Froch vs Groves II set for May 31... so, which football ground will host the big fight?

Carl Froch and George Groves will meet in a British blockbuster re-match on May 31.



Nottingham’s world super-middleweight champion and the young Londoner he beat amid such heated controversy in their first fight will now meet again.

The venue for this bitter Battle of Britain will be a major English football stadium.

VIDEO Scroll down to watch Carl Froch and George Groves working out before first fight



Rematch: Promoter Eddie Hearn (centre) is confident Carl Froch (left) and George Groves (right) will fight again

Rivals: Froch (left) raises defeated Groves hand after winner their WBA and IBF Super Middleweight title fight Froch-Groves II is a stadium fight

Eddie Hearn revealed in his first column for Mail Online that he is desperat e to stage t he r ema tch this year Froch is hoping to fulfil a career-long ambition by boxing in the City Ground home of his beloved Nottingham Forest. Groves, a Chelsea fan, is keen on Stamford Bridge but Froch is highly unlikely to concede him such home turf advantage. However Old Trafford, Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium and Upton Park at West Ham are other grounds under consideration. Wembley is unavailable as the fight is scheduled for one of the last two Saturdays in May, when the Stadium is staging Football League play-offs and an England match.

Groves has been campaigning, for what will be one of the biggest fights in Britain’s recent boxing history, since the November night in Manchester when referee Howard Foster waved him to the only defeat of his career. Uproar greeted that ninth-round stoppage which did appear premature even though Froch had his 10-years-younger challenger in some trouble at that point. Froch insisted it was he who had been robbed - of the impending knock-out which would have pre-empted all the angry arguments which ensued. After the IBF confirmed agreement for Froch-Groves II had been reached between the warring parties, the 36-year-old Cobra said: ‘The two dream fights for me before I retire are one at the City Ground, then the other in Las Vegas. So it looks like they’re both coming true.



Controversy: Howard Foster stopped the November fight in Froch's favour with a headlock on Groves Comeback: George Groves (right) was on top for much of the fight in Manchester before Froch's resurgence Groves loses appeal

George Groves has secured his second world title shot at Carl Froch but lost his appeal for the controversial result of the first fight to be declared a No Contest. The British Boxing Board of Control have advised Groves of their decision, reached without need for a hearing. Board general secretary Robert Smith announced: ‘We have noted that the IBF granted George the re-match but regard the outcome of the first fight as a matter of opinion. ‘Howard Foster is a world-class referee. In our view his decision to stop the fight was made in the best interests of George Groves. The result stands.’ So the IBF super-middleweight challenger goes into the May re-match with that solitary career loss still on his record. Froch, of course remains the IBF and WBA ‘regular’ champion. Fresh officials – both referee and the three judges – are always appointed for re-matches. ‘After I’ve beaten Groves again – but this time clinically – and put him behind me for good I will then get my big night on the Vegas strip.’

Froch has answered the clamorous call for the re-match even though he had the option of achieving another cherished aim by fighting in Las Vegas, in a midsummer clash with Mexican idol Julio Cesar Chavez Jnr. Although he also holds the WBA ‘regular’ world 12-stone title, Froch has decided against vacating the full IBF title after that organisation accepted an appeal from Groves to be made their mandatory challenger for a second time. That again gives Froch the lion’s share of the purse. Officially the split should be 85 to 15 per cent in his favour, although the pair are believed to have come to a confidential settlement which improves the take for Groves to some extent. The revenue will be boosted by Sky Sports, who will announce on Thursday that the fight will be broadcast on their Box Office channel, but it is by no means certain that Groves will achieve the seven-figure offer he received from promoter Eddie Hearn at the onset of negotiations last month. If it happens in Nottingham, the pay-per-view returns will more than offset any live gate shortfall between a 36,000 sell-out at the City Ground and a 60-70,000 crowd at a Premier League stadium. Wherever, the public will be gagging for decisive resolution to a dispute which has fiercely divided national opinion. Groves, for his part, has opted against agreeing to a delay in the re-match in the hope of achieving purse parity later this year – either if Froch lost the IBF title to Chavez or he picked up one of the other alphabet titles in the interim. This brings on the grudge re-match born after he dominated the early rounds in Manchester – having floored Froch with a massive right hand in the first – only for Foster to intervene when he was staggered for the first time. The British Board continue to stand solidly behind their star-class referee and were concerned that Foster was not invited to give evidence at the IBF hearing which criticised him while upholding the complaint from Groves. They have rejected an appeal from Groves for the result of the first battle to be changed to No Contest, which would have removed the only defeat from his record.



Decked: Groves stands over Froch after an early knockdown in their clash at Phones 4U Arena Hit-back: The fierce rivals are at an impasse as they negotiate a rematch, which has been ordered by the IBF

Board secretary Robert Smith told Sportsmail: ‘We noted that the IBF granted George a return bout but this is a matter of opinion. Howard Foster is a world class referee and we support the decision he made, in the best interests of George Groves.’

Both bodies, however, are enthusiastic about the return match.,

Smith adds: ‘This promises to be a fantastic domestic fight between a great world champion and a terrific young challenger, which should be very good for British boxing.’

Daryl J Peoples, president of the IBF, told Boxing Scene: ‘It’s an excellent fight. Great for the IBF and the UK. They’re two top-notch fighters.’

Hearn has worked tirelessly to prevent the match going to purse bids open to other promoters and I understand that Froch has made his financial concession so that his team can keep control of the event.

Hearn, confirming this as a stadium fight, says: ‘I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself if I took this fight indoors.’

Froch-Groves II will be the biggest re-match in this country since Nigel Benn and Chris Eubank fought a second time, at Old Trafford 21 years ago.



The betting odds will be much closer this time, although Froch is likely to be the favourite again.

