The first step on the road to recovery for George Groves takes place this Saturday night as he attempts to exorcise the demons of the breathtaking Carl Froch saga.
Groves faces off against Frenchman Chris Rebrasse hoping that an emphatic win will catapult him back into world title contention.
In the first of the two intriguing duels with Froch, Groves was thrust into the media spotlight and onto one of boxing’s biggest stages. Even when he and long term trainer Adam Booth’s relationship seemed to be in turmoil, Groves never lost an ounce of confidence as he told anyone who would listen that he was all wrong for the battled hardened ‘Cobra’, going as far as to announce his game plan in the final press conference.
On fight night Groves did not disappoint, with the 26 year old heavily dropping the granite chinned Froch in the first round and bullying ‘The Cobra’ for the majority of their epic battle.
As we know, Groves began to tire, leading to the very controversial ending.
Unfortunately the return did not live up to the hype and after eight rounds of nip and tuck, Froch landed a sledgehammer right hand that settled the ongoing argument.
So has Groves extinguished the mental scars of that devastating knockout loss, or will Rebrasse cause an almighty upset?
The man known as L’iceberg is the reigning European Super Middleweight champion and aiming to go one better, with a win against Groves on Saturday night which would most likely hijack The Saint’s path to that sought after world title.
There is no doubt that the Londoner has faced stiffer competition throughout his career compared to Rebrasse, with mediocre names such as Mouhamed Ali Ndiaye being the best the Frenchman has faced.
However a key question that will need to be answered is if Groves’ still damaged from his wars with Carl Froch, making him fair game for the underestimated European champion who could steal the show on fight night.
So with Saturday night looming, George Groves will be itching to get back in the ring to get his still very promising career back on track. Yet, we are still not too sure how two destructive knockout defeats will effect him.
Nevertheless, Groves’ potential alone will see him through on Saturday and even though L’iceberg is coming to win, perhaps it will be a step too far for Rebrasse as Groves is destined to be king. But first, he must win on Saturday to realize his very promising potential.
All photos by Ed Mulholland
Groves vs. Rebrasse Final Presser
