London’s Wembley Stadium will be the scene on May 31st for an all-British Super Middleweight bout between Carl Froch and George Groves. The two met once before, in November of 2013 and Froch was a wide favorite for that fight. Groves promptly dropped Froch in the opening round and he fought Froch tooth and nail before ‘The Cobra’ appeared to benefit from an early stoppage by ref Howard John Foster. The British boxing public, always fervently behind their fighters, was divided on who won, but almost all called for a re-match, so here we are. This time around Froch is only a slight -170 favorite (bet $170 to win $100) at Several Bookmakers with the return on Groves sitting at +150 (bet $100 to win $150). Froch has seen his fame and fortune rise sharply recently. After his loss to Andre Ward where he may have won 1 round, he has gone 4-0 and seen his name rise on pound-for-pound lists with several impressive wins, notably over previously undefeated Lucien Bute and his blitzing of Yusuf Mack. The British themselves (in the form of the BBC) have named him England’s top pound-for-pound fighter right now. But the celebrity has had an adverse effect on Froch, who came up with his father but now claims it has been two years since they last talked. He seems fond of being in the British tabloids, in shiny shirts with his model girl friend in tow. George Groves openly stated that ‘Froch has gone soft’ and he came out and added substance to his claim by flooring Froch in their first fight. In the end, Froch is the international name who has been on the scene a long time and competed against the best in the world. It is Grove who is looking to take Froch’s spotlight. The line is too close for the underdog to have any real value as a bet, but the match is sure to be worth watching as it is expected to be hotly contested. Some observers think it may be the biggest box office match in British boxing history, and that is saying a lot.
