Froch/Groves – Promotion for Dummies?

03/13/201403/12/2014 Ben Thomsett

So, again, a promoter announces “The biggest domestic fight in history”. This time it’s different faces, but the same old schtick is still there like an itch right in the middle of your back – just between the shoulder blades. This time, going against the grain of the Promoter, they could well be near the mark. I’m referring to the May 31st bout between Carl Froch and George Groves.

Froch/Groves 1 was a great piece of entertainment and some consider it one of the best UK boxing events for many, many years. I’m no different in that regard; for my part, and from the viewing position of my kitchen, I found the fight a real roller-coaster of all that can be great about boxing. From the early knockdown, to the early stoppage and the abject fickleness of the largely partisan crowd, the bout had all the hallmarks of a fight destined to be contested again; which meant leaving itself open to the wild vagaries of building more hype, tackling money in oak paneled offices, and planning the future – whatever the outcome.

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Carl Froch: The Reluctant Warrior

03/13/201403/11/2014 Nathan Laryea

By Nathan Laryea: A professional prize fighter can be slave to many things. Commercial interests, fan pressure and promotional greed will push fighters into situations, and opponents, they may not have chosen for themselves. The power to choose, then, is a rare and valued commodity in this most dangerous of sports.

Few genuinely hold it. The pantomime surrounding Floyd Mayweather’s next choice of opponent is perhaps as clear an example there is of a fighter calling the shots in own career. Mayweather’s unique ability to bring masses of revenue into the sport has rendered him master of his own destiny, but that situation is significant because it is rare.

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Froch-Groves meet at Wembley press conference ahead of rematch – 60,000 tickets gone in an hour!

03/10/2014 James Slater

Today in England at Wembley in the nation’s capital, Carl Froch and George Groves came face to face at a press conference to officially announce their May 31st rematch. There is, as surely everyone knows, no love lost between the two rival super-middleweights, and today the two had some harsh words for one another ahead of the fight that has, amazingly shifted 60,000 tickets after just one hour of them going on sale.

Groves, who was TKO’d in the 9th round back in November, spoke first and had more to say than Froch:

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Froch-Groves II: Wembley Stadium to serve as Battleground

03/04/201403/04/2014 Ronan Smith

After weeks of speculation the battleground for the eagerly anticipated rematch between Carl Froch and George Groves on May 31st has finally been announced as the Wembley Stadium. Although Wembley had always been the favorite venue, other stadiums including Emirates and The Millennium Stadium were slated to play host on account of the logistical issues posed by Wembley’s accommodating the England and Peru friendly match on the prior evening.

However the fight’s promoter Eddie Hearn was said to be blown away after first walking through Wembley’s tunnels and has worked tirelessly with the stadium and the FA to see that the biggest fight since the Eubank and Benn rematch was staged there. Hearn heavily believes that the fight is the biggest that Britain will have yet seen and strongly felt that the new Wembley Stadium would do it the most justice, especially as it will be the first boxing match to be held at the new stadium since its reopening in 2007.

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Hearn says Froch-Groves II is “Biggest fight in British boxing history” – but who wins?

03/04/2014 James Slater

As fight fans may have read by now, it has been confirmed how the eagerly anticipated rematch between bitter super-middleweight rivals Carl Froch and George Groves will go ahead at the colossal Wembley Stadium in London. The fight, a return meeting of last November’s controversial thriller won by Froch via 9th-round TKO, is expected to sell over 60,000 tickets on May 31st.

Promoter Eddie Hearn told BBC Sport today that he thinks the fight will surpass all other British fights as far as ticket sales go, and Hearn has called the return “the biggest fight in British boxing history.” Currently, there have been a few fights held in Britain that saw over 50,000 fans attend – the Joe Calzaghe-Mikkel Kessler fight that took place at The Millennium Stadium in Cardiff in 2007 and Ricky Hatton-Juan Lazcano clash that went down at The City of Manchester Stadium in 2008, this fight the current record holder at around 54,000 tickets sold – but Hearn is convinced Froch-Groves II will break all records.

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Froch vs. Groves II Huge Super Middleweight clash set for the summer

02/14/2014 Matchroom Boxing

Carl Froch and George Groves will meet in a rematch of their epic IBF and WBA World Super Middleweight title clash live on Sky Sports Box Office, after terms were agreed this morning.

The proposed scheduled date for one of the most hotly anticipated rematch in British boxing history is May 31, with a host of Britain’s most iconic sporting stadiums in the running to stage the contest.

Froch and Groves lit up the Phones 4u Arena in Manchester in November in their epic first clash, with Groves stunning Froch in the first round with a vicious right hand flooring the champion.

The Cobra beat the count and the pair battled through nine brutal and thrilling rounds before referee Howard Foster stepped in to halt the contest and cap a remarkable turnaround for Froch in one of the greatest fights seen on British soil.

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Froch-Groves agree on rematch on May 31st

07/31/201402/13/2014 Bill Phanco

IBF/WBA super middleweight champion Carl Froch (32-2 23 KO’s) and George Groves (19-1, 15 KO’s) have reached agreement for a rematch that is tentatively scheduled for May 31st at one of the huge outdoor football stadiums in the UK. Froch’s promoter Eddie Hearn wants to place it in a stadium that holds 80,000 and he feels that it’ll be the biggest fight ever in British boxing. Whether that’ll be or not is unknown, but what is known is that the two fighters will be splitting a huge 10 million purse for the fight. Groves’ cut of the purse is anywhere from 15-25 percent.

“The British public are behind this and this was almost the only fight out there for me to reasonably take,” Froch said to Sky Sports. “I’ve given the British public what they wanted for years and years and I won’t stop doing it now.”

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Froch vs. Groves II rematch still possible, says Hearn

02/06/201402/05/2014 Phil Barnett

Promoter Eddie Hearn admits negotiations over a rematch between Carl Froch and George Groves are proving “frustrating” but remains confident the scrap will eventually happen.

Animosity between the two fighters is not helping the process as Groves seeks revenge following his controversial ninth-round defeat by the WBA/IBF super-middleweight champion last year.

Many felt Groves was unfairly stopped by referee Howard Foster after having floored Froch early on and dominated much of the fight. The IBF agreed, ordering a rematch between the British pair, but Hearn confirmed they are still some way from agreeing the clash.

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IBF Orders Froch/Groves Rematch!

01/25/201401/24/2014 Phil Barnett

Carl Froch has been ordered to give domestic rival George Groves a rematch within 90 days or be stripped of his world title by the International Boxing Federation.

Froch claimed on Friday that Groves rejected “a seven-figure sum” for a second chance after their controversial fight in November, which the champion won with a contentious ninth-round stoppage to keep his WBA and IBF belts.

Groves admits he has turned down an offer but is adamant he is as eager as ever to get back into the ring with Froch, and his cause has been helped after the IBF decided the bout was controversial enough to merit an immediate rematch.

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Groves confused by Froch’s press statement

01/24/2014 Jeff Sorby

George Groves (19-1, 15 KO’s) turned down a 7-figure offer for a rematch from IBF/WBA super middleweight champion Carl Froch (32-2, 23 KO’s) after being unsatisfied with the specific requirements written into the contract. Groves is waiting for another offer that is more to his liking.

However, Froch responded to the rejection of the offer by Groves to make a statement saying that Groves has refused the 7-figure offer made to him, and he would be looking to fight former WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. instead.

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