounds 10/11.

Mayweathers cellmate wrote:Team Groves must know something we don't. No way would they let Groves, at this stage of his career, in with a prime Froch.

nothing to lose, big pay day, chance of having the fight of his life and being champ... if he looses its 1 loss on his record and he drops down to Euro level for a bit before having another crack, and if he puts in a good performance and looses he still does him self well...

The other title fights wont make nearly as much money with maybe Ward generating interest, and that's not a fight he wants to take anytime.

Also was the fight not called for by the IBF?

Bottom line is the best fighters Groves has faced is Degale and Johnston who was 43 years old and had VERY clearly seen his best days, looking slow and with very little movement.

I dont care what anyone says, he lost the Degale fight. There is an argument for a Drawer as it was a scrappy fight, but for me the anti Degale crowed lost him that fight having really won it by 2 rounds. In that fight Degale was not hurt once, where was Groves power in that fight?

And against Johnston while Groves looked good and strong, it looked like he was fighting a guy in a zimmer frame and again his power did not stop him even though he was landing at will and still had one or two hairy moments, yes Johnston is durable but still..

I think this will be a Bute or Mack style drubbing. Froch is not a guy you should be testing the waters at world class against as he'll eat you alive, big error in judgement from Groves team and are looking at the short term picture as Froch is the biggest pay day available to Groves right now by some distance. Given Groves pretty patchy injury record it wouldn't surprise me Hearn was just looking to cash in on this one and sees it as a bonus if Groves can come back and get some big pay days later but doesn't want to invest in a long term plan for a guy who pulls out of a lot of fights injured.

Bottom line Groves beat Degale, there is no way that anyone say either of them clearly deserved to win, it was incredibly tight and could have gone either way.

Groves' jab? Im sorry but he very rarely uses his jab unless against poor opposition. He has a good jab, but he doesn't really throw it of benefits whereas froch has been throwing it alot more in his last few fights

Groves probabaly has more one punch KO power, but Froch has very heavy hands and has more weight behind his punches and his shots are clubbing and grinds you down

Groves is quicker, younger, has faster reflexes and more KO power

Froch is stronger, more durable, fitter, more experienced, more relentless and I cant see him not grinding Groves down

Groves is quicker, but Froch can cut off the ring very well

The Terror of Tylorstown wrote:Bottom line Groves beat Degale, there is no way that anyone say either of them clearly deserved to win, it was incredibly tight and could have gone either way.

I can understand how Groves won as there was allot of close rounds that could have gone either way and like I say with %80 of the crowed dying to see Degale loose this could have easily given Groves a little advantage on those close rounds, but in hide site looking at the fight Degale was the one on the front foot, who hurt Groves the most and who took the more cleaner rounds when he did win them, I could only find 2 clear rounds where you had to give to Groves all the others that must have been given to him were 50/50s, Degale had about 4 clear rounds, which is why in hind site I feel he was unlucky not to keep his belt.

But regardless and putting aside the split views, even if the decision was right he hardly gave Degale a lesson in boxing or showed he was any class above, his power was not as prominent as it is when he faces very average fighters or even a 43 year old completely shot fighter.. feel free to show me a point in the fight where Groves's power troubled Degale at all.

Tunes. Glen Johnson has seen better days, but then he'd seen better days when froch laboured past him too.

Degale groves was wafer thin. Any result would have been understandable.

Whichever, froch to bully groves out of this one.

milkyboy wrote:Tunes. Glen Johnson has seen better days, but then he'd seen better days when froch laboured past him too.

Degale groves was wafer thin. Any result would have been understandable.

Whichever, froch to bully groves out of this one.

Johnson was a year in a half older and at 43 that counts, he had already lost three on the trot before flying to london to pick up some pocket money against Groves. Visibly you could see the guy was finished..

I don't think Groves is ready for this huge step up just yet, to be honest, and I'd struggle to see a way for him to beat Froch as things stand. At 36, there's always a chance that Froch could grow in to an old man overnight, but unless that happens I think it's asking a lot for Groves to win this.

When me and Hampo were discussing this on the podcast the other night I said, as bellchees has touched upon, that I can't rule out this being Froch-Bute all over again. Like Bute going in to that one, Groves has shown very good power, a good, rounded skill set but has also shown that he can be hurt, shaken up and made to look slightly vulnerable at times. But while Bute's opposition wasn't all that eye-popping before fighting Froch, Groves' is of an even lower standard by a reasonable margin and I think he's going to find himself in a world of trouble once he's feeling that huge step up for himself. Froch is no immature, ten-fight James DeGale or old man Glen Johnson.

I think it's instructional that those two, perhaps Groves' two best wins so far, have taken George the distance and I don't really feel that Groves is carrying an edge in power as many are saying, given that his collection of knockouts have come against a relatively low rung of competition. Likewise, Froch was knocking over more than 80 per cent of his victims before hitting world title level. He's a puncher to be reckoned with, for sure, but I'd feel comfortable that Froch's chin can stand up to his best, whereas I certainly wouldn't have any confidence in saying that Groves' can stand up to a barrage of Froch's best.

I think Groves and Booth know that trying to take Froch on in a slug fest would be suicide and will be looking to adopt a gameplan similar to the one they used against DeGale. Froch can be vulnerable to speed (Taylor, Dirrell, Ward) and it's a quality that Groves can call upon because he has sharp reflexes and decent legs, definitely better than Froch's.

Doing that, he's going to have to be virtually punch-perfect to nick a points win because he'll be treading a fine line between boxing defensively to accumulate points and simply looking to survive, which won't (or at least shouldn't!) do him any favours with the judges. Dirrell tried walking that line and didn't quite manage to strike the right balance, and Froch is a much more polished fighter now than he was then. If that's what Groves is looking to do, then he'll have to make some improvements on his jab, I feel.

Groves is talking a good one right now, but I'm not convinced he's got the experience required just yet to step up to Froch's level and walk away with the spoils. His speed will probably give Carl problems early on but I don't think he can keep Froch from outmuscling him and cornering him at some stage, and again unless Froch ages a decade overnight there's only one of them coming out on top if / when it becomes that kind of fight.

Froch by TKO between rounds 8 and 10 would be my best guess at the moment.

The venue will have an effect.

If the fight is in Nottingham Groves might need a KO to win.

tunes666 wrote:

milkyboy wrote:Tunes. Glen Johnson has seen better days, but then he'd seen better days when froch laboured past him too.

Degale groves was wafer thin. Any result would have been understandable.

Whichever, froch to bully groves out of this one.

Johnson was a year in a half older and at 43 that counts, he had already lost three on the trot before flying to london to pick up some pocket money against Groves. Visibly you could see the guy was finished..

I'm in my 40's tunes, so I understand the ageing process. I appreciate your point was about the lack of quality in groves' opponents and no arguments that groves has fought precious little to prepare him for froch.

My point was, that the guy you chose to beat groves up with, outboxed froch for 3 rounds then slowed badly in their fight. He looked shot then in my view and it was probably Carl's least impressive performance... At least of recent times.

milkyboy wrote:

tunes666 wrote:

milkyboy wrote:Tunes. Glen Johnson has seen better days, but then he'd seen better days when froch laboured past him too.

Degale groves was wafer thin. Any result would have been understandable.

Whichever, froch to bully groves out of this one.

Johnson was a year in a half older and at 43 that counts, he had already lost three on the trot before flying to london to pick up some pocket money against Groves. Visibly you could see the guy was finished..

I'm in my 40's tunes, so I understand the ageing process. I appreciate your point was about the lack of quality in groves' opponents and no arguments that groves has fought precious little to prepare him for froch.

My point was, that the guy you chose to beat groves up with, outboxed froch for 3 rounds then slowed badly in their fight. He looked shot then in my view and it was probably Carl's least impressive performance... At least of recent times.

Agreed, and I also think Froch was a bit complacent in that fight, I just think if Froch fought him at home the same time Groves did it would have been an easier nights work...

sounds like I have it in for Groves, I dont really for me I just see more of Adam booth than I do Groves and feel it is gona come unstuck... and i will happily eat my humble pie with custard if he proves me wrong..

88Chris05 wrote:I don't think Groves is ready for this huge step up just yet, to be honest, and I'd struggle to see a way for him to beat Froch as things stand. At 36, there's always a chance that Froch could grow in to an old man overnight, but unless that happens I think it's asking a lot for Groves to win this.

When me and Hampo were discussing this on the podcast the other night I said, as bellchees has touched upon, that I can't rule out this being Froch-Bute all over again. Like Bute going in to that one, Groves has shown very good power, a good, rounded skill set but has also shown that he can be hurt, shaken up and made to look slightly vulnerable at times. But while Bute's opposition wasn't all that eye-popping before fighting Froch, Groves' is of an even lower standard by a reasonable margin and I think he's going to find himself in a world of trouble once he's feeling that huge step up for himself. Froch is no immature, ten-fight James DeGale or old man Glen Johnson.

I think it's instructional that those two, perhaps Groves' two best wins so far, have taken George the distance and I don't really feel that Groves is carrying an edge in power as many are saying, given that his collection of knockouts have come against a relatively low rung of competition. Likewise, Froch was knocking over more than 80 per cent of his victims before hitting world title level. He's a puncher to be reckoned with, for sure, but I'd feel comfortable that Froch's chin can stand up to his best, whereas I certainly wouldn't have any confidence in saying that Groves' can stand up to a barrage of Froch's best.

I think Groves and Booth know that trying to take Froch on in a slug fest would be suicide and will be looking to adopt a gameplan similar to the one they used against DeGale. Froch can be vulnerable to speed (Taylor, Dirrell, Ward) and it's a quality that Groves can call upon because he has sharp reflexes and decent legs, definitely better than Froch's.

Doing that, he's going to have to be virtually punch-perfect to nick a points win because he'll be treading a fine line between boxing defensively to accumulate points and simply looking to survive, which won't (or at least shouldn't!) do him any favours with the judges. Dirrell tried walking that line and didn't quite manage to strike the right balance, and Froch is a much more polished fighter now than he was then. If that's what Groves is looking to do, then he'll have to make some improvements on his jab, I feel.

Groves is talking a good one right now, but I'm not convinced he's got the experience required just yet to step up to Froch's level and walk away with the spoils. His speed will probably give Carl problems early on but I don't think he can keep Froch from outmuscling him and cornering him at some stage, and again unless Froch ages a decade overnight there's only one of them coming out on top if / when it becomes that kind of fight.

Froch by TKO between rounds 8 and 10 would be my best guess at the moment.

Good assessment... i would go with that..

Yeh, don't think anyone's really disagreeing on much here... We all think froch will just out muscle George.

Like chris, I think master tactician booth will get George on his bike, and he may surprise us but I just can't see him keeping it up... Or at least keeping it up and win enough rounds.

I think par, is froch by mid/late stoppage... Wouldn't be shocked if its a bute either. I suspect it'll be a good fight while it lasts though as groves has talent and has shown the right stuff when in trouble before. That spirit might also ultimately be his undoing.

I really don't see how nicking a razor thin decision against a fellow novice by pretty much out smarting him as much as out boxing him prepares Groves for Froch in any way shape or form. He won the Degale fight by making Degale fight on the front foot and press the action which it turned out Degale was pretty hapless at doing, credit to Groves/Booth they saw a weakness in Degale and took advantage of it, however it was a very very close fight and no way will he be able to do that against Froch who is better than Degale in every area other than handspeed. I really can't see Groves making it past 3 or 4 rounds unless Froch walks into something massive like Manny vs Marquez, I like Groves but this fight is all wrong for him.

I think Froch has shown some weaknesses in his last few fights. He looked terrible against Ward and looked very very slow. He also looked very slow against a past it Kessler.

I think Groves will be able to capitalise on an ageing and slower Froch. Even though I think Froch will be a favourrite I wouldn't be surprised to see Groves win this fight.

Suspect we will see the default Booth tactics in this one of circle outside and look to nip in with quick raids from this position as I am not sure Booth has too much in his locker as a coach and think everyone in their camp knows that Groves is going to come a cropper trying to stand and trade with Froch. As others have said I struggle to envisage a way Groves wins in this.

In Froch, whilst they are not fighting the quickest or slickest of guys by the same token they are not fighting a Valuev who moves with all the speed and grace of a glacier nor are they fighting a green Degale without the nous or experience to adjust. I can see Groves having some success with these tactics in the early stages but once Froch adjusts and if he realises Groves does not carry too much in the way of power I expect him to start to walk Groves down and will probably stop him late on. Rate Groves as a fighter and think a year down the line with the right matches in between he could be a decent fighter but just not sure his matches thus far are enough of a grounding to handle a fighter of Froch’s experience or confidence, which at the minute seems sky high.