The super middleweight division has given boxing some of its most memorable fights over the past five years. IBF and WBA super middleweight champion Carl "The Cobra" Froch (31-2, 22 KO) is partially responsible for a lot of those bouts.
His two thrilling bouts against Mikkel Kessler and his clashes with Glen Johnson and Jermain Taylor were all good fights.
Froch has built a reputation as an exciting fighter. He hopes to extend his trend of thrilling bouts and hold on to his titles when he faces fellow Englishman George Groves (19-0, 15 KO) on Saturday at the Phones 4U Arena in Manchester.
These two may be countrymen, but there has been no fellowship in the months leading up to their bout. To put it plainly, they don't seem to like each other much, and that goes beyond the normal banter that is customary between fighters.
Froch told BBC Sport: "My experience at the top level, my punching power and George's lack of ability to take a punch is going to be the reason why he's going to come to the ring and run for his life and he's not going to stand and fight."
Groves says Froch is wrong if he thinks he's going to run from him. In fact, the 25-year-old felt so confident, he even outlined how he would beat the 36-year-old champion. Per Ben Dirs of BBC Sport, Groves said this at the pre-fight press conference:
I'm going to win the jab exchanges and I'm going to hit you with two right hands just to let you know I can do it whenever I want. Second round I'm going to do the same, but hit you with more right hands. Third round I'm going to push you onto your back foot. You're going to have to see what's coming next.
Those are definitely fighting words. The table is set for another super middleweight thriller. Here's how you can watch.
When: Saturday, Noon ET
Where: Phones 4U Arena in Manchester, United Kingdom
TV: Sky Sports
How Good is the Cobra?
Froch has been in the ring with some of the best fighters in the world, but where does that put him in the pound-for-pound rankings? He owns two world titles in one of boxing's most competitive divisions, but there is a distinct style that gives him problems.
Quicker fighters who can box seem to frustrate him. Andre Ward easily defeated Froch utilizing movement, slick counterpunching and varied attacks. Obviously, every fighter isn't as physically gifted as Ward, but perhaps that's the blueprint for taming the Cobra.
Froch almost always wants to brawl. When his opponents don't give him the fight he wants, he chides them in the media. After he avenged his loss to Kessler in May, Froch criticized Ward's fighting style.
In this case, he's started the insults even before the fight has taken place. Unless Froch can beat a quality fighter who doesn't fight a style that plays into his hands, it doesn't speak well of his diversity.
Froch doesn't want to chase Groves, and it almost appears he's trying to get under his skin to make him stand toe-to-toe with him. It is a smart strategy on Froch's part, but what if Groves is bluffing about standing and trading?
Will Froch be able to adapt and outbox a man 11 years his junior? That's the million-dollar question.
Taking the Bait?
Groves would be smart to fight his fight and refrain from trying to prove his toughness against Froch. The challenger does have 15 knockouts in just 19 bouts, but Froch has power and experience.
If Groves has an edge, it is in natural quickness and agility. Froch knows this, and no matter what he says, he also knows this could be a tough bout if Groves chooses to box rather than slug.
Unless Groves is sending smoke screens, he's planning to try to claim his respect against Froch. That could be a strategy doomed to fail.
Prediction
Groves would be crazy to try to slug with Froch the entire night. I suspect we'll see a bit of what he referred to in his words to BBC Sport, but primarily, he's going to try to use his quickness to score with an in-and-out attack.
Unfortunately, it isn't going to work. He won't be able to avoid all of Froch's bombs, and there is a legitimate concern about Groves' defense. He keeps his left hand very low and is susceptible to right hands over the top.
Expect that punch to be Groves' undoing on Saturday night.
Froch will win by sixth-round KO.
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