BoxRec

Was it worth the hype? Or was it a let down?

Let down shit fight

Boxing Prospect wrote:Was it worth the hype? Or was it a let down?

If you bought the PPV then it was worthe the hype. If you didn't, in SKY and Eddie's eyes it wasn't

Groves was a let down. He was boxing a well paced fight, and i'm convinced his tactics were to have a strong finish. I thought it was hotting up nicely and i reckon it could've been a real war in the championship rounds had it gone on, but that was a bad mistake by Groves. He allowed himself to get backed up on the ropes and everytime he fought in the pocket with Carl... even though he sometimes came off better, you just felt he looked the more vulnerable. He'll be disappointed that he was holding back and still got KO'd, i bet he's really wishing he just poured it on from the offset, or at least when he hurt Froch from the left-hooks.

Ricky_ wrote:Groves was a let down. He was boxing a well paced fight, and i'm convinced his tactics were to have a strong finish. I thought it was hotting up nicely and i reckon it could've been a real war in the championship rounds had it gone on, but that was a bad mistake by Groves. He allowed himself to get backed up on the ropes and everytime he fought in the pocket with Carl... even though he sometimes came off better, you just felt he looked the more vulnerable. He'll be disappointed that he was holding back and still got KO'd, i bet he's really wishing he just poured it on from the offset, or at least when he hurt Froch from the left-hooks.

He never did more than buzz Froch. In retrospect, Froch was looking for that right hand all night. Watch it again. Froch was looking to drop that right hand from the get go, but he was being careful not to get dropped early again. In the end it was text book. The elite level fighter took the young lion into deep water and broke his neck.

I had Froch winning 4-3 at the stoppage. I think it was quite good. It's always going to be hard to live up to a "big spectacular 80,000 people with fireworks" type of set up.

It was a solid watch, but that can be attributed largely to the atmosphere, pre-fight tension, and for me the sense that something big could happen. If it had been two fighters I'd never heard of in a typical venue the stoppage would've been the only really good thing about it.

187 wrote:Let down poo fight

Obviously a Groves fan.

It was an excellent boxing match. I thought Froch was making a mistake not making Groves work more early. I didn't think he could win the chess match, but in the end he knocked over the opponents king suddenly.

What wast he official scores at the time of stoppage?

I had Froch up at the time of the stoppage, in a close fight, but it never really felt like Groves was going to get the job done. Both guys were fighting at a more controlled pace, which actually ended up suiting Froch, as he was able to pick his spots to unload the combination shots and had been scoring well to the body from around the 3rd onwards. He looked more composed than the first fight and was happy to just take a step back at times to negate Groves' power. Groves really didn't press home his advantages enough for me and ended up paying the price. I said before the fight I thought his best chance was to press the fight and take chances, but with both guys fighting a more cautious fight I felt like Groves just didn't look half as dangerous as he had in the first fight. Great KO to end it, probably a little bit of fatigue setting in for Groves too at the time of stoppage. Froch is and has been one of Britain's top sportsmen for years now and hopefully now he will finally start getting the credit he deserves.

CheckHook wrote:I had Froch up at the time of the stoppage, in a close fight, but it never really felt like Groves was going to get the job done. Both guys were fighting at a more controlled pace, which actually ended up suiting Froch, as he was able to pick his spots to unload the combination shots and had been scoring well to the body from around the 3rd onwards. He looked more composed than the first fight and was happy to just take a step back at times to negate Groves' power. Groves really didn't press home his advantages enough for me and ended up paying the price. I said before the fight I thought his best chance was to press the fight and take chances, but with both guys fighting a more cautious fight I felt like Groves just didn't look half as dangerous as he had in the first fight. Great KO to end it, probably a little bit of fatigue setting in for Groves too at the time of stoppage. Froch is and has been one of Britain's top sportsmen for years now and hopefully now he will finally start getting the credit he deserves.

Agree. Froch is what boxing is all about. Froch is the best boxing has to offer; an overachiever, who perseveres and finds a way to victory. I honestly do not understand why so many people have a problem with him, but like FMJ the hate adds to his bank account.

Ricky_ wrote:Groves was a let down. He was boxing a well paced fight, and i'm convinced his tactics were to have a strong finish. I thought it was hotting up nicely and i reckon it could've been a real war in the championship rounds had it gone on, but that was a bad mistake by Groves. He allowed himself to get backed up on the ropes and everytime he fought in the pocket with Carl... even though he sometimes came off better, you just felt he looked the more vulnerable. He'll be disappointed that he was holding back and still got KO'd, i bet he's really wishing he just poured it on from the offset, or at least when he hurt Froch from the left-hooks.

I think that's a good assessment, especially the emboldened bit.

Groves appeared to be biding his time, trusting that he had an edge on the cards, and knowing that Froch might get careless if that scoring held true nearing the end. I think Groves spent six rounds watching out for that right hand like a hawk, to the point where it affected his willingness to inject any more urgency. He was moving his head around quite a lot, too, whereas Froch's was fairly static, and yet he couldn't take advantage of this without taking risks. I think he probably focused too heavily on maintaining a points lead.

In the last two rounds, Groves began to pull away as he gradually turned it on. Alas, Froch's right hand did come, but it was preceded by languid cunning, not fireworks. Froch put forward a feint just before his left-right as a reaction test. Had Groves closed the gap or otherwise avoided presenting Froch with the perfect range, he might've carried on to win.

If there was a flaw in Groves's plan, that was it. He didn't dominate the 'air space' in front of him by planting and throwing when Froch came forward - for longish periods - without cause to reconsider. Groves preferred to use his feet first to manage the rangier man's offensive threat. That might've worked a treat, but he wasn't busy enough to turn his superior lateral movement into a points-scoring advantage.

I'm sure he'll rewatch the fight with a million what-ifs running through his head. And it was a great shame it had to end just as it was about to begin.

It was not the classic I'd hoped for but Froch's conditioning, tactics and focus were in a different league to last time. He'd assured us that he was not fully in the zone in Manchester and Carl underlined that point in the return. He cut out the silly mistakes that gifted rounds and just stalked Groves, pouncing on his mistakes, and dragging George into a fight far earlier and more effectively than last time. The finish was also clinical.

I was not the guy with the talent or courage to stand in front of Carl Froch or 80,000 people so I have no right to be critical; but I thought George got caught between two stools. He seemed to be trying to fight a more patient fight, pacing himself and making sure he had something is reserve for the later rounds, but he was not throwing enough power shots to prevent Carl walking him down. He was getting himself into the position to throw the combinations that got him so much success in Manchester but then did not pull the trigger. Sadly, the first big mistake he made was his last.....Froch in that type of condition and mindset needs no second invitation, he'll just finish the fight.

I thought it was a really enthralling fight.

I didnt care that they werent smashing each other up. There was always an element of real threat, danger and uncertainty.

It certainly didnt fail to deliver for me and what a destructive and clinical finish. Very savage, eradicating all questions.

I feel so so gutted for Groves and feel that he was fighting the right fight - by not punching himself out. I genuinely thought Groves had plenty enough left.

Froch is a machine tho, he is there to be outboxed but has such a desire and the strength to walk through his opponent. Incredible athlete.

Tanzio wrote: The elite level fighter took the young lion into deep water and broke his neck.

That is the craziest analogy I've seen for a while, well done Tanzio.

Tremendous KO by Froch.

I really hope Froch goes out on a high & calls it day.

I'm certain that he appeared to be slurring his words after the fight, if ever so slightly & that could be indicative of all the hard fights he's had in the last 5 years.

He is never going to beat Andre Ward & he has nothing left to prove to anybody; what better to bow out?

I had it dead levelwiyh grovea seemingly starting to take the fight ever so slightly. Then BOOM..
thought it would be a sad ending for one of our boys and so it was..

I would describe it as a tense fight. I enjoyed it

Tanzio wrote:

CheckHook wrote:I had Froch up at the time of the stoppage, in a close fight, but it never really felt like Groves was going to get the job done. Both guys were fighting at a more controlled pace, which actually ended up suiting Froch, as he was able to pick his spots to unload the combination shots and had been scoring well to the body from around the 3rd onwards. He looked more composed than the first fight and was happy to just take a step back at times to negate Groves' power. Groves really didn't press home his advantages enough for me and ended up paying the price. I said before the fight I thought his best chance was to press the fight and take chances, but with both guys fighting a more cautious fight I felt like Groves just didn't look half as dangerous as he had in the first fight. Great KO to end it, probably a little bit of fatigue setting in for Groves too at the time of stoppage. Froch is and has been one of Britain's top sportsmen for years now and hopefully now he will finally start getting the credit he deserves.

Agree. Froch is what boxing is all about. Froch is the best boxing has to offer; an overachiever, who perseveres and finds a way to victory. I honestly do not understand why so many people have a problem with him, but like FMJ the hate adds to his bank account.

100% agree

I didn't see the fight but listened to the fight on the radio. Bunce saying that Groves was over confident and that Bunce could tell this from the time he spent with Groves and Fitzpatrick in the build up to the fight. Anyone else share that conclusion?

Thats the first card in years where i dont feel shortchanged ,every fight on the card was better than the last

Great night for British boxing that will go down in history,it just go's to show when done right nothing comes close to boxing

Nobody but die hards knew Groves 6 months ago,yet here he was a live opponent in one of the biggest spectacles of all time

Has boxing still got it?

Cholo_cws wrote:I didn't see the fight but listened to the fight on the radio. Bunce saying that Groves was over confident and that Bunce could tell this from the time he spent with Groves and Fitzpatrick in the build up to the fight. Anyone else share that conclusion?

When you go looking for a left-hook then yes.

palooka wrote:

Tanzio wrote: The elite level fighter took the young lion into deep water and broke his neck.

That is the craziest analogy I've seen for a while, well done Tanzio.

Amazing what can be accomplished after a bottle of shots

love the audacity of the thread title just slipped in there among the other 15 threads..

I thought Groves needed to do more of what gave him success in the first fight. He was wary of gassing (imo) and Froch was wary of getting walloped - something I thought was absolutely inevitable! That was the cagey-est first round of a boxing match I think I've ever seen.
Ultimately however (and with hindsight of course) I think Groves' lack of experience of the championship distance, in comparison to Froch's experience, was telling. Although walking into the place I thought he looked relaxed and confident. I genuinely expected as the fighters warmed up that he would start to take Froch apart and win well on points.

It wasn't as good a fight as the first but it was very engrossing. I thoroughly enjoyed it, great night.

Tanzio wrote:

palooka wrote:

Tanzio wrote: The elite level fighter took the young lion into deep water and broke his neck.

That is the craziest analogy I've seen for a while, well done Tanzio.

Amazing what can be accomplished after a bottle of shots

you've set yourself a high bar for next time. Keep up the good work