So the much mooted Carl Froch v George Groves match-up is set to be confirmed today
Frochs's resume is one of the best in the sport, with multiple victories over world level operators, with his only non-avenged loss coming to Andre Ward, who is without a shadow of a doubt the #1 fighter at Super Middleweight. There can be little debate that Froch is #2 in the division.
Groves win over DeGale is still his most impressive, and DeGale's stop-start career since then has taken a little bit of a sheen off of that win. In the 2 years since, Groves easily decisioned the hollowed shell of Glen Johnson, and knocked off a bunch of tomato cans.
Froch has a tremendous chin, but throughout his career from domestic to world level, Froch has shipped some heavy heavy shots. Jermain Taylor rocked Froch badly, and floored him for the first time back in 2009. In his last fight with Kessler, Froch took the kind of shots that would usually result in the Dane's hand being raised.
But not many chins are uncrackable, Shane Mosley aside. Paul Williams had a granite chin. Then along came Sergio Martinez.
George Groves, like his stablemate David Haye, is an excellent finisher. Once he finds that shot that snaps your head back, he is going to do everything within his power to stop the fight then and there. The major warning sign on Groves' record was his skin-of-the-teeth victory over Kenny Anderson. Groves was hurt, and while his willingness and preference to go toe to toe to fight his way out of a hole is both admirable and entertaining, if he tries to take a similarly naive approach with Froch it will be lights out early for the young pretender.
Can Froch take Groves' best shot? Surely. Can Groves eat many of those awkward, piston-like straight shots that the Cobra throws from his waist? Probably not.
Don't be surprised if Groves goes the way of Lucien Bute, albeit with a little more resistance.
Tuesday 23 July 2013
Sunday 21 July 2013
“Ah! There is nothing like staying at home, for real comfort.”
The online boxing fan community is often up in arms about the unwillingness of many fighters to fight outside of their own comfort zone. If you want to fight Andre Ward, better get on that bridge to Oakland. Fancy a trip to sunny St. Louis? Sign up to fight Devon Alexander.
We diminish fighters who have chosen to stay at home. Calzaghe ruled the roost in the UK, aside from a twilight foray over the Atlantic to pick up (in retrospect) his career best win against Bernard Hopkins, and a weekend break to dissect the corpse of Roy Jones Jr.
After watching Derek Chisora v Malik Scott, you have to understand why a fighter would not go begging cap in hand to fight you on your own turf. Scott amassed a record of 35-0-1 on his home shores, over a 13 year period to position himself on the fringes of the division. His resume lacks any kind of breakout win, so Scott and his team chose to gamble on Chisora, a name, but a name who had dropped 4 of his last 6 fights.
Scott was, is, and will never be a power puncher, instead jabbing his way to victory from the outside. Why would such a fighter, choose a step up fight in another continent against a durable opponent he had little to no chance of stopping?
Malik Scott found himself in a terrible position.
From the moment he was chopped down to the canvas by Chisora's clubbing right, Scott was lucid, in control, and sensible. He got into a crouched position ready to rise, he looked to his corner to signal he was just fine, and he stared back at the referee issuing the count in his face. He must've seen a face he thought he could trust, as Scott patiently took advantage of the 10 seconds rest he had before resuming the battle and going back to his game plan.
He stepped up at 9. The referee called the fight off. He had been knocked out.
Never box abroad. A flash knockdown is a knockout when you're in the box seat.
We diminish fighters who have chosen to stay at home. Calzaghe ruled the roost in the UK, aside from a twilight foray over the Atlantic to pick up (in retrospect) his career best win against Bernard Hopkins, and a weekend break to dissect the corpse of Roy Jones Jr.
After watching Derek Chisora v Malik Scott, you have to understand why a fighter would not go begging cap in hand to fight you on your own turf. Scott amassed a record of 35-0-1 on his home shores, over a 13 year period to position himself on the fringes of the division. His resume lacks any kind of breakout win, so Scott and his team chose to gamble on Chisora, a name, but a name who had dropped 4 of his last 6 fights.
Scott was, is, and will never be a power puncher, instead jabbing his way to victory from the outside. Why would such a fighter, choose a step up fight in another continent against a durable opponent he had little to no chance of stopping?
Malik Scott found himself in a terrible position.
From the moment he was chopped down to the canvas by Chisora's clubbing right, Scott was lucid, in control, and sensible. He got into a crouched position ready to rise, he looked to his corner to signal he was just fine, and he stared back at the referee issuing the count in his face. He must've seen a face he thought he could trust, as Scott patiently took advantage of the 10 seconds rest he had before resuming the battle and going back to his game plan.
He stepped up at 9. The referee called the fight off. He had been knocked out.
Never box abroad. A flash knockdown is a knockout when you're in the box seat.
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