Froch Groves 1: My Fight of the Decade
23rd November 2013. The date of my Fight of the Century. Carl Froch successfully defended his WBA and IBF super middleweight titles against London’s George Groves at the M.E.N Arena in Manchester, supported by an entirely forgettable undercard on Sky PPV. What happened before the fight on the night plays no part in the memory. What happened in the weeks building up, the aftermath and those nine rounds forever will.
There were two counteracting personalities at play, creating the friction that ultimately lead to the fire. Froch had become the darling of British boxing, underappreciated for many years as he went on the road to fight the world’s best. Ward, Abraham, Johnson and Kessler were all battled in their own backyards, while the major TV networks allowed these fights to slip under the radar; 11 world title fights in total prior to this bout. Eddie Hearn must take the credit for investing heavily in bringing over Canadian based undefeated and much feared Lucian Bute 18 months prior for Froch to regain a version of the world title. A return victory against Mikkel Kessler had cemented Froch as the premium asset in UK boxing at the time.
Groves was polarising. Young, cocky, brash and seemingly the new school of psychology and personality, engaging in mind games that left Froch outside of his comfort zone. No standout wins on his CV, but a solid record of 19 wins, picking up the traditional titles along with the obligatory inter-continental belt. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UN6QnHf7ykw
Groves was to Froch what Froch was to Calzaghe. Annoying, pointless, young and unproven. Why should a man who had done so much have to defend his world titles against a boy who had achieved so little? It would seem that the answer was pride, ego, to prove a point. Get rid of the yapping noise and pick up an easy few pounds in the process. A standard defence against someone who hadn’t earned their place at the table.
It was perhaps telling that at the final press conference the disdain with which Froch held the views of Groves. “We’ve all heard what he’s had to say. It’s been a bit embarrassing to be honest, it’s been cringey listening to what he’s said and reading some of his comments.”
Groves countered. The mind games came into play, as he told Froch not just that he would beat him but how he would beat him. Although the outcome may not have been as desired, the content was somewhat prophetic:
“I’m going to come out and meet you centre of the ring first round and I’m going to win the jab exchanges and I’m going to hit you with two right hands. Just two. Just to let you know that whenever I want, I can hit you with a right hand. Second round I’ll do the same, I’ll take the centre of the ring and win the jab exchanges, hit him with more right hands. Third round I’ll push him on his back foot. After the third round, you’ll have to see what’s coming next Carl.”
“The first one won’t do any damage so I’ll sit there and let him do that” said Froch. Sit there he would. The disdain at this point on the face of Froch was palpable. On his face, in his words, you could tell that Froch was ready for the fight there and then. He wanted the young pup gone, dealt with and to move on to the perceived top table where he had been.
There was the other drama as we awaited the fight. Long term Trainer of George Groves, Adam Booth, parted ways just a couple of months prior to fight night. No reasons was publicly confirmed as the two separated and Groves went to Swindon’s Paddy Fitzpatrick, a man with great pedigree yet relatively unknown. Some saw it as yet more signs of the cockiness of the young man, seemingly OK with not having the man who had taken him this far.
https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/general/others/boxing-adam-booth-confirms-he-is-no-longer-working-with-george-groves-ahead-of-carl-froch-fight-8824937.html
The fight was everything that could have been wished for. Groves did what he said he would do. He controlled the centre of the ring from the opening bell, laying his left hand low by his side and making Froch miss, countering with his rapid jab. Plenty of feints from Groves left Froch twitching his defence, Groves working out the timing. The first big right hand promised didn’t emerge until 47 seconds in, without finding a home. But it didn’t put Groves off from throwing it again.
It was with 17 seconds of the first round left when Groves exploded the right hand onto Froch’s chin. Froch was coming back from the ropes, over-reached his own right hand and left the opening that would change the career of George Groves. No longer the whippersnapper, the young boy, the upstart. He had just floored in one round a man who traded on having a chin of granite. Froch got back up and with only a few seconds remaining, saw the round out. Even then, it was with more heavy artillery landing upon his jaw. He would later say he doesn’t even remember the knockdown, so hard he was hit.
With legs seemingly detached from his body, Froch took his minute and re-grouped. There is little point in me recapping round-by-round when it can be -relived in full:
By the ninth round Froch was seemingly in desperate need of an unlikely stoppage. Jabs that carried little weight and confidence sapped; Groves was still able to find space to land the right hand that had done so much damage early on as well as a vicious left hook. But Froch is made of something unworldly. Despite the punishment, the damage and the ego bashing, he was still able to stand his ground and fight Groves. Just over a minute of the round gone and Froch runs across the ring to attack, sensing damage. The sweet science out of the window, this was the hurt game. Froch throws a big right hand, which Groves has the wherewithal to duck. He takes another, snapping back the neck, as well as a huge left hook and some grappling to the back of the head. But that’s it. Step forward Howard Foster, who hauled Groves away in protest. The fight was over, the old warrior had defied the early odds and claimed the victory.
You couldn’t help but sense had Froch been in the same difficulty the fight would have continued. In fact he was in more trouble in that first round and was allowed to continue. Groves was ahead, with only the championship rounds to see out, and yet was denied the opportunity. He hadn’t touched the canvas and only seconds earlier had shown he was still able to defend himself despite the tide swaying.
In defeat and controversy lay opportunity. Having sat on the apron for a post-fight interview, gone from villain to hero in the space of nine rounds, Groves had established himself as a world class fighter. He had introduced himself to an audience of thousands as an elite level threat.
What followed was messy. Groves petitioning the WBA to have an immediate rematch, allowing him another shot at the titles that eluded him first time around. But again, as long as the memory of the rematch will live so too will the build-up.
There was the infamous ‘Gloves Are Off’, where a handshake turned into a “push and a pull”:
The emergence of the Gingerbread Chan, a character now synonymous with Groves for both his appearances and tattoo:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/boxing/article-2510006/George-Groves-prepares-Carl-Froch-showdown-sparring-Gingerbread-Man-mascot.html
The mind games, which hadn’t died down from the first fight. Groves became the first boxer in my memory to complete a Rubik’s Cube during a press conference:
The emergence of the Gingerbread Chan, a character now synonymous with Groves for both his appearances and tattoo:
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/boxing/article-2510006/George-Groves-prepares-Carl-Froch-showdown-sparring-Gingerbread-Man-mascot.html
The mind games, which hadn’t died down from the first fight. Groves became the first boxer in my memory to complete a Rubik’s Cube during a press conference:
All of which culminated in the 80,000 person spectacle at Wembley stadium. THAT red bus, THAT right hand, THAT knockout, THAT proposal and ultimately THAT retirement. It kickstarted the revolution of British boxing, a baton that was handed to Anthony Joshua. However, none of it occurs without THAT night in Manchester. Two men that deserve the plaudits they received and as the decade comes to a close with both now in retirement, deserve to be remembered for their contributions.