George Groves must wonder what it takes to stop Carl Froch. He spent the majority of their first fight bombarding his opposite man with right hands that varied only in the angle from which he threw them but were consistent in their speed and power. Froch soaked it all up and kept coming back for more.
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It makes this question all the more pertinent that Groves could not get rid of Froch last November, in spite of everything he threw and landed. Froch’s near-sadistic ability to absorb punishment was on show more than ever in their initial encounter, meaning Groves must think long and hard about the way in which he fights this time. If he can’t go through Froch, he must go around him.
It seems like the consensus of opinion is that Groves will attack from the offing once again, commanding ring center and engaging Froch, trading on his advantages in speed of both hand and foot. This proved successful in the first fight, but only to the degree that he hurt Froch. He did not, however, beat him, meaning that those athletic and technical points of superiority must be utilized with a slight tweak. Reverting to the same old tactics of the first fight would be negligent in so far as it would fail to accept that come the end of that fight, early stoppage or not, Froch was gaining the upper hand.
It seems simple in theory — Groves just has to pick his punches with greater care. Instead of getting over-excited by his ability to hurt Froch, he must harness it, getting in and out, tying up on the inside, avoiding the ropes and fighting in bursts of speed that the older man just will not be able to keep a pace with. That would appear to me how Groves ‘should’ approach this rematch. But ‘how should he’ and ‘how will he’ are two totally different inflections.
The crowd at Wembley Stadium on the evening will approximate between 70,000 to 80,000 people by the time both men enter the ring to resume their rivalry, a grandiose setting unlikely to be comparable to anything either have experienced before or will ever again. It would take the calmest of souls not to let that atmosphere in, and so both men will have to absorb a level of noise that must only amplify the pre-fight senses.
Groves must not let the occasion get to him. There will be times when Froch will invite the young lion to go punch for punch with him for the crowd’s pleasure. Groves must reject the idea and remain concentrated on the gameplan.
Groves will also no doubt have lingering thoughts clinging to his psyche from the first fight. Those early stoppage demons must be let go of if he is to properly contextualize the rematch and fight with renewed purpose, rather than long-held resentment. He must not fight to prove a point, only to win each round as it comes.
Of course these are all mere suggestions, and there is now real way of knowing how Groves will handle those internal struggles until he lets his fists go on Saturday night. One thing is clear, though, and that is Froch has come to terms with the first fight and is fully aware of the danger that lies ahead. Groves cannot hold on to the past. This is a rematch that calls for new mentalities and revised tactics. If Groves has accepted his mistakes of the first fight, he can implement a successful gameplan for the second, outmaneuver Froch and erase doubts as to who is the better man.
