Carl Froch vs George Groves 2 Preview

By Peter Wells:

Carl Froch (left) & George Groves (right)

Tomorrow fight fans across the world will see the 2nd instalment of the biggest British rivalry since Nigel Benn faced Chris Eubank. Carl Froch will hang his WBA and IBF Super Middleweight titles on the line for the 2nd time against his tormentor, George Groves in front of a packed house at Wembley Stadium, and millions more watching on Sky Sports Pay-Per-View and around the world.

Froch, 10 years Groves' senior, took a dislike for Groves from the moment the Hammersmith fighter opened his mouth ahead of their first meeting last November. Froch seeing himself as the alpha lion, saw Groves as a young, arrogant, and cocky boxer, who should have shown his reputation more respect. Instead Groves treated Froch as just another opponent, a simple trick that has rattled Froch ever since.

That first encounter won't have helped Froch's pride either, as Groves won the appreciation of the crowd, a crowd that once only roared for Froch. Groves was rightly or wrongly pulled out of the fight in the 9th round after a dominant display, in which he took the fight to Carl, flooring the champion in the opening round, before Froch roared back. The outcome was controversial - although there was a slight overreaction as to how bad the early stoppage was in the immediate aftermath - but Froch had found his range, and many have pointed out that Groves was there for the taking and the stoppage was inevitable.

The rematch was required more for the competitiveness of the fight rather than the controversy surrounding the stoppage. Groves could no longer be dismissed as not belonging at world level, while Froch had more to prove than ever before in his 32-2(23) career.

Groves 19-1(15) will need to fight relatively the same in the rematch, aggression mixed in with smart boxing. The boxing skills and speed were expected, but it was the power and ability to force Froch backwards that surprised many, including Froch.

If Froch did look past Groves' ability at world class level last time, he will not make the same mistake this time around, which makes one believe that it will be Groves that will need to up his game. Unless Froch did age over night before their November brawl, then you can be sure to see a more engaged Carl Froch.

Froch is an accomplished boxer, but he cannot match Groves in that department and the speed of the Groves right cross will always beat Froch's backhand in a boxing match. Froch's defensive inefficiency will also be unlikely to change, meaning Groves will get the same opportunities to hurt Froch, but expect Froch to force the action more at an earlier stage in the fight.

One can see Froch looking to counter Groves early, while Groves may prove a little more patient than last time around, hoping to conserve enough energy for the later rounds. The action that had fans on their feet at the Phones 4U arena will be present again as the two look to take command in the early rounds, Groves getting the better of the exchanges as his speed and ability to judge range will give him an early edge.

With the fight entering the second half, Froch will be down on the scorecards, but he can begin to force Groves onto the back foot. Groves will try to find room, but every time he sticks out a solid jab, a right cross will be heading his way. Groves will still have his moments in the later rounds, but with both fighters slowing down ever so slightly, it will be the aggression of Froch that will catch the judges eyes. With that surge in the final 5 rounds, Froch can take a close but fair unanimous decision win, winning back some of the admiration he seems to have lost in the last 7 months.

After a disappointing undercard for Froch-Groves 1, this undercard represents what boxing fans want to see.

Kevin Mitchell 37-2(27) takes on an interesting unbeaten opponent in Ghislain Maduma 16-0(1

Ghislain Maduma (left) & Kevin Mitchell (right)

0). The calibre of this fight will depend on how well Maduma can perform at a level he is yet to step up to.

Maduma is a compact and strong boxer, he throws a hard left hook from an orthodox stance, showing his power when knocking out John Carlo Aparicio in 3.

However Mitchell is a different proposition as he will likely force Maduma to walk onto hard right hands and quick counters. Mitchell though has struggled in previous fights on the back foot against big punchers, Michael Katsidis (L TKO 3) and Ricky Burns (L TKO 4) both caught Mitchell early, which would seem Maduma's best chance of a win.

But Mitchell has also showed how well he can handle pressure, in the case of John Murray (W TKO 8), as he took the best that Murray could offer, wearing his British rival down at the same time for a stoppage when Murray was tired out.

Brandon Gonzales (left) & James DeGale (right)

Maduma will require patient aggression, but one can see the Canadian, born in Congo, being too patient as he is picked off by the accurate Mitchell.

If Maduma's ability to take a punch is as good as his ability to deliver one, then he can last the distance, loosing convincingly on points. Otherwise Mitchell can force a stoppage between rounds 6-9.

On paper, the best fight of the undercard sees James DeGale 18-1(12) and Brandon Gonzales 18-0-1(10) battle for a chance to face the winner of the main event.

Southpaw DeGale has been waiting for his opportunity to mix with the best at 168lbs and he will get his wish, but only if he can get past the equally ambitious Gonzales.

Many have questioned Gonzales' stamina, as his stamina cost him an easy win over Thomas Oosthuizen (D 10) last June, even though he was still unlucky not to win the contest.

Gonzales is otherwise a solid boxer, who can box on both the back foot and front foot, his recent win over unbeaten Jonathan Nelson was a better indication that Gonzales' fitness has improved.

He will need that fitness against DeGale who will make Gonzales work for 12 rounds. DeGale himself can box on both the retreat and on the offensive and he may need to mix it up to keep Gonzales guessing. 

Jamie McDonnell (left) & Tabtimdaeng Na Rachawat (right)

If DeGale can control the tempo of the fight, forcing Gonzales to follow his tune, then he can be too fast and slick for Gonzales, who will likely resort to dragging DeGale into a fire fight. But should DeGale fall into his usual pattern of sticking to the ropes, then he will allow Gonzales to find a groove that sees him dominate his opponents. Gonzales can control a contest behind his jab, bringing in hard right crosses.

Ultimately the southpaw stance of DeGale along with his speed and movement will create trouble for Gonzales, who will slip behind quickly, losing clearly on the scorecards.

Elsewhere Jamie McDonnell 23-2-1(10) takes on the experienced but untested Tabtimdaeng Na Rachawat 52-2(34) in a bid to claim the WBA 'regular' Bantamweight title.

Rachawat could be an unknown talent, and tomorrow night will be his chance to shine, but he will find it tough against the former IBF Bantamweight champion.

Matt Legg (left) & Anthony Joshua (right)

McDonnell can box his way to a unanimous decision victory, the much shorter Rachawat struggling to find a rhythm to disrupt McDonnell's jab.

Rachawat may find his moments, as he gets inside, but he will not be allowed to apply enough consistent pressure to shock the favourite, as McDonnell should have more than enough to control the pace of the fight throughout.

Finally to rap up the card, Anthony Joshua 5-0(5), Martin Joseph Ward 9-0(4) and Gamal Yafai 1-0(1) are all set to feature.

Star Maker: Boxcino 2014 Review

By Peter Wells:

Brandon Adams (left) vs Willie Monroe Jr (right)

Over the last few months the real purpose of the Boxcino tournament has shone through. Over two tournaments there have been two winners, two stars born, one career resurrected and several lessons learned.

At Middleweight, potential future world champions made the world of boxing open its eyes as Willie Monroe Jr and Brandon Adams showcased their hidden talents. Monroe Jr – son of the man who handed Marvin Hagler his second professional defeat – rejuvenated his career after an early defeat to journeyman Darnell Boone – the same man that stunned now WBC Light Heavyweight king Adonis Stevenson – with three well-disciplined points victories. While Brandon Adams came out of nowhere to show his power and intellect on the big stage to reach the final, before succumbing to the more experienced Monroe.

In the Lightweight tournament, Petr Petrov – most well-known for a loss against Marcos Maidana – may well have earned himself an upcoming world title fight with three impressive victories. All three were ruthless as he handed out boxing lessons all the way to the Boxcino Belt.

On the way to the final Petrov dominated one of the tournament favourites in Fedor Papazov, winning a clear 6 round points decision. That was followed up by a brutal 4^th round stoppage of the tall but inexperienced Chris Rudd. Then in the final Fernando Carcamo was saved by the referee in the 8^th round of a one-sided beat down. The heavy handed Carcamo was on his heels for the whole fight, receiving punishment from a Petrov who was 100% on his game.

Throughout Petrov displayed the intelligence he had gained in his 35-4-2(17) career. His use of angles and setting up punches while taking away from his opponents best weapons was excellent to watch. Now at Lightweight, Petrov looks comfortable and a world title shot looks to be on the brink for the Russian.

Fernando Carcamo (left) vs Petr Petrov (right)

As for the two young Middleweights, neither were favoured to take the eventual winners belt. Brandon Adams was expected to find it tough with the experience of Daniel Edouard, but instead he used his speed, power and footwork to floor Edouard before he retired after 4 rounds.

In the 2^nd round, Raymond Gatica was coming off the back of a devastating performance, but he was out boxed for 8 rounds, eating big punches from the power fists of the compact Adams. The result was a split decision, despite Adams’ dominance in an entertaining fight.

Monroe was seen as the firm favourite in the opening round, and despite the un-wilting aggression of Donatas Bondorovas he took a clear points win.

In the semi’s Monroe was the clear underdog, as the tournament favourite Vitaliy Kopylenko was expected to walk through the fast punches of Monroe. Despite not having the power, his movement and activity was all Monroe needed to utterly dominate Kopylenko, who bar a few solid uppercuts was outclassed and frustrated throughout.

In the final it was hard to split the two beforehand, but it was the amateur pedigree and long reach of Monroe that prevailed. Adams struggled to find his way inside, and when he did Monroe was more than willing to fight fire with fire. A clever performance from Monroe showed what the 18-1(6) fighter is capable of. After the contest, Monroe hinted at a move down to Light Middleweight, where he will be more than a problem for many of the top contenders and champions.

As for Adams, he will have learnt a lot from his defeat to Monroe, but his size could well be a problem with the champions at 160lbs. Still Adams has a lot of boxing fans talking, and he proved maturity beyond his years, especially for a fighter with just 6 amateur fights.

At 14-1(9) Adams will need a couple more fights to build up his resume and to gain more valuable experience – Adams’ team admitted that Gatica was the first southpaw they had fought.

Fernando Carcamo and Vitaliy Kopylenko are two fighters that will have learnt a lot from their respective experiences, which further highlights just how important tournaments like Boxcino are for boxing. 2014 has without a doubt been a success and you can expect plenty more over the coming years.

Amir Khan vs Luis Collazo Preview + rest of Mayweather-Maidana Undercard

By Peter Wells:

Amir Khan (left) & Luis Collazo (right)

While he may not like to tempt fate, there seems no other reason as to why Amir Khan has been slotted as the co-feature to the 'Floyd Mayweather show'. The fact that he will contest for the WBC and WBA's meaningless 'Silver' and 'International' titles will also guide the winner of Khan-Luis Collazo to be the mandatory challenger for the winner of the main event. Basically Khan is one win away from his dream fight, one win away from the pinnacle of boxing.

While many will argue the validity of Khan's challenge of the pound-for-pound king, you only need look at the names on his resume, which includes a win over the man facing Floyd on Saturday night. In support of Khan 28-3(19), one can then point to the fact that the Bolton fighter has come over to America and called out some of the biggest names at Light Welterweight and succeeded in becoming the WBA and IBF Light Welterweight champion of the world. Yes there are fighters such as Manny Pacquiao, Timothy Bradley, Erislandy Lara and Danny Garcia - to name a few - that merit the shot at the 'King' more than Khan, but those aforementioned names are also more worthy than Marcos Maidana, especially when you consider Maidana's style that many, including myself, would label as tailor-made for Mayweather.

That discussion though can wait just a while longer, because at hand first is Khan's Welterweight debut, and if Khan is reading the script in the same way I have written this preview then the ending will look very different.

Luis Collazo 35-5(18) is a valiant world title challenger, who would no doubt be a key player in any other division, but with the depth at 147lbs, the popular Brooklynite has seen himself on the outside looking in for much of his career. Defeats to Ricky Hatton (L UD 12), Shane Mosley (L UD 12), Andre Berto (L UD 12) and Freddy Hernandez (L UD 10) have given Collazo the recognition as a fighter that can't win the big ones.

Successive wins prior to his 2006 defeat to Hatton over Jose Antonio Riviera (W SD 12) and Miguel Angel Gonzalez (W RTD 7) are the two biggest wins of his career, and the voodoo hanging above him seemed to be vanquished in January when he stopped Victor Ortiz inside 2 rounds, but his props for that win will never be fully awarded to him due to the ever-present question marks over Ortiz's mental toughness in the ring - while caught with a flush shot, Ortiz stayed on the canvas for the 10 count despite being on all fours and looking straight ahead as if he was OK to continue.

While Collazo does carry a decent punch, he isn't a knockout artist, at least not at the level Khan is at. Khan's defensive lapses though must be eradicated to some extent if he is to see past this challenge.

Criticism of Khan's chin over the years has been over the top, rather than blaming his chin, the blame should lie on his inability to defend himself at all times. Would we all be calling Khan chinny had he kept his hands up and stayed out of range against Breidis Prescott and Danny Garcia? Instead we would have been referencing from the haymakers he stood up to against Marcos Maidana (W UD 12).

Khan's heart on the other hand has never been called into question, and he will likely need that incredible will-power at some stage in this contest too. He will also need to keep his hands high when in range, while using his speed to frustrate Collazo.

Collazo will be collected throughout the fight, but he will struggle with the movement of Khan, and will be at the end of an intelligent jab for much of the contest. While Khan may never entirely change his reckless style he can adapt to use his jab more as a defensive barrier rather than just an offensive weapon that often leaves him so open.

Adrien Broner (left) & Carlos Molina (right)

Collazo may worry Khan and his supporters at a few stages in the fight, it will be relatively a one-sided affair, Collazo will take some rounds for the more noteworthy shots, but Khan's tempo and flashy combinations will outweigh whatever Collazo can do. Khan won't cruise to a unanimous decision win, but he will get there, and his Mayweather showdown will be just 4 months away. 

After a humbling defeat last time out Adrien Broner 27-1(22) makes a wise move as he steps down to Light Welterweight after his failed attempt to jump from Lightweight to Welterweight.

Broner should have paid the price against Paulie Malignaggi (W SD 12), but was hit with a nasty fine when he was outscored by the explosive Marcos Maidana (L UD 12). Broner's attitude left him getting little credit that he deserved for wins over Jason Litzau (TKO 1), Eloy Perez (TKO 4) and Antonio DeMarco (TKO 8), and his bravery against Maidana also went without credit.

Broner is still a world class fighter, but just how far he can go was put into perspective last year, a possible change in style may be needed if he is to advance beyond the level he is currently at.

J'Leon Love (right) & Marco Antonio Periban (left)

Carlos Molina 17-1-1(7) should be the perfect opponent for Broner to shine against. The Californian - not to be confused with the Light Middleweight Carlos Molina - has not fought since a December 2012 defeat to Amir Khan (L RTD 10). Molina was outclassed throughout and he will be in the same situation come Saturday night. Broner can punish Molina before it is halted by the referee inside 7 rounds.

In another 10 rounder, J'Leon Love 17-0(10) will take on former Super Middleweight world title challenger Marco Antonio Periban 20-1-1(13).

Mexican Periban experienced a bit of everything last year as he beat Samuel Miller (KO 2), lost in a WBC world title bid against Sakio Bika (L MD 12) and then drew with another Mayweather Promotions product Badou Jack (MD 10). 


L-R: Andrew Tabiti, Ronald Gavril, Ladarius Miller, Lanell Bellows,
Ashley Theophane, Anthony Ogogo

With both Badou Jack and Mickey Bey slipping up the Mayweather stable will be hoping that Love can make it across this hurdle. A decent prospect, Love struggled to cope with Gabriel Rosado (ND 10) - originally ruled a Love win, but after testing positive for a banned diuretic the result was changed to a No Decision - but two stoppage wins since at a higher weight class - 168lbs - he may have found his right track to a world title.

Love will want to impress against the tough and dangerous but equally limited Periban, but one can see Love having much the same problems he had with Rosado. At the end of 10 tough rounds, Love will claim a tight but fair points victory.

Elsewhere on the undercard, Anthony Ogogo 5-0(2), Ronald Gavril 8-0(6), Ashley Theophane 34-6-1(10), Andrew Tabiti 5-0(5), Lanell Bellows 6-1-1(5) and Ladarius Miller 1-0 all feature.