Carl Froch v George Groves will be one of the biggest British stadium fights EVER in front of 80,000 at Wembley.. but there is nowhere to hide in the loneliest place on Earth
- Froch and Groves will be the second-most attended fight in Britain ever
- Ricky Hatton holds the British post-war record when 55,000 watched The Hitman beat Juan Lazcano in Manchester in 2008
- The world-record attendance is 135,132 for Tony Zale v Billy Pryor in Millwaukee in 1941
By Daily Mail UK, 30 May 2014
Carl Froch and George Groves are about to live through an experience unique in post-war Britain.
It is one thing to run out in the company of your team-mates to play in a cup final or for England at a packed Wembley Stadium.
It is something altogether different to take the long, solitary walk from the dressing room to that roped scaffolding called a boxing ring in front of 80,000 people baying for blood.
Face to face: Eddie Hearn (centre) looks on as George Groves (left) and Carl Froch face off at Wembley
The prizefighter feels like the loneliest man in the world when the pre-fight formalities are over, his trainers are waved away and the first bell is about to ring.
His opponent is in the far corner, the referee has his arms raised ready to beckon him forward. The hour of truth is at hand.
The larger the crowd out there in the darkness, the more profound the sense of isolation. The goldfish is in his bowl.
Exactly how the two combatants in the biggest fight in post-war Britain react to the animal growl of that mob will go a long way towards deciding the outcome of Froch-Groves II.
Both Froch, the 36-year-old super-middleweight champion, and Groves, the 26-year-old pretender to that throne, have been contemplating the moment.
The Nottingham Cobra expects the majority of the congregation to be roaring for their fellow Londoner. Saint George welcomes that perceived advantage.
But both will have to deal with the enormity of this occasion.
Carl Froch and George Groves face off at press conference
Big bout: Froch, Hearn and Groves pose for photos ahead of the fight in front of 80,000 at Wembley
Froch said: 'It has always been a goal of mine to fight at Nottingham Forest’s City Ground but when Wembley came up as a possible venue I was immediately excited.
'We are going to make history on Saturday night and I am proud to be part of it. I had the crowd behind me for our first fight in Manchester and I suspect George will have the biggest support now.
'But that doesn’t bother me. This is huge – 80,000 huge - but there will be only three of us In the ring. Me, George and the referee. No-one else in the stadium can affect what happens once the fight starts.'
Groves is also honoured to be involved but begs to differ on other counts. He said: 'Carl needs reassurance and he got that in Manchester, until the fight was stopped too early. Now it’s my turn to have most of the crowd behind me and I believe that will bother him. Carl is insecure and the atmosphere won’t help him.'
It's all over: Referee Howard Foster stops the first Froch v Groves fight in Manchester in November
Most boxers say that they shut out the crowd once they start throw punches, that they hardly hear the commotion around them in the arena.
Not these two.
Froch said: 'I like the roar of the crowd. I respond positively to it whether it’s for or against me. It lifts me. I love the gasps and the shouts when I land a big punch. It pumps up the adrenaline even more than it is already. There’s nothing like it.'
Groves said: 'My blood is always up before a fight and it will be running even hotter for this one. I can’t wait to get out there and taste all the emotions.'
Champ: Froch poses for the cameras as he prepares to defend his WBA and IBF super-middleweight titles
So which of them will respond best when that first bell tolls?
This will be Froch’s 12th consecutive world title fight, all but one of them against elite class opponents, and he said: 'I'm used to nights like these. This will be the biggest crowd but I go into it with all that championship experience in the bank. George has had only one world title fight, the one against me when I took him too lightly.'
Groves differs again: 'I've been dreaming of a night like this and I’m ready. Neither of us can tell exactly how we will react to such a huge crowd because this will be unique. But Carl’s not the only one who’s experienced the big-fight feeling.
'It can be really intense in a small arena if it’s full. An attendance of 1,500 in York Hall, Bethnal Green feels right on top of you and creates a lot of urgency.
Addressing the media: Groves (2nd right) speaks at the pre-fight press conference at Wembley on Thursday
Groves: I'm going to become World Champion in London
'I won over 20,000 people in Manchester and I start with the crowd in my corner this time.'
Ricky Hatton, the most popular of all British fighters, attracted 30,000 followers to Las Vegas for his fights with Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao and the current post-war British high of 55,000 to his homecoming bout against Juan Lazcano in Manchester City’s stadium.
The Hitman said: 'I felt proud and humbled that the people saw me as one of their own. Did they help me in my fights? You bet they did.'
Setting the scene: Ricky Hatton poses ahead of his fight at the City of Manchester Stadium in May 2008
That gate record is about to be broken. And with interest expected to cross over from the hardcore boxing fans to the wider public – and a projected one million Sky pay TV subscribers – either Froch or Groves may become this country’s next sporting icon.
WHEN BOXING WAS THE BIGGEST GAME IN TOWN
WORLD RECORD CROWD
135,132 — – Tony Zale v Billy Pryor at Juneau Park, Milwaukee, August 16, 1941: The chance of free admission to a lakeside festival drew the biggest ever boxing crowd, causing some chaos as the local sheriff had set up for 5,000. Zale retained his world middleweight title when the referee, heavyweight great Jack Dempsey, stopped it in the ninth.
132,247 — Julio Cesar Chavez v Greg Haugen at the Aztec Stadium, Mexico City, February 20, 1993: Amid pre-fight talk speculation of a record gate Haugen said: ‘There aren’t 130,00 Mexicans who can afford the tickets.’ To the ecstasy of the all-time record crowd for a paid attendance, their idol Chavez punished the American for five painful rounds to retain his world light-welterweight title.
Venue: The Estadio Azteca in Mexico City hosted 132,247 people for the fight between Julio Cesar Chavez and Greg Haugen in 1993
120,757 — Jack Dempsey v Gene Tunney at Sesquicentennial Stadium, Philadelphia, September 23, 1926: A shocked crowd watched Tunney land what Ring Magazine described as the Upset of the Century with a ten-round decision.
EUROPEAN RECORD CROWD
102,000 — Max Schmelling v Walter Neusel at Sandbahn Lokstedt, August 26, 1934:
There were 75,000 tickets sold but more than 25,000 more fans were recorded by police as standing at the back and sides of the arena or listening to loudspeaker broadcasts in the entrances and hallways. The fight was full of pre-war connotations. Although Schmellilng was to be falsely accused of Nazi sympathies when he became world heavyweight champion, the majority of the crowd were shocked and disappointed when Schmelling stopped Neusel Der Blonde Bomber in the ninth.
Back in the day: 120,757 watched Gene Tunney (left) beat Jack Dempsey in Philadelphia in 1926
BRITISH RECORD CROWD
90,000 — Len Harvey v Jock McAvoy at White City, London, July 10, 1939:
Former flyweight Len Harvey won a piece of the world heavyweight championship for the only time when the Briitish Board of Control recognised his points victory as giving him the title.
70,000 — Jack Doyle v Jack Petersen at White City, London August 12, 1933:
Wild man Doyle was reportedly since drinking in a local hostelry in the hours before the fight and realised in the first minute that he had taken Petersen too lightly. A series of low blows gave Doyle a way out of the fight by getting himself disqualified in the second round – and gave the British heavyweight title to Petersen.
55,000 — Ricky Hatton v Juan Lazcano at Manchester City Stadium, May 24, 2008: Hatton’s homecoming fight following the first loss of his career, to Floyd Mayweather in Las Vegas, drew the biggest post-war crowd in Britain – until Froch-Groves 11. They saw Hatton battle to a points decision despite being rocked late in the fight.
Full house: 55,000 turned out for Ricky Hatton v Juan Lazcano at the City of Manchester Stadium in 2008
Froch v Groves II, Unfinished Business, will be televised live on Saturday night on Sky Sports Box Office.
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