At just 26, and with no previous world-class experience, ‘The Saint’ can boast of taking nine rounds of fifteen (without counting the two rounds he was stopped in) against Froch on my scorecards, although the power of the champion ultimately proved to be more than just an equaliser.
With all the controversy and animosity that had gone before, Groves can have no argument whatsoever at the end result as Froch landed one of the greatest punches ever thrown by a British fighter in a world title fight to suddenly stop him in his tracks. ‘The Cobra’ is now rightly hailed as one of the UK’s finest of all time, and deservedly so, after fighting for the last six years solely in fully-fledged championship bouts on only being on the losing side twice.
Both fighters can be extremely proud of their achievements over the past six months and now look forward to the next chapter in their careers, with their embrace at the end of the second encounter a testament to what Froch and Groves put on the line for those tens of thousands of fans at Wembley.
Coverage around the world was unrivalled and put the spotlight on London in a way not seen for years, with credit having to go to Matchroom Boxing and Eddie Hearn for pulling off a fantastic spectacle all round.
The undercard, which was widely questioned by portions of the paying public, produced more drama than was first thought imaginable, with a total of five contests, plus the main event itself all ending via stoppage.
All the plaudits rightly land at Froch’s feet though for the way he mercilessly put an end to his enthralling saga with Groves, as a high-profile appearance in Las Vegas beckons for the most exciting 168lb boxer in the world.
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