Carl Froch is going to be tested when he gets in the ring with fellow countryman George Groves in late November or early December with the WBA and IBF super-middleweight titles on the line.
Or is he?
Groves (19-0, 15 KOs) is an undefeated fighter who has been rising up the ranks at the 168-pound level. Groves, 25, is a hard puncher who has shown that he has the power to take out his opponents if he can get in a clean shot.
On paper, Froch (31-2, 22 KOs) should be worried. Not only does his opponent have an impressive resume, Froch is 11 years older than Groves. Froch is clearly facing an opponent coming into his prime.
Make no mistake about this fight, however, as it's going to take a monumental effort from Groves to stay with Froch. He will have to come up with his best fight just to have a chance because it's clear that he has never been in the ring with anybody of Froch's ability.
Froch told the media (through ESPN's Dan Rafael) he will be fully prepared when he comes into the ring against Groves.
"I am a proper fighter and a proper champion and I will always face my mandatory challenger rather than vacate the title. I've known George for a while. I've sparred with him and watched him grow and now he's my mandatory. I will be pouring everything into my preparation for the fight and George will face the very best of me."
Those words sound like Froch fulfilling his obligation to sound excited about the fight.
Groves' biggest win arguably came against veteran Glen Johnson last December when he pounded out a near shutout. Johnson, 44, was once a dangerous fighter, but he looked like an old man who didn't belong in the ring at that point in his career. Johnson has lost four of his last five bouts.
Groves also defeated James DeGale in 2011, and he was a former Olympic gold medalist for Great Britain in 2008. Groves won that fight by the thinnest of margins.
Those are the two most impressive wins of Groves' career. That tells Froch that if he prepares fully and comes with his best effort, he should be able to come away with the win. Groves is a solid fighter with an undefeated record, but he has simply not been tested enough by substantial opponents.
That will change when he gets in the ring with Froch, but unless he is able to make a quick adjustment, it seems as though he is going to be on the receiving end of a lot more punches than he is going to deliver.
Froch will gain quite a bit with this defense against Groves. It is a mandatory defense and promoter Eddie Hearn will get this fight on HBO. That gives Froch one more opportunity to show off his talent in front of an appreciative audience. Assuming Froch can win the fight, that should mean he will get better and more lucrative opportunities in the future.
If Froch loses, as he did to Mikkel Kessler in 2010 (later avenged) and Andre Ward in 2011, it will be a significant upset and he will have to decide how much he wants to continue with his career.
But Froch does not see that as a possibility. Before the fight was scheduled, Froch was blunt in his assessment of Groves in the British newspaper The Sun.
“I’m confident in saying that if I fight Groves, I will beat him," Froch said. "I’ve got no problem with that. The guy’s not ready for me. He might be ready one day, but I doubt it. If he fights me, he’s going to get beaten.”
Getting this mandatory defense out of the way will give Froch one more opportunity to show off his talent and will allow him to show that he is one of the more deserving and underappreciated champions in boxing.
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