Froch/Groves II: How you see the fight panning out

[leftrightleft]

I think Groves will win this maybe even stop Froch. However, if Groves doesnt pace himself and gets tired i think Froch will knock him out.

[ALI]

This is Groves fight to lose. He comfortably outboxed Froch in their first fight, i cannot see that changing. As long as Groves plays the long game and conserves enough energy not to gas out in the final few rounds, he really should win this.

Stamina is the major concern for Groves. I think Froch is pinning all his hopes on a late surge so Groves must play the long game and leave enough in the tank for the final 3 rounds.

[whiskey]

Groves is what, 26 ? And every one of his fans think he's got stamina issues.

If there's weakness you don't need against Carl Froch it's that.

[palooka]

Groves is what, 26 ? And every one of his fans think he's got stamina issues.

If there's weakness you don't need against Carl Froch it's that.

No, Froch does keep on coming late in a fight. I think if Groves is more measured early he'll have plenty in the tank for later; Groves does start like a train whereas Froch doesn't really get warmed up till after the 2nd round.

(Haven't you got a funny gif for us)

[mickey1975]

Groves has done 12 ok a few times. He would have again if Foster hadn't grabbed him...

[danamba7]

Groves has done 12 ok a few times. He would have again if Foster hadn't grabbed him...

And you know that for sure do you?

[lefty]

Groves has done 12 ok a few times. He would have again if Foster hadn't grabbed him...

Oh yeah because he was looking so comfortable around the point of the stoppage

[lefty]

Groves is what, 26 ? And every one of his fans think he's got stamina issues.

If there's weakness you don't need against Carl Froch it's that.

No, Froch does keep on coming late in a fight. I think if Groves is more measured early he'll have plenty in the tank for later; Groves does start like a train whereas Froch doesn't really get warmed up till after the 2nd round.

(Haven't you got a funny gif for us)

That's a big 'if' though. Also by all accounts Carl is planning on setting a higher tempo for this fight so it should be interesting to see how George reacts.

[mickey1975]

Groves has done 12 ok a few times. He would have again if Foster hadn't grabbed him...

Oh yeah because he was looking so comfortable around the point of the stoppage

He looked a lot more comfortable than he did against Anderson before stopping him.

[lefty]

Groves has done 12 ok a few times. He would have again if Foster hadn't grabbed him...

Oh yeah because he was looking so comfortable around the point of the stoppage

He looked a lot more comfortable than he did against Anderson before stopping him.

You cant really compare Anderson to Froch though. Different levels.

[mickey1975]

No, but Groves had already been on the floor against Kenny, he hadn't against Carl. Carl had. He should have taken an eight if needed, got his head together and either out boxed Froch or tried to knock him out rushing in. Carl's punching power and skill doesn't increase in the last quarter.

[whiskey]

Groves has done 12 ok a few times. He would have again if Foster hadn't grabbed him...

He's done it twice.

And one of those times he was hanging on for dear life for the MD win over degale, and the other he was gassing against the shell of glen Johnson.

So he's neither done it 'ok' or 'a few times'

But obviously don't be letting facts get in the way of your agenda eh Mickey ?

[jim wright1]

The big questions that underpin this fight for me are;

Was the last fight a poor performance from Froch based on taking his opponent lightly or evidence that a stella career is on the slide?

Did Groves over-perform and will he regress to the mean?

Who is going to come in with the smartest game plan?

Will they be able to execute their game plan against their opponents strategy?

Who is going to hold their nerve when they get dragged into the trenches?

What a great fight this is going to be!!!

I think Froch will find a way to dominate - like him or loath him, his record and experience is second to none and if his body holds out, he will control the space between the fighters and pick the right time to launch his assaults.

It's a long time since I have been so excited about an upcoming bout!

[big lennox]

My gut feeling is that Groves will be the first to stop Froch. I wonder if it will be a case of the corner throwing the towel in or if Froch finds that he cannot get up this time.

[lefty]

The big questions that underpin this fight for me are;

Was the last fight a poor performance from Froch based on taking his opponent lightly or evidence that a stella career is on the slide?

Did Groves over-perform and will he regress to the mean?

Who is going to come in with the smartest game plan?

Will they be able to execute their game plan against their opponents strategy?

Who is going to hold their nerve when they get dragged into the trenches?

What a great fight this is going to be!!!

I think Froch will find a way to dominate - like him or loath him, his record and experience is second to none and if his body holds out, he will control the space between the fighters and pick the right time to launch his assaults.

It's a long time since I have been so excited about an upcoming bout!

Groves attributes would of caused Froch problems at any stage of his career. I dont think it was evidence that his career is on the slide. He took an absolute shellacking off of Taylor in the early stages. A similarily more athletically gifted opponent than he is.

[mickey1975]

Groves has done 12 ok a few times. He would have again if Foster hadn't grabbed him...

He's done it twice.

And one of those times he was hanging on for dear life for the MD win over degale, and the other he was gassing against the shell of glen Johnson.

So he's neither done it 'ok' or 'a few times'

But obviously don't be letting facts get in the way of your agenda eh Mickey ?

I didn't check the record, but ok, a couple of times. I was at the DeGale fight, thought DeGale won it, but didn't really see Groves hanging on for dear life either. The shell of Johnson was good enough to really test Froch 18 months earlier and is a very hard man to stop. George hit him with all sorts and was bound to tire a bit. Still did it though didn't he? What agenda could I possibly have? I have no links whatsoever to George, it's not like I'm virtually his pr man and running websites and online magazines.

[jessi]

Groves has done 12 ok a few times. He would have again if Foster hadn't grabbed him...

He's done it twice.

And one of those times he was hanging on for dear life for the MD win over degale, and the other he was gassing against the shell of glen Johnson.

So he's neither done it 'ok' or 'a few times'

But obviously don't be letting facts get in the way of your agenda eh Mickey ?

Hanging on for dear life against degale
Gassing against Johnson
Slight exaggeration in both cases

[lillywhite14]

No, but Groves had already been on the floor against Kenny, he hadn't against Carl. Carl had. He should have taken an eight if needed, got his head together and either out boxed Froch or tried to knock him out rushing in. Carl's punching power and skill doesn't increase in the last quarter.

It doesn't increase but it decreases at a slower rate than his opponent. That's the key.

That's why Usain Bolt always powers through over the last 30 metres of his races. Its not him getting faster, he is actually slowing down at that point in the race, its just that his rivals are slowing down quicker.

[palooka]

Groves hasn't managed to rile Froch to anywhere near the same level and Froch seems to recognise that everything George does is designed to upset and distract him. With the hand pulling business the other day I thought Groves looked a bit miffed that Froch pulled him back; Froch was pretty much on Groves string before the first bout and Froch is wiser now. I imagine behind the scenes both are working very hard and it'll be a punishing bout for both men. I think Groves will sharp shoot the first 3 or 4 rounds and hope Carl walks into shots; he is more mobile and faster. Carl will most likely start much faster and make it an inside fight. I'm really looking forward to it.

[lefty]

Groves hasn't managed to rile Froch to anywhere near the same level and Froch seems to recognise that everything George does is designed to upset and distract him. With the hand pulling business the other day I thought Groves looked a bit miffed that Froch pulled him back; Froch was pretty much on Groves string before the first bout and Froch is wiser now. I imagine behind the scenes both are working very hard and it'll be a punishing bout for both men. I think Groves will sharp shoot the first 3 or 4 rounds and hope Carl walks into shots; he is more mobile and faster. Carl will most likely start much faster and make it an inside fight. I'm really looking forward to it.

Admittedly im a froch fan but I thought Groves was being a bit of a pudendum at that handshake. He was clearly trying to pull Carl off balance and when Carl returned the favour, he didnt seem to like it.

[palooka]

Groves hasn't managed to rile Froch to anywhere near the same level and Froch seems to recognise that everything George does is designed to upset and distract him. With the hand pulling business the other day I thought Groves looked a bit miffed that Froch pulled him back; Froch was pretty much on Groves string before the first bout and Froch is wiser now. I imagine behind the scenes both are working very hard and it'll be a punishing bout for both men. I think Groves will sharp shoot the first 3 or 4 rounds and hope Carl walks into shots; he is more mobile and faster. Carl will most likely start much faster and make it an inside fight. I'm really looking forward to it.

Admittedly im a froch fan but I thought Groves was being a bit of a pudendum at that handshake. He was clearly trying to pull Carl off balance and when Carl returned the favour, he didnt seem to like it.

Groves was trying to rile him but seemed to think that Froch was just there to be riled, he seemed surprised that Froch wouldn't have it. I don't think Groves can get underneith Carls skin this time; the mind games etc have been a bit crap and though it's crackers that someone had to spell it out to Froch that Groves was doing and saying things to get him out of his stride he seems to have listened.

[lefty]

Groves hasn't managed to rile Froch to anywhere near the same level and Froch seems to recognise that everything George does is designed to upset and distract him. With the hand pulling business the other day I thought Groves looked a bit miffed that Froch pulled him back; Froch was pretty much on Groves string before the first bout and Froch is wiser now. I imagine behind the scenes both are working very hard and it'll be a punishing bout for both men. I think Groves will sharp shoot the first 3 or 4 rounds and hope Carl walks into shots; he is more mobile and faster. Carl will most likely start much faster and make it an inside fight. I'm really looking forward to it.

Admittedly im a froch fan but I thought Groves was being a bit of a pudendum at that handshake. He was clearly trying to pull Carl off balance and when Carl returned the favour, he didnt seem to like it.

Groves was trying to rile him but seemed to think that Froch was just there to be riled, he seemed surprised that Froch wouldn't have it. I don't think Groves can get underneith Carls skin this time; the mind games etc have been a bit crap and though it's crackers that someone had to spell it out to Froch that Groves was doing and saying things to get him out of his stride he seems to have listened.

Dont get me wrong it's still going to be a hard fight for Carl as George is very good. Both are probably gonna come out quite battered again.

[n1ebf]

This is Groves fight to lose. He comfortably outboxed Froch in their first fight, i cannot see that changing. As long as Groves plays the long game and conserves enough energy not to gas out in the final few rounds, he really should win this.

Stamina is the major concern for Groves. I think Froch is pinning all his hopes on a late surge so Groves must play the long game and leave enough in the tank for the final 3 rounds.

I agree with this, but I don't expect Groves to box conservatively or within himself either. He can pretty much hit Froch when he wants to. I'm surprised Carl wanted this fight, but with Froch - that probably made it the more attractive.
Also - as much as people probably expect to see Groves gunning for Froch, I think if Froch gets a sniff at any time he'll go for the stoppage himself.
On balance however I can see Groves pacing himself and winning the fight somewhere around the 8th or 9th.

[n1ebf]

Admittedly im a froch fan but I thought Groves was being a bit of a pudendum at that handshake. He was clearly trying to pull Carl off balance and when Carl returned the favour, he didnt seem to like it.

Groves was trying to rile him but seemed to think that Froch was just there to be riled, he seemed surprised that Froch wouldn't have it. I don't think Groves can get underneith Carls skin this time; the mind games etc have been a bit crap and though it's crackers that someone had to spell it out to Froch that Groves was doing and saying things to get him out of his stride he seems to have listened.

Dont get me wrong it's still going to be a hard fight for Carl as George is very good. Both are probably gonna come out quite battered again.

good insight, I agree with this

[palooka]

Though there has been much made of Carls' mind set and lack of preparation before the first bout I really think Groves had the worst of it; he will have had a much improved and settled camp this time and I don't think people are taking notice of the age difference between the 2. I can imagine Froch training very hard - he is a firece competitor - it is different a 36 year old body getting into fighting shape and a 26 year old body.