PREDICTION PAGE: Froch Or Groves, Who Do Ya Like?

Published

11 years ago

May 31, 2014

November 23, 2013: One of the biggest armed robberies the United Kingdom has ever witnessed took place in Manchester.

Nope, it wasn’t one of Moss Sides’ finest hoodlums holding up a bank in the city centre with a sawn off shotgun after the Police and National Television were both tipped off beforehand by one of the the culprit’s cronies. This was armed robbery in an even stronger and purer definition.

The crime was committed by referee Howard Foster in a professional boxing match at the sold out Phones 4u Arena, when he suffered a judgmental panic attack during the 9th round and, in the process, extinguished the dreams of George Groves by flinging his right arm around the neck of the challenger and waving his left to signal the end of the contest.

Make no mistake about it, Carl Froch, the champion, received a glorious gift.

On top of the stunned and disgusted witnesses in attendance, millions watched live on pay-per-view, too.

However, that’s all history now.

The two combatants will meet again at Wembley Stadium, London, this Saturday (May 31), in a highly anticipated rematch.

80,000 attendees will, this time, be looking for a satisfying conclusion having materialized itself from a contest as equally entertaining as their first affair. But don’t rule out the sequel surpassing the dramatic fistic violence of the previous encounter. You’d need to rewind your memory back 21 years to conjure up a fight with similar captivation, when Nigel Benn squared off against Chris Eubank for the WBC/WBO super middleweight titles at Old Trafford.

If Froch, 36, the WBA/IBF super-middleweight champion, tentative and plain ordinary during the vast majority of the last fight, brings his A game, and Groves, 26, is equally in tune as he was last November, this could be a back and forth tussle of gigantic proportions.

I collected some predictions from fight game experts. Enjoy, and please add your own, in the TSS Forum.

James Ali Bashir, Kronk Gym assistant trainer of world heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko: It’s a pick ’em fight to me. Froch obviously isn’t the fighter he was just three years ago, but mentally I really think he’s gonna be the stronger guy. Groves on the other hand feels he had the momentum when the last fight in his mind, and some others, was stopped prematurely. However, I lean towards Froch to win again. This time decisively by unanimous decision or late stoppage, in a great fire fight.

Sean Crose – Boxinginsider.com: This one may well be war. The first fight was terrific and there’s real animosity between these two. Here’s the thing, though: Groves gave Froch all he had the first time around – and Froch survived. While the stoppage was understandably controversial, it was Froch who had the momentum on his side when the bout abruptly ended. Therefore, as game as Groves is, I see Froch getting to him sooner this time. That’s not to say Groves will crumble quickly or that he won’t have his moments. I’ve little doubt he will. Still, I see Froch winning this one decisively sometime between the seventh and ninth rounds.

Aaron Lowinger, TSS: At the top of the sport, boxing can be a chore to a late-career champion like Carl Froch. Except for those two or three nights in the year, it’s a grind that can take a mental toll. I think Froch still wants to be at the top, and that right hand in the first round last November woke a sleeping Cobra. He’s just in a different class than Groves. I see Froch taking Groves by KO.

Raymond Markarian, TSS: I like Froch to win a unanimous decision. Froch has too much skill and experience for Groves.

Kelsey McCarson, TSS, Bleacher Report: I think the fight will be eerily similar to the first one. Groves will have some raucous success early, but Froch will adjust in the second part of the fight and take over down the stretch. This time, Froch will have to work harder for the knockout win. There will be no controversial stoppage. Froch will legitimately knockout Groves in Round 10.

Colin McMillan, former WBO featherweight champion: Although Carl Froch has been a great warrior of British boxing and fought some of the best fighters in the world, it is time for the changing of the guard. Groves has the superior hand and foot speed, and will be buoyed by the performance he gave last time. A much closer fight, but Groves by decision.

Matt Hamilton, ESNnewsReporting.com: If you look at the first bout I think a hugely overlooked aspect was quite how badly Groves’ natural punch resistance faired against Froch’s power on the relatively few times he was tagged. He was marked up as early as the third round and retrospectively I think he was looking for a second wind as early as the 5th or 6th round. Groves has only gone 12 rounds twice – against a 400 year old Glenn Johnson and then in what I felt was a clear losing effort against James DeGale – I’m inclined to thus agree with Carl’s assertion that Groves isn’t (or to my mind, at least, thus far proven himself to be) a 12 round fighter. I don’t see the judges (should they be needed) doing Groves any favours, certainly not to the scale of his frankly gifted decision vs. DeGale and I’m am thus left fancying Froch for the win – be it by mid to late round stoppage again or by unanimous decision. Gun to my head, I have it as a Froch KO win in the 10th.

Ben Doughty, TipTV.co.uk: Ever since the rematch was announced, I have been saying that Froch will come from behind and grind George down again, this time without any controversy. I re-watched the first fight last weekend and had a change of heart. Groves can win on points with the major caveat that he has to box smart and not get drawn into a war of attrition. Groves.

Thomas Hauser, TSS, noted author: Froch by knockout.

Blake Hochberger, TSS: Froch by UD, puts his punches together and outworks Groves. Wouldn’t feel very comfortable betting on this fight.

Frank Lotierzo, TSS: In their first fight, Groves punched Froch from pillar to post, separating Froch from his confidence round by round. You could see Groves having fun as the fight progressed. Yes, he got buzzed in the 9th round, but Howard Foster had been waiting the whole fight to step in on the hometown boy’s behalf if possible; the fight wouldn’t have been stopped anywhere else on earth. Groves doesn’t have everyone working against him this time. I think he knocks Froch out late.

James Smith, Inthiscornertv.com: My feeling is that we will see a much more focused and prepared Carl Froch this time out, unless he has totally aged out, which I don’t think is the case. He will put on more consistent pressure, cut the distance and get another late round stoppage – but this time a legit one. Should be an excellent fight all the way through.

Aaron Tallent, TSS: If a new George Groves goes into the ring with patience, he will come away with a late-round stoppage. If he tries to do too much too fast, he will find himself in trouble. My guess is that he will do the former, making a rubber match inevitable. Groves by KO.

Springs Toledo, TSS, author: Carl Froch’s most important asset is his will. His technique is average, his athleticism less than average; it’s what’s inside that makes him formidable. George Groves is a stylistic foil for Froch -he is fluid, fast, and his slashing shots land too often on Froch’s head, which is too often in the line of fire. Groves may pick up where he left off and outpunch Froch over the first half of the fight. If Groves is in condition and can cope with Froch’s desperate drives, he will take a decision. If he knows enough to jab and step to his left to better line up his right hand with Froch’s chin, he’ll land it more often and with more force -if he does that, he may stop Froch. Groves says the left hook will end the fight, but that may be a smart ploy; it’s his right that was doing damage. Froch may try storming out to hurt Groves early. He would be well-advised to move his head and step inside of Groves’s slashing shots with short, straight ones of his own. If he does that, he may stop Groves or at least take over. This is a tough prediction. I’d go with Groves by UD, but wouldn’t rule out a stoppage win.

Chris Wheat, TSS: Froch by close decision. Won’t be an easy fight but he will be better prepared and not taking anything for granted.

Phil Woolever, TSS: From television, the stoppage didn’t look so terrible to me, although if there was ever a time for a standing 8, this was it. Unless he has slipped dramatically I think Froch stops Groves again, around the same time, but without controversy. Groves may pull it off, but it will be a rare, though not unprecedented, circumstance if two UK fighters achieve an equal, elite level during the same time period.

Lee Wylie, TSS: Froch wins the fight inside the distance. Groves will be dangerous during the first five rounds. If Froch is still around after that, which I think he will be, fatigue will set in and Groves’ lack of discipline will begin to rear its ugly head. As talented as Groves is, I don’t think he is mentally strong enough to fight his fight for 12 rounds against Carl Froch.

Michael Woods, TSS: Coinflip fight for me. Have the Froch reflexes dimmed more so over the span of the first fight to this one? Did he really look past Groves in the first one, and therefore prepare better this time, and could therefore be a better boxer on fight night? Without much conviction, I’m going with the guy with the reflexes edge, the younger hitter, Groves. But again, with little conviction, to be honest. Froch is a hard man, and doesn’t take to even the possibility of losing easily. His desire is a top trait. Coinflip…which I love as a fan.

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Robbi Paterson

‘Krusher’ Kovalev Exits on a Winning Note: TKOs Artur Mann in his ‘Farewell Fight’

Published

20 hours ago

April 19, 2025

Arne K. Lang

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At his peak, former three-time world light heavyweight champion Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev ranked high on everyone’s pound-for-pound list. Now 42 years old – he turned 42 earlier this month – Kovalev has been largely inactive in recent years, but last night he returned to the ring in his hometown of Chelyabinsk, Russia, and rose to the occasion in what was billed as his farewell fight, stopping Artur Mann in the seventh frame.

Kovalev hit his peak during his first run as a world title-holder. He was 30-0-1 (26 KOs) entering first match with Andre Ward, a mark that included a 9-0 mark in world title fights. The only blemish on his record was a draw that could have been ruled a no-contest (journeyman Grover Young was unfit to continue after Kovalev knocked down in the second round what with was deemed an illegal rabbit punch). Among those nine wins were two stoppages of dangerous Haitian-Canadian campaigner Jean Pascal and a 12-round shutout over Bernard Hopkins.

Kovalev’s stature was not diminished by his loss to the undefeated Ward. All three judges had it 114-113, but the general feeling among the ringside press was that Sergey nicked it.

The rematch was also somewhat controversial. Referee Tony Weeks, who halted the match in the eighth stanza with Kovalev sitting on the lower strand of ropes, was accused of letting Ward get away with a series of low blows, including the first punch of a three-punch series of body shots that culminated in the stoppage. Sergey was wobbled by a punch to the head earlier in the round and was showing signs of fatigue, but he was still in the fight. Respected judge Steve Weisfeld had him up by three points through the completed rounds.

Sergey Kovalev was never the same after his second loss to Andre Ward, albeit he recaptured a piece of the 175-pound title twice, demolishing Vyacheslav Shabranskyy for the vacant WBO belt after Ward announced his retirement and then avenging a loss to Eleider Alvarez (TKO by 7) with a comprehensive win on points in their rematch.

Kovalev’s days as a title-holder ended on Nov. 2, 2019 when Canelo Alvarez, moving up two weight classes to pursue a title in a fourth weight division, stopped him in the 11^th round, terminating what had been a relatively even fight with a hellacious left-right combination that left Krusher so discombobulated that a count was superfluous.

That fight went head-to-head with a UFC fight in New York City. DAZN, to their everlasting discredit, opted to delay the start of Canelo-Kovalev until the main event of the UFC fight was finished. The delay lasted more than an hour and Kovalev would say that he lost his psychological edge during the wait.

Kovalev had two fights in the cruiserweight class between his setback to Canelo and last night’s presumptive swan song. He outpointed Tervel Pulev in Los Angeles and lost a 10-round decision to unheralded Robin Sirwan Safar in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Artur Mann, a former world title challenger – he was stopped in three rounds by Mairis Briedis in 2021 when Briedis was recognized as the top cruiserweight in the world – was unexceptional, but the 34-year-old German, born in Kazakhstan, wasn’t chopped liver either, and Kovalev’s stoppage of him will redound well to the Russian when he becomes eligible for the Boxing Hall of Fame.

Krusher almost ended the fight in the second round. He knocked Mann down hard with a short left hand and seemingly scored another knockdown before the round was over (but it was ruled a slip). Mann barely survived the round.

In the next round, a punch left Mann with a bad cut on his right eyelid, but the German came to fight and rounds three, four and five were competitive.

Kovalev had a good sixth round although there were indications that he was tiring. But in the seventh he got a second wind and unleashed a right-left combination that rolled back the clock to the days when he was one of the sport’s most feared punchers. Mann went down hard and as he staggered to his feet, his corner signaled that the fight should be stopped and the referee complied. The official time was 0:49 of round seven. It was the 30^th KO for Kovalev who advanced his record to 36-5-1.

Addendum: History informs us that Farewell Fights have a habit of becoming redundant, by which we mean that boxers often get the itch to fight again after calling it quits. Have we seen the last of Sergey “Krusher” Kovalev? We woudn’t bet on it.

The complete Kovalev-Mann fight card was live-streamed on the Boxing News youtube channel.

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Avila Perspective, Chap. 322: Super Welterweight Week in SoCal

Published

2 days ago

April 18, 2025

David A. Avila

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Two below-the-radar super welterweight stars show off their skills this weekend from different parts of Southern California.

One in particular, Charles Conwell, co-headlines a show in Oceanside against a hard-hitting Mexican while another super welter star Sadriddin Akhmedov faces another Mexican hitter in Commerce.

Take your pick.

The super welterweight division is loaded with talent at the moment. If Terence Crawford remained in the division he would be at the top of the class, but he is moving up several weight divisions.

Conwell (21-0, 16 KOs) faces Jorge Garcia Perez (32-4, 26 KOs) a tall knockout puncher from Los Mochis at the Frontwave Arena in Oceanside, Calif. on Saturday April 19. DAZN will stream the Golden Boy Promotions card that also features undisputed flyweight champion Gabriela Fundora. We’ll get to her later.

Conwell might be the best super welterweight out there aside from the big dogs like Vergil Ortiz, Serhii Bohachuk and Sebastian Fundora.

If you are not familiar with Conwell he comes from Cleveland, Ohio and is one of those fighters that other fighters know about. He is good.

He has the James “Lights Out” Toney kind of in-your-face-style where he anchors down and slowly deciphers the opponent’s tools and then takes them away piece by piece. Usually it’s systematic destruction. The kind you see when a skyscraper goes down floor by floor until it’s smoking rubble.

During the Covid days Conwell fought two highly touted undefeated super welters in Wendy Toussaint and Madiyar Ashkeyev. He stopped them both and suddenly was the boogie man of the super welterweight division.

Conwell will be facing Mexico’s taller Garcia who likes to trade blows as most Mexican fighters prefer, especially those from Sinaloa. These guys will be firing H bombs early.

Fundora

Co-headlining the Golden Boy card is Gabriela Fundora (15-0, 7 KOs) the undisputed flyweight champion of the world. She has all the belts and Mexico’s Marilyn Badillo (19-0-1, 3 KOs) wants them.

Gabriela Fundora is the sister of Sebastian Fundora who holds the men’s WBC and WBO super welterweight world titles. Both are tall southpaws with power in each hand to protect the belts they accumulated.

Six months ago, Fundora met Argentina’s Gabriela Alaniz in Las Vegas to determine the undisputed flyweight champion. The much shorter Alaniz tried valiantly to scrap with Fundora and ran into a couple of rocket left hands.

Mexico’s Badillo is an undefeated flyweight from Mexico City who has battled against fellow Mexicans for years. She has fought one world champion in Asley Gonzalez the current super flyweight world titlist. They met years ago with Badillo coming out on top.

Does Badillo have the skill to deal with the taller and hard-hitting Fundora?

When a fighter has a six-inch height advantage like Fundora, it is almost impossible to out-maneuver especially in two-minute rounds. Ask Alaniz who was nearly decapitated when she tried.

This will be Badillo’s first pro fight outside of Mexico.

Commerce Casino

Kazakhstan’s Sadriddin Akhmedov (15-0, 13 KOs) is another dangerous punching super welterweight headlining a 360 Promotions card against Mexico’s Elias Espadas (23-6, 16 KOs) on Saturday at the Commerce Casino.

UFC Fight Pass will stream the 360 Promotions card of about eight bouts.

Akhmedov is another Kazakh puncher similar to the great Gennady “GGG” Golovkin who terrorized the middleweight division for a decade. He doesn’t have the same polish or dexterity but doesn’t lack pure punching power.

It’s another test for the super welterweight who is looking to move up the ladder in the very crowded 154-pound weight division. 360 Promotions already has a top contender in Ukraine’s Serhii Bohachuk who nearly defeated Vergil Ortiz a year ago.

Could Bohachuk and Akhmedov fight each other if nothing else materializes?

That’s a question for another day.

Fights to Watch

Sat. DAZN 5 p.m. Charles Conwell (21-0, 16 KOs) vs. Jorge Garcia Perez (32-4, 26 KOs); Gabriela Fundora (15-0) vs Marilyn Badillo (19-0-1).

Sat. UFC Fight Pass 6 p.m. Sadriddin Akhmedov (15-0) vs Elias Espadas (23-6).

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TSS Salutes Thomas Hauser and his Bernie Award Cohorts

Published

4 days ago

April 16, 2025

TSS Press

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The Boxing Writers Association of America has announced the winners of its annual Bernie Awards competition. The awards, named in honor of former five-time BWAA president and frequent TSS contributor Bernard Fernandez, recognize outstanding writing in six categories as represented by stories published the previous year.

Over the years, this venerable website has produced a host of Bernie Award winners. In 2024, Thomas Hauser kept the tradition alive. A story by Hauser that appeared in these pages finished first in the category “Boxing News Story.” Titled “Ryan Garcia and the New York State Athletic Commission,” the story was published on June 23. You can read it HERE.

Hauser also finished first in the category of “Investigative Reporting” for “The Death of Ardi Ndembo,” a story that ran in the (London) Guardian. (Note: Hauser has owned this category. This is his 11^th first place finish for “Investigative Reporting”.)

Thomas Hauser, who entered the International Boxing Hall of Fame with the class of 2019, was honored at last year’s BWAA awards dinner with the A.J. Leibling Award for Outstanding Boxing Writing. The list of previous winners includes such noted authors as W.C. Heinz, Budd Schulberg, Pete Hamill, and George Plimpton, to name just a few.

The Leibling Award is now issued intermittently. The most recent honorees prior to Hauser were Joyce Carol Oates (2015) and Randy Roberts (2019).

Roberts, a Distinguished Professor of History at Purdue University, was tabbed to write the Hauser/Leibling Award story for the glossy magazine for BWAA members published in conjunction with the organization’s annual banquet. Regarding Hauser’s most well-known book, his Muhammad Ali biography, Roberts wrote, “It is nearly impossible to overestimate the importance of the book to our understanding of Ali and his times.” An earlier book by Hauser, “The Black Lights: Inside the World of Professional Boxing,” garnered this accolade: “Anyone who wants to understand boxing today should begin by reading ‘The Black Lights’.”

A panel of six judges determined the Bernie Award winners for stories published in 2024. The stories they evaluated were stripped of their bylines and other identifying marks including the publication or website for which the story was written.

Other winners:

Boxing Event Coverage: Tris Dixon

Boxing Column: Kieran Mulvaney

Boxing Feature (Over 1,500 Words): Lance Pugmire

Boxing Feature (Under 1,500 Words): Chris Mannix

The Dixon, Mulvaney, and Pugmire stories appeared in Boxing Scene; the Mannix story in Sports Illustrated.

The Bernie Award recipients will be honored at the forthcoming BWAA dinner on April 30 at the Edison Ballroom in the heart of Times Square. (For more information, visit the BWAA website). Two days after the dinner, an historic boxing tripleheader will be held in Times Square, the logistics of which should be quite interesting. Ryan Garcia, Devin Haney, and Teofimo Lopez share top billing.

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