Carl Froch vs George Groves 2 results: Froch KOs Groves in Round 8 (GIF)
By Josh Sanchez
On Saturday afternoon, Carl “The Cobra” Froch (32-2, 23 KO) and “Saint” George Groves (19-1, 15 KO) faced off for Froch’s IBF and WBA super middleweight championships.
The bout served as a rematch of the meeting the two bitter rivals had last November, when Froch came away with a TKO win in the ninth-round.
This time around, the Froch vs. Groves fight was held at the historic Wembley Stadium, which adds to the appeal of one of the biggest fights between two British fighters in recent memory.
Froch was hoping to prove his first win was no fluke, while Groves was looking for a knockout win to even the score.
How did the match turn out?
Round 1: Both men were hesitant out of the gate as they showed respect for each other’s power. Groves was showing more aggression in the opening minute and was having no problem landing some clean jabs. Froch was returning the favor with some solid jabs of his own in what was a very even round. FanSided scorecard: 10-9, Groves.
Round 2: Groves was using some impressive movement to kick off the second round as the intensity picked up with both men getting feisty inside of the clinch. Groves just missed on a big right hand before following it up with another right hand that landed. Groves was landing more shots in the second as Froch looked a little uncomfortable and overly cautious. FanSided scorecard: 10-9, Groves. (20-18, Groves)
Round 3: Both men stayed with the cautious approach until Froch came in with a flurry that resulted in both men landing some heavy shots. Finally, a fight was starting to break out at Wembley. Groves was getting looser with his right hand and landing some impressive shots throughout the round, while Froch was getting hit with shots coming right through the holes in his defense. Groves continued to land heavy shots and got the better of each exchange. FanSided scorecard: 10-9, Groves. (30-27, Groves)
Round 4: Groves continued to outbox Froch as he picked his shots and continued to land whenever he threw. Every time Froch would throw a shot, he would leave himself wide open for a counter punch. Groves was putting together some impressive 1-2 combos before circling away. Froch answered with a 1-2 of his own, but was unable to build off of the combination. Froch was picking up his aggression and finding more success as the round went on in what was his best round of the fight, but Groves’ success early was enough to give him the edge in the round. FanSided scorecard: 10-9, Groves (40-36, Groves)
Round 5: Froch landed the first hard punch of the fifth-round with a big right that temporarily stunned Groves. Despite being rocked, Groves come back to push the pace before Froch landed some heavy body shots. Both men began to swing from the pocket as the action picked up. FanSided scorecard: 10-9, Froch (49-46, Groves)
Round 6: Froch landed a big flurry to start the sixth as his confidence to pick up. Groves appeared to be slowing down, while Froch was just getting warmed up. Damage was starting to show on Groves’ face as the round went on and Froch’s body shots were starting to become a real difference maker. FanSided scorecard: 10-9, Froch (58-56, Groves)
Round 7: Groves hit a huge hard left that stunned Froch, but Froch recomposed himself before looking to come back to take the round. Groves continued to wear down, but Froch seemed to be losing some steam as well. After the initial big shot, Froch rebounded to close out with a lead right that stole the round. FanSided scorecard: 10-9, Froch (67-66, Groves)
Round 8: Both men were exchanging in the eighth round which favored Carl Froch who was able to mix up his shots to the head and body better. After setting up a big shot to the head, Froch was able to land a devastating overhand right that knocked Groves to the canvas and brought an end to the fight. Groves complained over the stoppage, but it was undoubtedly the right call as Groves stumbled to his corner as Froch had his hand raised in victory.
And just to admire the shot from another angle:
Official result: Carl Froch def. George Groves via knockout — Round 8, 3:34