The time between their last meeting and Monday’s London press conference could have been just hours judging by the disdain that remains between the talented warriors as nothing, but further needle came from the first nine rounds shared.
A similar pattern of squabbling is already emerging as Froch and Groves bait each other like it’s just second nature, with the added spice of a disgruntled brother and a Rubik’s cube thrown in for good measure.
Groves, 25, is still the one prodding Froch for a reaction. However, the challenger definitely has the champion’s fuller attention this time around after making his point when putting ‘The Cobra’ on the canvas in November. The ending of that fateful night in Manchester still rankles at the forefront with ‘The Saint,’ and it’s obvious that Groves is approaching this build-up with an ‘if it’s not broke, don’t’ fix it’ mentality.
Froch seemed easily wound up the first time around, but with his mindset that Groves wasn’t much of a test, the element of surprise made a lot of what happened obsolete – which is not the case this time around. It was clear that Froch couldn’t stand to be anywhere near Groves at any point of the media gathering and couldn’t even manage to get through separate two-minute photo opportunities by laying his hands on the Hammersmith fighter.
Add to that the fact that Froch wouldn’t give Groves the courtesy of any eye contact, and you have to wonder where the three-time world title-holder is mentally going into what has now become the most important bout of his career.
You can guarantee that every TV opportunity will be followed with scrutiny over the next eleven weeks as promoter Eddie Hearn is handed the tough job of stepping in between the two as security stay on high alert. But it’s a recipe for success no matter how you look at it. The young brash pretender against the seasoned campaigner is always a winner, with the 60,000 ticket sales in an hour a testament to that formula.
This fight has the full attention of the British public. It is the most talked-about topic whenever there is the whiff of a public appearance in the air, something which has seen US boxing powerhouse HBO take over from AWE as the main broadcaster stateside.
Froch v Groves 2 is the fight the fans made it clear had to be re-run, and it’s easy to see why with plenty more controversy to come on the back of a dramatic ending four months ago that both fighter’s will hope is not repeated come May.
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