Gritty Groves Shows True British Courage

George Groves in celebration after victory against rival James DeGale

If you go back to my posts in March you will remember me previewing the huge British grudge match between George Groves and James DeGale for the British and Commonwealth super-middleweight crown. These two British stars came to blows on Saturday night in front of a sold-out crowd at the O2 Arena in London and they didn’t disappoint.

Groves came out on top as I predicted in a fight that was very evenly matched and so close to call. Two of the judges favoured Groves by one round while the other gave DeGale the benefit of a draw. The loss is a huge blow to DeGale who was the clear favourite and cockier of the two leading up to the fight.

The real winner was British boxing though as two of it’s fighters put the hype back into the sport with many people watching the fight on Sky Box Office. There were also floods of tweets on Twitter after the fight, with many congratulating the brave Groves.

The fight itself wasn’t a classic but the pure hatred between the two and the sparkling atmosphere made it a night to remember. DeGale had said leading up the fight that he would be too quick for Groves and he would pick him off, but some excellent defensive tactics whilst landing more shots gave Groves a wonderful win.

Both fighters started the fight quietly as neither man looked like they wanted to take risks. DeGale looked stronger in the first round showing his speed and landing more punches but then we saw some brilliant tactics from Groves leading to him winning many rounds.

I believe he won rounds two, three, four, five and six as he adapted his tactics and started to frustrate DeGale. The tactics were simple but so effective as Groves started to let DeGale come on to him. Groves used constant movement and counter-punching and it worked, as he looked noticeably quicker and more accurate.

There has been talks of a potential rematch between the two

DeGale, 25, did come back into the fight though winning rounds seven, eight and nine. This was the DeGale we were all used to seeing, his mixture of attack and defence was fast and he was landing shots. Both men were cut in the ninth round after a clash of heads, Groves looked to come out worse with blood gushing from his forehead.

The last three rounds had a bit more passion in them as both men now knew that these rounds could be the difference between winning and losing. Groves had his best round of the night in the 10^th round, as he landed a lot of good shots. Rounds 11 and 12 were hard to call as like many others they were so close. I feel DeGale won 11 with more intensity and desire to come forward and fight but 12 felt like a draw as both men must have felt they had done enough. So on my card I had Groves winning by one round, which I was delighted, that the judges agreed with.

After the fight an ecstatic Groves said: "Everyone was raving about him. Only two favoured me in a boxing news poll, but I have self belief. It feels good, I knew I'd won. I knew I'd done enough. I will fight him again if everything is all right and it's the right way. But now I have beaten him twice."

Meanwhile DeGale described the fight as 'b******t' as he stormed out of the arena. There has been talk of a possible rematch which wouldn't suprise me, but now Groves has beaten DeGale at amateur and proffessional so I think he should move onto bigger things.

It was a great night for British boxing and I hope many of you tuned in to watch it. If not and you are reading this watch some highlights because it was an emotional battle. Hopefully there will be many more to come from our British stars so keep watching boxing. I leave you with the video of George Groves talking about his victory the day after the fight.

A fighter to shout about

More people should take notice of Froch

So far I have talked about British stars such as Amir Khan, David Haye and Matthew Hatton but one man who I have only briefly mentioned is Carl 'The Cobra' Froch. The 33-year-old currently holds the WBC world super-middleweight title and he will be putting this title on the line against Jamaican Glen Johnson in Atlantic City on June 4. I feel Froch is a fighter who deserves far more credit then he gets and I hope this post encourages you to follow his next fight and acknowledge another British world champion.

Froch has thus far had a very successful career winning 27 fights from 28, his only defeat came against Mikkel Kessler after a unanimous decision, but apart from this closely fought contest the cobra has seen of many opponents with ease. Although Froch is a world champion and a icon for British boxing it still seems like he doesn't get the kind of attention Khan and Haye get which is unfair. This may be because Froch doesn't fight on Sky like most of the big fighters but that shouldn't make a difference.

I also feel he should be respected because unlike some modern day fighters, he is actually taking on the toughest opponents in his division. For me, a great fighter is one that beats the best around him but in the modern day we see too many people avoiding each other. Examples include Joe Calzaghe who only took on greats like Bernard Hopkins when they were way too old or someone like Khan because although you can see he has a great talent he still hasn't fought anyone good enough. Froch is someone who is taking on the best and this is down to the Super Six tournament.

The Super Six tournament was organised by American giants Showtime and it put six of the best fighters in the super-middleweight division up against each other. These fighters included Andre Dirrell, Kessler, Arthur Abraham, Jermain Taylor, Andre Ward and Froch. This was always going to be a tough task for the Nottingham Forest fan but so far he has shown why he has to be considered one of the best. Easy wins over Dirrell and Abraham showed his quality and even though he lost to Kessler he is still in the semi-finals when he meets Johnson in June after the Jamaican replaced the injured Kessler.

If Froch wins this one he will then go on to the final to meet Andre Ward and a victory in that one would mean ultimate glory in the division. Sometimes I think Calzaghe bailed out not fighting Froch because it would have been a great fight and one that I believe Frcch would be capable of winning. But for now make sure you support Froch in his next fight and keep an eye on his progress but he deserves far more applause.

This video is my favourite part of Froch's career, a fight in which he was losing to Jermain Taylor who has beaten the great Hopkins twice and the man from Nottingham manages to pull off an amazing 12th round knockout, check it out!

Getting out and watching boxing

Me at a boxing event in Stoke-On-Trent

I now feel as though you should have a better understanding of boxing in Britain whether it’s competing, watching or even working in the sport. This post is hopefully going to get more of you getting out to venues and watching boxing.

As you can see in the picture that is myself at Fenton Manor in Stoke-On-Trent where I went to watch Matthew Hatton take on Lovemore Ndou last year. It was a thrilling night of action, with many fights taking part and a great atmosphere to go with it and I would recommend it to anyone.

Getting out to watch boxing can be easy depending on what level of fights you will be watching and how popular the fighters are. The fight I went to was a world title bout but I only paid £25 as it depends on where you want to sit. Basically the closer you are the more you will pay but even being towards the back is reasonable.

Obviously watching the fighters is a great part of the experience but also the atmosphere is something, which I never imagined. Local fans may come down to watch fighters they know and the singing is just as good and loud as being at a football match.

A photograph I took of the Hatton vs Ndou fight

There will also be bars where you can get drinks and food, which are also quite cheap. When you go to football matches, refreshments can be costly but at most boxing events it has been cheap enough.

Even amateur events can be good to go and watch as you will only pay £5-£10 for entry and this is where you may see a fighter you would like to follow or a young talent with a big future.

I think as many of you should try to go and watch live boxing because it’s an amazing experience. When I went to watch my first fight, I didn’t know what to expect but after some great nights I am now always on the lookout for tickets. Many of you will like to spend your money on football matches, which I do myself but give boxing a go and I believe you will love it.