Groves Appeals To IBF To Order a Froch Rematch

By Edward Chaykovsky

Super middleweight contender George Groves has appealed to the International Boxing Federation to order a mandatory rematch with champion Carl Froch. They faced off last November, with Groves as the mandatory challenger. Groves put Froch down hard in the first round and continue to rattle him in a very exciting fight. During the ninth round, it was Froch who shook up Groves. The referee jumped in to stop the fight a little too early and there was a major backlash from the boxing fans and media.

Their mutual promoter, Eddie Hearn, is also pushing to stage the rematch. Froch on the other hand is not interested, feeling that he doesn't have anything to prove by facing Groves again.

"I was out in New Jersey last week making an appeal to the IBF. I find out the results this week. It was in front of a panel of referees etc. I'm quietly confident. We presented a very good case. Our grounds was bias from the referee and that the finish was unsatisfactory," Groves told Sky Sports.

"The whole basis of the hearing is for them to force a rematch, giving Carl Froch no option. Ultimately, if they instate me as mandatory, he'll have the option to fight me or vacate or be stripped.

"Even if it goes against me, the public demand for it is there and it's what they want to see. The IBF may go against me because he's an IBF-instated referee. If it doesn't go my way, I still feel I'll get my rematch. There's no other fight out there for Froch - unless he wants to retire, it has to be a fight with me."