Come on you can't have it both ways. No credit to Paddy for the first Froch fight but all the blame for one sub-par performance? The worst performance of Groves' career (Kenny Anderson) featured Booth in the corner, the best (Froch 1) was with Fitzpatrick as his chief second. I think he gives fantastic, insightful, concise instructions in the corner, and compared to over hyped guys like Calzaghe and Mayweather Sr Fitzpatrick is excellent.
I was at the fight Groves got a good reception. The same can't be said about Degale on entrance - after stopping Periban he got the plaudits though.
Did he? I was just going off the other posters comments. I couldn't hear the reception he got as I watched the fight in the pub, at next weekends card instead.
I'm a groves fan but he needs a strong trainer and I also worry about his stamina and pacing of fights
People keep mentioned Groves stamina, but is it as big an issue as it's being made out to be?? He went 12 rounds with Glen Johnson and threw a tonne of punches. He beat Degale over 12 rounds whilst sticking and moving. He beat Rebrasse over 12 rounds and threw just under 1000 punches. The 2nd Froch fight, he won round 7 clearly and was winning round 8 before getting caught with a pearler.
He was schooling Carl froch in the 1st fight. Then he had a full camp with Fitzpatrick for the 2nd fight and has trouble winning rounds. I don't give Fitzpatrick credit at all for the 1st fight. Nothing to do with him sept the corner work. Booth did the majority of the camp
OK, but you're totally wrong. Groves didn't do any training with Booth in the run up to the first Froch fight. He hooked up with Fitzpatrick ten weeks out.
On the Degale fight he was knackered over the last couple of rounds. the other fights you mentioned they were fights where he had things comfortably his own way . In the froch 1 fight he was tiring , perhaps the real big fights might be a nervous energy he burns which may cause fatigue not only psychically but mentally has happened to others
Funny saying it but him knocking Froch down in that first round was probably the worst thing he could have done. He thinks he punches like superman now but he isn't a fighter, he is a boxer. It's good to be confident but being overly confident will stop you from being aware of your shortcomings. The fact that he traded with Froch has got me thinking that he is a little deluded. Also he didn't show due respect or caution. If a superior boxer and the best in the division Ward, showed respect, then he bloody well should have. He certainly has the skills and some very good attributes like speed and power, but he needs to work within his recommended parameters. A cow shouldn't try to fly and a fish shouldn't try to run. Groves needs to go back to what he does best and box.
Could be the possability that he could not get himself up for that fight but i do think he looked shattered from the first bell, he needs a rest i even think that he should have took time off before last night.
Douglin was far improved over what i'd seen of him prior. His new camp and not having his 'momma' do the training helped him enormously, yet he still came up short. Groves is doing fine, but yes, he seems like he needs to listen, but that's just an opinion, he may well do all that.