Carl Froch vs George Groves rematch: 11 things you need to know about George 'The Saint' Groves http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/boxing/carl-froch-vs-george-groves-3595096#ixzz33FSEsmMk Follow us: @DailyMirror on Twitter | DailyMirror on Facebook

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Challenger: Groves will be looking to take Froch's titles at Wembley

‘Saint’ George Groves has bared all in the ring before. He left it all there against James DeGale, and again against Carl Froch (31-2).
In what will be the biggest British fight ever, Groves will give everything to take Froch’s IBF and WBA World super middleweight titles, when they rematch at Wembley Stadium on May 31.
What do we know about the 26-year-old Londoner though?  There’s a lot more to him than a bullish persona and a heavy set of fists that had Carl ‘The Cobra’ Froch reeling in the early rounds of their last encounter.
Find out more below:

1. Personal life

George Groves was born March 26, 1988 in Hammersmith, west London. He’s still in the area, too, living in neighbouring Isleworth with wife Sophie. Sophie is a primary school teacher and Groves cites she is a calming presence ringside. They’ve been together from the age of 19, but have known each other since they were tots.

2. Early days

Groves’ earliest memory of boxing was staying up to watch the fights with his dad, in particular the ill-fated bout between Gerald McClellan and Nigel Benn in 1995. McClellan suffered massive brain damage at the hands of Benn, and was left partially blinded. Despite its tragic ending, it ignited a passion for the sport in a young Groves.

Action

Rematch: Groves had Froch on the ropes in Manchester

 

3. The Kickboxer

Groves was actually a kickboxer before switching to boxing as a youngster. He regularly appeared on Eurosport at the age of 13, winning four world junior championships and an EKU title.

4. Amateur career

Groves was a member of Dale Youth ABC as an amateur, alongside fierce rival James DeGale. Just like DeGale and Carl Froch, Groves has won two senior ABA middleweight titles; one in 2006, the other in 2007. The 2006 ABAs have a special place in Groves’ heart, as it was the year he beat DeGale in their only competitive bout as amateurs.

Belts: Groves short career has already been dominated by success

5. Chelsea blues

Groves is a die-hard Chelsea fan. Like Froch and his beloved Nottingham Forest, Groves is a regular fixture at Stamford Bridge and has been presented on the pitch before. He wears the club crest on the thigh of his shorts.

6. Precocious talent

Groves signed with Hayemaker Promotions in 2008 and made his debut as a super middleweight on the David Haye versus Monte Barrett undercard. He beat Lithuanian Kirill Psonko on points in a six-round match-up.
It wasn’t long before Groves was fighting at championship level. He faced old Froch foe Charles Adamu (17-4) for the Commonwealth super middleweight title on the Haye-Ruiz undercard in 2010. Despite it being just his eighth professional fight, Groves TKO’d the Ghanaian in six.
Two fights later, Groves went to war with the unbeaten Scot, Kenny Anderson (12-0). The build-up to the fight had been an ill-tempered affair, with an alleged relative of Anderson directing racist abuse towards Groves’ wife. There were also death threats against the Londoner and the fight had to be moved to the M.E.N Arena in Manchester. Groves was dropped in the early rounds, but rallied to score another sixth-round TKO.

7. DeGale bad blood

Groves long-standing rivalry with James DeGale (10-0) was reignited when he became mandatory challenger for DeGale’s British super middleweight title in 2011. The pair’s verbal sparring typified a nasty build-up and the fight wasn’t much different. Just like in the amateurs, Groves walked away with a close decision. So close in fact, two judges scored it 115-113 in favour of Groves – a win by the margin of a single round – while the other judge had it a draw with a 114-114 card.

8. Promoters and coaches

George Groves was until last week a promotional free agent after leaving Frank Warren’s stable last year. He joined Warren from Haymaker Promotions in 2011, but it’s not always been a straightforward relationship – after his victory over DeGale, DeGale actually got a shot at the European title, while he defended his British championship against Paul Smith (31-2), who he TKO’d in two rounds. By this point, tensions began to fray between the two.
He’s now a promoted by the German-based Sauerland brothers, joining fellow Brit David Price on their international roster.
He paired up with trainer Paddy Fitzpatrick after leaving long-time trainer Adam Booth last autumn. They’ve known each other years though – It was actually Fitzpatrick who recommended Groves to Booth, after the Hayemaker head coach asked Fitzpatrick to check Groves out when he was an amateur.

9. Articulate aggression

If George Groves was to be awarded an honorary doctorate, it would be in psychology. In their first Froch-Groves fight, Groves gained a significant psychological edge over Froch during the fight’s build-up. Since then, he’s said he’d “mentally bully” Froch ahead of their rematch. This has prompted Froch to employ an Olympic psychologist to deal with pressure, but cracks in his mental state have reappeared – the shove at the Wembley press conference shows how unsettling Groves can be.

10. History boy

Groves will be taking part in the biggest British fight of all time. 80,000 people will watch it at Wembley Stadium – a record in post-war boxing – and revenues could go well past the £20m mark. Broadcasters Sky expect more than 1m pay-per-view buys, and it should rival Ricky Hatton’s record of 1.2m buys, set against Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2008. “I don’t think I’ll be able to appreciate it until I’m long gone and retired,” Groves has said.

11. Nicked name

Unlike a lot of fighters, Groves’ nickname ‘Saint’ is a fairly recent acquisition. He toyed with names such as ‘Golden Grovesy’ and ‘King George’, but it was David Haye that actually gave him the moniker, ‘Saint’.

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