• Super-middleweight

Froch: I'll knock out Groves - in style

Carl Froch expects to hand George Groves the first defeat of his professional career © AP

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IBF and WBO super-middleweight champion Carl Froch is adamant that George Groves is not in his league and expects to hand his undefeated countryman his first defeat inside 12 rounds.

The all-British super-middleweight showdown at the MEN Arena on November 23 sold out in just 11 minutes as Froch returns to the ring for the first time since avenging his defeat by Mikkel Kessler in May.

But while Kessler, who sparred with Groves in the build-up to that fight, took Froch the distance at The O2, the 36-year-old is convinced that he will knock Groves out.

With the fight 10 weeks away, Froch and Groves exchanged words while posing for pictures at a promotional press conference.

"I told him the truth: he's out of his depth, and he's getting beat come November," Froch told Sky Sports News.

"I'm in a totally different league to George Groves. He's not mixed at this level in his whole career. He's tried to mix at this level in sparring and been found out a few times - I've put him over myself, and I hit him with half a shot when I knew it was going to land.

"When the 10oz gloves start landing on his chin on fight night, there's only going to be one result - George Groves knocked out on the floor, simple as that."

Froch, currently competing in ITV's dance contest 'Stepping Out', knows that he has more to lose in defeat than to gain in victory at the MEN Arena.

"It's potentially a massive banana-skin for me, to lose to somebody like George Groves at this stage in my career," he continued. "It could be curtains on my career, and I don't' want to turn it in yet. I've got maybe four more fights left - big fights and big nights to finish my career on a high. I need to do the business against this young pretender, and do it in style.

Froch claimed the credit for the quickfire sell-out - "It just shows what a big name I am in Britain" - and intends to repay his fans' faith with a champion's display on November 23.

"I cannot see this fight going the distance. I think George Groves is going to adopt a hit-and-run style, move and box, and try and survive it. If that happens, when he loses on points he'll say he can come again.

"But I'm confident I'll catch up with him. At some stage George Groves is going to have to stand in front of me and fight for survival. When he does he's going to get clipped, he's going to take a visit to the canvas, and I don't think he's going to get back up."

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