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.