Carl Froch and George Groves return to Manchester Arena for Chris Eubank Jr vs Liam Smith Sky Sports Box Office | boxing news

Carl Froch and George Groves will reunite at Manchester Arena, the setting of their epic first battle, to join the team that will broadcast the Chris Eubank Jr vs Liam Smith match on January 21, live on Sky Sports Box Office.

Froch and Groves will enter the ring in the arena for the first time since their intense bout in Manchester, which proved to be a landmark event in British boxing.

Groves famously stunned Froch in the first half before “Cobra” roared in what would become a classic and scored a stoppage-time goal to which Groves vehemently protested.

Both became stars of British boxing during their feud but now retired, they have put their own rivalry aside.

Froch and Groves will join the comment group for the Box Office event.

Froch said: “We both realized we were good for each other at the time. Sports sky.

“That first game was a really good one. I was basically beaten for six innings. One knockdown in the first round and then continued for the next six or seven rounds where I was only one behind. Seconds In total, the fights I’ve been through are probably some of the worst six rounds I’ve ever been in.

“To come back, turn things around and then obviously have a rematch at Wembley, it’s just a great showdown.”

Groves agrees. “That delivered on every quantity,” he said. “This year will be the 10th anniversary. As convincing as Carl is, he will say that the situation is changing.” [in the fight before its contentious stoppage finish]. I do not think so.

“It was a memorable game, a memorable experience and something that I can now look back on with pride.”

Eubank Jr vs. Smith looks set to continue the legacy of great matches held at Manchester Arena.

“It’s one of those games where the more you know, the harder it is to make a definite prediction,” said Groves, who played Eubank himself at Manchester Arena and like Froch did against him when they were teenagers. active martial artist.

“Eubank has made great improvements throughout its professional career,” says Groves. “I wouldn’t really try to fight Smith, because Smith is lighter, smaller, more experienced, that would probably suit him.

“It was a good match.

“Eubank will want to drag him into a fight and then we’ll see how Liam Smith deals with that. Smith is tough. He’s very tenacious, very harsh.

“But he’s showing a lot of natural dimension in front of Eubank. Eubank was fighting at super-middleweight. If Eubank wants to go back to the way he was when he hit me, when he was just focusing on mass, he he wants to punch hard, he wants to hurt the guy and he wants to show off, that would probably suit him better.

“Because he wanted to try and drag him into a dogfight.”

Froch, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame this year, also believes Eubank Jr vs Smith has the potential to be a classic British boxing match.

“I think it has,” he said Sports sky. “Liam Smith, he knows what he’s doing. He’s played against the best. He’s played against Canelo. He’s had some top games and he’s a world champion. real world in my eyes.He won his title.

“Eubank Jr is also tough, like his old man. He showed that he has a really good amount of strength in 12 rounds. When he came, he came to win. .

“He’s very tough, he can throw a punch and he has a pretty aggressive pace of work when he’s making his shots.

“When he goes to work, when he puts his combinations together and he puts you on your feet, there’s really not much you can do about it.

“But this is serious business and Liam Smith is a serious operator. So I think he’s busy.

“For me, this is the biggest English game I’ve been looking forward to for a long time,” added Froch. “You can have a hard time going up against someone like Liam Smith. They’ll time your work when you arrive. They’ll be looking for counter punches. He’s experienced to cut sieges. , get close to him and put Eubank under pressure.

“That’s what I’m really looking forward to. I’ll wait until I do the show with my old friend George Groves before finding out who I predict will win.”

Froch and Groves will provide more expert analysis for Sports sky in construction to fight.

Chris Eubank Jr vs Liam Smith takes place on Saturday, January 21, live on Sky Sports Box Office. Book now if you are a Sky TV subscription or one Non-Sky TV subscribers. Buy ticket here.