Preview: George Groves Vs Kenny Anderson
First fight
Groves performance
Groves was a bit irritating before the first bell; mimicking the mannerisms of his stable mate David Haye. He did look a bit over confident and immature for a fight that was always going to be a tough one.
It was clear that Groves was the more talented out of the two but you quickly got the feeling that this fight had come too soon for him. His defence was too cavalier, taking a few straight right hands to the body (never a good sign), he stayed in the pocket too long, possibly out of contempt more likely through immaturity; as a result Anderson managed to land several heavy right hands.
On a positive note when Groves did attack there was real venom in his punches and as Anderson started to tire Groves started picking him off with heavy shots leading to the stoppage.
Anderson performance
Tactics where spot on and executed perfectly. I think basic cornering and ring craft lead to Anderson ’s early success. Every time Groves tried to get on his bike Anderson would cut the ring off and force Groves to reengage sooner than he wanted to. Groves always needed a bit more time than Anderson was giving him. Anderson would punch in straight flurries catching Groves to the body and head.
If Anderson kept this up I think he would have gone on to win the fight probably by late stoppage.
Due to sore ribs from sparring with Carl Froch, illness and lack of prep time Anderson was never going to be competitive after the 5th round.
The second fight
Groves will be favourite for this fight but its not as clear cut as the bookies think. Both fighters have good reason to be confident.
Case for Groves
Since their first fight Groves has improved in ability and grown in maturity. He now has a far more refined jab, tighter defence and better movement. I don’t believe he will be as easy to tag with the straight right that he was taking in the first fight.
After the almost disastrous first fight, he will defiantly be taking Anderson more seriously this time. His performance in the first fight raised a lot of questions about Groves talent and potential which still linger even after his victory over Degale. Team Groves will want to set the record straight with a convincing win.
Case for Anderson
Boxers often come out with excuses for losing, but in this case I think Anderson excuses were genuine. In the 5th round he looked a shadow of the fighter he was in the 1st round.
Anderson has the ability to make Groves fight when Groves wants to run. If Anderson fights at a fast pace and keeps his work rate high, he could bring Groves right out of his comfort zone. Anderson knows he can close Groves down and hurt him, he will be going into this fight very confident of an upset.
Prediction
There are several boxing pundits picking Anderson for this one, citing the Norton-Ali syndrome (this isn’t a documented syndrome I just made it up). I have no doubt that Anderson will come at Groves with even more than he did in first fight. More pressure, higher workrate and more sustained attacks. I do see Groves coping with it much better.
I do expect Groves to go through some rough patches and lose a few rounds here and there, but I am picking Groves to win this on points or late stoppage.
