People on here are going far to head over heels about Groves so called stamina 'issues'. Froch was very tired himself let's not forget.
i've seen a coupla posters claim this, but i'm a long way from convinced of it. he certainly didn't resemble an asthmatic lobster by the end of the 2nd.
Face it, folks. Anyone who bets the house either way on this fight is dumb. It's genuinely close, with Groves having the advantage of speed and skill whilst Froch has that awesome chin, stamina and will. Groves is young enough to still improve, and Froch might get suddenly old. Then again, age plays both ways - Froch has vast experience and could draw Groves into a war. I lean towards Groves, but only if he plays smart. His speed and power can keep Froch honest and if he paces himself he could just be too slick and get a decision. On the other hand, Froch could muller him in 2 if he comes out throwing bombs. A genuine fight between two different but well-matched fighters - it's not just hype that's selling this bout - it's a proper contest and we don't see nearly enough of them at the top level.
I want Groves to win but I think Froch will again find a way to win. That said, the questions is how much has the first fight taken out of Froch?
Can't wait for this one, intriguing fight. Groves has Froch for speed and sure his work rate will make sure he's up on the cards but don't think he has enough to get him out of there so it will make for an awesome end. Backing Froch to take it but that's based on the assumption he was underprepared/took Groves lightly last time.
:shock: Froch to copy Ali's rope a dope,then when Georgee boy is gassed out knock him out.......:good
For what it's worth I don't think Groves has any stamina issues. What he has is a little immaturity when it comes to pacing. In the first fight we saw George load up on pretty much everything he threw for 8 rounds, and he still wasn't ready to go when the referee decided to step in. You say you have trained in a boxing gym before then you'll know how hard it is to throw bombs for 8x3 minute rounds. With better pacing GG will easily go 12 rounds (which of course proved he can before). I think GG made the mistake of thinking he could take out Carl with his power, George is a smart kid and will have learned from this. And of course stamina can be improved... Just like you in your cycling/running days would have been looking to shave an extra second here or there in your best times there is always room for improvement.
Maybe it is a bit of immaturity and bad decision making but if Groves had paced himself in the first fight he wouldn't have had the success he did have in the early rounds. Regarding stamina I'm not sure it can be improved beyond a certain level. Or certainly not to the required level. It is a natural capability just like speed. George has the better speed but Carl has the better stamina. You can't tell me George won't have been working on his stamina already? He is a boxer fighting for a world title fight so he won't be far off his optimum level unless he has badly neglected his training. Regarding George's power. I think he can beat Carl with his power and I think George thins he can too. If Carl had gone down earlier in the 1st round I don't think he would have got through. The knockdown proves he can beat Carl with power. I really don't know which way this one will go. So many ifs and buts.
I'd like to know how many punches groves threw against Johnson, i remember him throwing loads of punches and not gassing out at all, granted nothing much was coming back though. I really don't think he has stamina issues. If someone gets a seed of doubt then they can easily let that grow into something out of proportion, I think that's what has happened with people thinking groves has poor stamina.
He did, and what's also interesting is if you watch the Groves Degale fight again, you can see that it's TAKING punches that affects Groves's stamina...around round 9/10, he started taking bigger shots and had taken 2-3 decent digs per round from Degale, and he noticeably slowed down. He never really had Degale in trouble with his power either.