There will be no love lost at Wembley Stadium on May 31 as Carl Froch and George Groves step into the ring for their eagerly anticipated rematch, exclusively live on Sky Sports Box Office.
Their first fight was a cracker with a controversial end and the fall-out has seen them fall out even further and the war of words grip the sporting public.
Froch retained his IBF and WBA super-middleweight titles with a victory over Groves in Manchester last November, courtesy of a highly contentious stoppage, having been awarded victory by technical knockout.
Boxing fans around the world called for a rematch the moment the clash between the pair was stopped and subsequently the IBF ordered a rematch due to “inappropriate conduct” from referee Howard Webster.
The two are now ready to do battle once more in front of 80,000 fans at London’s biggest football stadium.
Should Groves win, he will become a world champion, take Froch’s titles and propel himself to the forefront of the super-middleweight division.
Groves went into the bout as heavy underdog, but floored the defending champion in the opening round and was comfortably leading on points when Froch began attacking in the ninth.
The challenger appeared to be sustaining the onslaught but the referee thought otherwise, making what many considered a premature decision to end the contest.
The call was met with anger by Groves and his training camp, while the crowd, who had previously jeered the 26-year-old, also voiced their dissatisfaction.
It was the first defeat of Groves’ professional career, but now he has a chance for redemption after being granted a rematch by the IBF.
Bad blood has built between the pair in the run-up to their Wembley showdown and it shows no signs of abating ahead of fight night.
Froch pushed his young adversary when standing for a promotional photo shoot and the pair exchanged heated words on Sky Sports’ weekly boxing show Ringside and a social network Q & A session hosted by Sky Sports.
“I know that George Groves was gone, even the people that thought the referee stopped the fight too early, still agree that the fight was only going one way which was George Groves being flat on his face,” Froch said.
“The British public are behind this and this was almost the only fight out there for me to reasonably take. I’ve given the British public what they wanted for years and years and I won’t stop doing it now.”
Groves, who sensationally put the champion down in the first round last time, added: “Carl has to fight me now because the fans demand it and because I am mandatory for the IBF title so that’s where we are at.”
As well as Froch v Groves, there’s plenty to get excited about on the undercard with the best of British boxing talent taking to the ring to get the crowd warmed up for the main event.
Jamie McDonnell will fight for the vacant WBA bantamweight title when he takes on Thailand’s Tabtimdaeng Na Rachawat, while Anthony Joshua also has a place on the billing.
The London 2012 Olympic gold medallist has won all five of his fights since turning professional and will hope for a sixth win inside the distance when he turns out in front of a home crowd.
James DeGale took gold at Beijing four years earlier and has plenty of motivation for a good performance when he takes on American Brandon Gonzales, on his return to Sky Sports, as he looks set for a fight against the winner of Froch v Groves.
The defeat to Froch was the first of Groves’ professional career, but the Londoner felt he had the upper hand in November’s bout and is expecting to turn things around in the rematch. The defending champion has other ideas, though, insisting he is confident of producing the same result.
There have already been plenty of fireworks in the build-up to the Wembley showdown on May 31 and it promises to be another heated encounter on the night.
Promoter and managing director of Matchroom Sport, Eddie Hearn, said: “Quite simply, I believe this is one of the biggest fights in British boxing history.
“It was one of the most epic and exhilarating fights I have ever witnessed and I’m delighted the public are going to get a chance to see it all again.
“The unanswered questions from the first fight may now be answered. Get ready for a whirlwind of a build-up and an event and fight for the ages – Froch v Groves II is on!”
Froch v Groves is now widely considered to be the biggest rematch in British boxing since Chris Eubank’s ill-tempered bout with Nigel Benn in 1993 and is even tipped to set a new British post-war record for crowd attendance.
Personal and professional scores will be settled on Saturday evening and Sky Sports Box Office is the only place to see every punishing blow live.
Watch Froch v Groves II: Unfinished Business live only on Sky Sports Box Office:
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Wembley Stadium will be taken over on May 31 for a huge fight night that sees Carl Froch and George Groves go face-to-face again and Sky Sports Box Office will be the only place to see it.
Each day during fight week, Sky Sports will break down the big one, get up close and personal with the two fighters and of course, talk to the main men themselves.
‘The Tactics’, presented by Johnny Nelson, will provide a complete breakdown of the controversial first fight, looking at the lessons the boxers will have learned and the changes they’ll be looking to make in the rematch.
A two-part ‘Behind The Ropes’ provides unique access to both boxers’ training camps with behind the scenes footage of both men, their trainers, their team and their thoughts on the biggest fight British boxing has seen for years.
Thursday’s Ringside special will be bring fans the very latest from Wembley Stadium as fight night closes in, including a look back at a busy week of build-up, which will see Anthony Joshua, James DeGale, Jamie McDonnell and Kevin Mitchell at the undercard press conference as they gear up to the biggest night some of them have seen, alongside Froch and Groves’s final press conference.
There will also be all the last-minute opinion and analysis in the ‘Final Countdown’ on Friday evening at 7.00pm, plus live coverage of the crucial weigh-in on Sky Sports News at 4.00pm.
This is the last chance we will see both fighters before the ringwalk at Wembley Stadium and the Sky Sports team, including Jim Watt, Johnny Nelson and Glenn McCrory will give their final verdicts.
Then it’s time for the boxers to lace up the gloves on Saturday night with Sky Sports Box Office’s live coverage of Froch-Groves beginning at 6.00pm on Saturday.
The fight can be ordered by Sky customers for £16.95 (scroll down for more details), an increase of £2 on previous Sky Box Office boxing shows.
Johnny Nelson will present his first major pay-per-view boxing show for Sky Sports and he will be joined for expert analysis and comment throughout the night from ringside at Wembley by international stars Paulie Malignaggi, David Haye and Glenn McCrory.
Further analysis comes from Joe Calzaghe and Richie Woodall, while Adam Smith, Ed Robinson and Geoff Shreeves provide reports and interviews from ringside and behind-the-scenes.
Big fight commentary on the night comes from Nick Halling and Jim Watt, with additional comments from Paulie Malignaggi.
The ring-walks for the main event are scheduled to begin at approximately 9.45pm and legendary master of ceremonies Michael Buffer will introduce the fighters to the ring.
In addition to Froch v Groves, some of Britain’s finest young fighters will also be in action on an outstanding undercard, featuring Olympic gold medallist Anthony Joshua, former world title challenger Kevin Mitchell, Jamie McDonnell and James DeGale.
Joshua’s fight against Matt Legg will also be broadcast live on Sky Sports 1, free to view for Sky Sports subscribers, from 6.00pm.
Sky Sports’ dedicated microsite – skysports.com/frochgroves2 – will bring fans the very latest news, day-by-day, as May 31 closes in, while further behind-the-scenes updates can be found on Twitter via @SkySportsBoxing.
For those unable to watch live via pay-per-view, Sky Sports customers can watch the whole fight in full – free of charge – a week after it takes place (transmission times TBC).
Barney Francis, managing director of Sky Sports said: “It’s the fight that everyone is waiting for and it’s live only on Sky Sports Box Office.
“The first bout offered incredible drama and bravery from both men and I’m sure we’ll see something similar in May.”
Froch and Groves is an 80,000 sell-out so make sure your seat is booked in front of the TV on the night of Saturday, May 31.
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There are three ways for Sky customers to book Carl Froch v George Groves II on pay-per-view via Sky Sports Box Office.
The event will start at 6.00pm, Saturday, May 31, live on Sky Sports Box Office (channel 743) or in high-definition on Sky Sports HD Box Office (channel 752).
Three repeat showings of the main event and the featured undercard fights will be shown at 9.00am, 2.00pm and 7.00pm on the same channels on Sunday, June 1.
The event is priced at £16.95 for UK customers or €21.95 for customers in the Republic of Ireland, up until 12midnight, Friday, May 30.
Thereafter, the price will remain at £16.95 / €21.95 (ROI) across all “self-service” bookings (via remote control /online) and £21.95 / €26.95 (ROI) if booked via the phone.
Sky Box Office terms and conditions apply, while cable customers should contact their providers.
If you want to watch what could be the biggest night in British boxing, follow the details below.
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BY PHONE
To order the event, UK customers call 08442 410888. Republic of Ireland customers call 0818 220 225.
There is a £5/€5 surcharge for bookings made via the phone from midnight, Friday, May 30 to 12midnight, Saturday, May 31.
There also may be a £1 booking fee for telephone bookings.
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VIA YOUR SKY REMOTE
Press box office, Select sports and events. Use the arrow buttons to highlight the event. Press select and the buy screen will be displayed. Press select to confirm your order. Enter your pin if prompted.
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ONLINE
To book online go to www.sky.com/orderboxoffice. There is no surcharge for online bookings.
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Sky Sports Box Office (ch 743) / Sky Sports Box Office HD (ch 752)
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