Groves advantages over Froch

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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.

Can anyone guess what Groves will make if it's PPV? Which it probably will be.

For half a million or so I'm sure he is willing to take a beatings. That's Fast Car Eddie's way of doing things.

Commonsense says Froch should take this one but there's something a little unpleasant about him of late that makes me favour Groves. The contempt he's shown Groves over such nonsense as sparring with Kessler and how a fight with him would be career ending for George seems to suggest Froch has gone up the arrogance ladder of late and, to my mind, somewhat unnecessarily.

Froch has come across as very bitter in some interviews (after the losses to Kessler and Ward) and even recently he's been telling Groves to man up and have a scrap rather than running all night.

I don't recall Froch standing and trading with Abraham. He adopted a very smart and sensible gameplan and stuck to it so for him to suggest Groves is essentially not a warrior (like Carl "I'm a Warrior who only fights other warriors" Froch) is a bit rich.

Froch may have to try and jump on Groves early doors like he did against Bute as logic would suggest Groves will fight on the backfoot. However, against Kessler, Froch was caught on numerous occasions with shots he didn't have to take in order, it seems, to prove that he could. In the last round Kessler had Froch at sixes and sevens which suggests Carl isn't utterly superhuman and if he goes into the Groves fight with an attitude like that, I think he'll leave Groves with enough chances to steal rounds that by rights should be Carl's.

Whichever way it goes, I think Groves will aquit himself well and Froch still won't get a fight with Andre Ward

Tend to agree Dave that Groves will emerge from this with credit. My only fear is we will see him using Booth's favoured circle around trying to raid tactics and as shown in Haye against Wlad when these do not work the abuse that can be forthcoming can be fairly vitriolic. Whilst I am not suggesting he should go in the trenches hope he is not too negative because he is skilled enough to make this close without being uber negative.

Against Degale he used some excellent lateral movement to outfox Chunky and it certainly wasn't him circling around looking to steal rounds. I'd assume he'll use a variation of these tactics because, however experienced Froch is, he still isn't great against movers.

I agree that Groves gets caught more when he switches off and it's vital that he concentrates for the full 12 rounds. Mind you, Froch has been known to fall asleep as well.

I still believe Froch is taking this one as a marking time fight prior to a rematch with Ward (which he still won't win) and despite what he says, I don't think he's giving Groves the credit he deserves

With Froch i think its important to remember how long it has taken him to get where he is now. He was an unknown for quite a while and has only fairly recently made it to the very top of the game and in fairness to him he didnt take any shortcuts. Taking this into account you can understand his bitterness towards Groves. Groves has only had a handful of fights and has now landed himself a huge fight and pay day to boot. At the same age Froch was getting nowhere near this much exposure so although i agree Froch has come across like a bit of a plumb recently, I can understand his reasoning.

With Froch i think its important to remember how long it has taken him to get where he is now. He was an unknown for quite a while and has only fairly recently made it to the very top of the game and in fairness to him he didnt take any shortcuts. Taking this into account you can understand his bitterness towards Groves. Groves has only had a handful of fights and has now landed himself a huge fight and pay day to boot. At the same age Froch was getting nowhere near this much exposure so although i agree Froch has come across like a bit of a plumb recently, I can understand his reasoning..

How would you view Froch if he'd got his shot at Calzaghe employing basically the same tactics Groves has.

In fairness to Groves, he's been made IBF mandatory, he hasn't jumped the queue or mouthed his way to a title shot. Also, given Froch was so widely outclassed by Ward, is he is any better position to be shouting his mouth off about a rematch and trying to dictate terms citing himself as the big draw etc etc etc.

Don't get me wrong I don't begrudge Froch the plaudits he's getting, he's certainly earned them but I'm not sure that trying to become Nottingham's answer to Broner in the arrogance stakes is the way forward for him.

Does Froch ever fight outside the trench? I think groves will be getting dragged into said place and will be spanked.

However, i do feel that Groves will be winning handily up to around the mid way point, at which time he will likely tire.

Enter the warrior, enter the trench. Here endeth the prospect.....but will enhance his career never the less.

Froch was born in the trenches, forged in warrior fires that were specially built for the trenches, grew up in the trenches, tried going outside the trenches, decided he didn't like it so stayed in the trenches and got other people to get in the trenches with him as long as they were warriors who were born in the trenches, forged in warrior fires that were specially built for the trenches, grew up in the trenches, tried going outside the trenches, decided they didn't like it so stayed in the trenches and got other people to get in the trenches with them

DAVE667 wrote:Froch was born in the trenches, forged in warrior fires that were specially built for the trenches, grew up in the trenches, tried going outside the trenches, decided he didn't like it so stayed in the trenches and got other people to get in the trenches with him as long as they were warriors who were born in the trenches, forged in warrior fires that were specially built for the trenches, grew up in the trenches, tried going outside the trenches, decided they didn't like it so stayed in the trenches and got other people to get in the trenches with them

Hahahahahhahaha

Froch's 19th fight was against Brian Magee. His 24th was for the world championship. This will be Grove's 20th fight, so not a major acceleration here compared to where Froch was at this point in his career. The big difference is that Froch fought a durable French man for his first world title, whereas Groves is up against the second best in the division. I pity Groves actually. If he wins, nothing short of a fight with Ward will satisfy everyone. A loss in a hard fight may be the best result for him, as it will still give him the opportunity to take learning fights while giving him great marketability. Such a result didn't harm Pascal or Kessler.

This maybe a good fight for Brit fans but I'd rather Groves had fought at lease one of Steiglitz, Kessler, Abraham or Bika first.

bhb001 wrote:Froch's 19th fight was against Brian Magee. His 24th was for the world championship. This will be Grove's 20th fight, so not a major acceleration here compared to where Froch was at this point in his career. The big difference is that Froch fought a durable French man for his first world title, whereas Groves is up against the second best in the division. I pity Groves actually. If he wins, nothing short of a fight with Ward will satisfy everyone. A loss in a hard fight may be the best result for him, as it will still give him the opportunity to take learning fights while giving him great marketability. Such a result didn't harm Pascal or Kessler.

Pascal is Hatian/Canadian

I don't pity Groves. If he wins then he has done what no one thinks he will. He must be making $1mill plus. If he wins, he will be a champion that just beat Froch, so he can happily fight Kessler, Steiglitz as he will have proven what he can do versus Froch.

It would be great if Groves could pull this off but you can't look past Froch due to his overall experience at this level.

Sean, do you really think that if he took on Kessler after beating Froch that people would say that is a good fight or maybe comment on him taking on a fighter already beaten by our two best fighters of the last ten years (give or take a Hatton, Haye, Khan or Fury  ). It really is Ward or bust and even the most optimistic of us would predict a bust in this case, surely. (Optimistic, remember, not delusional).