LONDON — Carl Forch closed the book on his most heated and dangerous rivalry with a thunderous right that floored George Groves for an eighth round stoppage tonight at a sold-out Wembley Arena.
As with most big rematches, both fighters were highly respectful of each other’s abilities and wary in the early rounds of making mistakes. This slightly favored Groves, who was able to get off with jabs and land a few eye-catching rights through four rounds despite Froch’s cautious aggression.
Starting in the fifth, Froch turned up his aggression via body shots and a right hand that stunned Groves to end the stanza. The champion continued coming forward in the sixth as Groves’ offense degraded to jabs, while Froch mixed up his rights to the head with concerted body work.
The challenger appeared to have adjusted to Froch’s attacks by the seventh via a strong left hook to start the round and controlling the action with a solid left jab. However, Groves made a fatal mistake of keeping his lead hand low and attempting a wide left hook, allowing Froch to crash home a counter right cross that sent Groves sprawling to the canvas.
The awkward landing folded Groves’ left leg under him as he laid motionless for several seconds, prompting the referee to forego a count and award Froch what he deemed the most satisfying win of his career.
“I’m feeling unbelievably elated. This is the best moment of my boxing career,” Froch told Sky Sports Box Office. “I’ve been involved in some magnificent fights with some top world champions but this is by far the biggest and best crowd I’ve boxed in front of, it’s the biggest event I’ve ever been part of and I’m very, very proud.”
With the conclusive finish, both fighters finally had nothing but praise for each other.
“George Groves should also be very proud,” Froch added. “It was neck-and-neck in here, let’s be honest – there was nothing in it. One punch can be all you need and unfortunately for George, he was on the end of a very heavy right hand.”
“Fair play to Carl, he caught me and I went down,” admitted Groves. “I felt I was doing very well – I was in my groove, boxing well – but I’ve got to hold my hands up: he caught me with a shot. I’ll come back bigger, better and stronger. I feel like I let myself down but congratulations to Carl.”
The win marks Froch’s third WBA and fifth IBF defense since losing to Andre Ward in the 2011 Super Six final. Along with a potential Ward rematch, Froch has also previously mentioned Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. as a possible opponent.
Beats, Boxing and Mayhem 