On May 31, "Saint" George Groves will step back into the ring and take on super middleweight champion Carl Froch in a rematch of epic proportions.
Such is the anticipation surrounding "Froch v Groves II" that promoter supreme Eddie Hearn has secured Wembley Stadium as the venue. And he expects to sell it out, via The Guardian's Sachin Nakrani.
The first scrap between the two had everything even before the pugilists set foot in the ring.
The talking was trashy and the dislike genuine.
A cocky world champion who had gone the distance with the best in the business and won. And the unfancied underdog just in in for the big pay day. Or so everyone thought.
Groves was willing to give everything to put the Nottingham-born Froch in his place, and a first-round knockdown of the champ was certainly not in the script.
Both warriors stood toe-to-toe in an absorbing contest that was horribly cut short in the ninth round with Groves ahead on every scorecard.
It was a refereeing decision that brought howls of derision, but it was the final piece in the jigsaw for an explosive reunion.
Now that the rematch has been confirmed, both fighters have expressed their delight.
Groves told Sky Sports News (h/t Sachin Nakrani), "It's brilliant news for many reasons. This is a huge fight that will take place at an impressive stadium. It's going to be a great night. I can't wait."
Froch was equally as effusive, despite the fight being in London, rather than his hometown of Nottingham. Via Nakrani, he stated, "It's fantastic because Wembley is massive – talk about making history. Everyone is interested in it [the fight] and it needed to be at a big venue. Nottingham realistically is not big enough."
It promises to be one of the truly great British fights, but it's one that Groves has to win if he wants to be considered a true contender in the weight category.
At 36, this is likely to be Froch's last big payday with Andre Ward's trainer Virgil Hunter dismissing the idea of another tear up, per BoxingScene.com's Rick Reeno.
With no one else realistically left for the champion to fight, he will want to go out at the very top. And this is where he will play straight into Groves hands.
When put under the fiercest pressure, Froch is fallible to the simplest of mistakes.
He showed it in the first fight and as Hearn himself noted via Sport (h/t Talksport), it's happened in other fights too:
If you look back at a fight Froch had with Andre Dirrell, it was a similar kind of thing where he couldn’t stand Dirrell – and Carl made mistakes in that fight. He chased Dirrell, his footwork was poor, he was just so hell-bent on knocking Dirrell out that he did make mistakes. And Dirrell is a slippery, fast kind of fighter like Groves.
Of course, Froch will maintain that there is no way he will make the same mistakes again, but Groves has the skills and attributes to go one better than last time.
The Londoner always knew that Froch was a warrior who would stand toe-to-toe until the end, but the champion hadn't reckoned on being put on the back foot so soon into the first meeting.
It was a ploy which will pay dividends for Groves again.
Sick and tired of being reminded that he didn't win the first fight, Froch will do his utmost to draw his opponent into a war, to land big in the early exchanges and to put the fight to bed early.
But Groves' best form of attack is defence. A masterful jab can again keep the champion at arms length, and a move inside is only necessary when he needs to unleash the big shots.
Basic "stick and move."
His speed will trouble the champion throughout, and unlike fight one, Groves will prevail this time.
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