• Super-middleweight

Froch: Groves will have to wait

George Groves was left fuming after referee Howard Foster controversially stopped his fight with Carl Froch in the ninth round © PA Photos

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George Groves is unlikely to secure a rematch with Carl Froch after the 'Cobra' admitted on Ringside he is unwilling to grant his fellow Brit another shot at his super-middleweight world titles.

Froch controversially stopped Groves in the ninth round of their Manchester bout on November 23, despite having been knocked down in the first round, to retain his WBA and IBF crowns. At the time of the stoppage, Groves was ahead on all three scorecards and looked the likelier winner.

However, referee Howard Foster intervened as Groves took heavy punishment - much to the crowd's displeasure - to hand Froch a contentious win. The decision left the Groves camp fuming and, in the aftermath of the controversy, they immediately demanded a rematch with the Nottingham champion.

Froch has made it public knowledge that he wants to avenge his 2011 loss to Andre Ward and, while the 36-year-old continues to weigh up his options with promoter Eddie Hearn, he does not believe his future lies with Groves.

"I defended my title against a mandatory. I beat an unbeaten fighter, a hungry, ambitious fighter who came to try and win the fight - and winning with a technical knockout in the ninth round is a great result," Froch told Ringside.

"Do I want to go over old ground? Not at the minute, no. I like to move forward in my career and the only old ground I like to go over again is for a defeat.

"It was nice to avenge the Mikkel Kessler defeat, it would be nice to avenge the Andre Ward defeat if that can possibly be made.It's a 50-50 split right now and the longer the time goes and the longer people watch the fight [with Groves], opinions are changing a lot.

"Like Eddie [Hearn] said, I have got a lot of options. I am going to enjoy a wonderful Christmas with my beautiful family, then I am going to make a decision - and I decide who I am going to fight.

"If I decide to fight again I am going to make the correct decision based on where I want to go forward. I will speak to Eddie, my trainer Rob McCracken and my family and then I will make the decision based on what I feel is right for me - and everyone else."

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