By Frank Warren

Bookmakers are enlisting George Groves as a 7-2 outsider when he challenges Carl Froch for the WBA and IBF super-middleweight titles at Manchester’s Phones 4u Arena this evening.  But in the build-up, if the fight was won just on confidence he would be massive odds on favourite.  For me, all the intrigue regarding this Sky Box Office promotion revolves around the cantankerous and fearless west Londoner who will arrive for battle armed with the unnerving confidence of a man yet to taste defeat inside a professional ring.

The 25 year old’s swagger and quick wit have enabled him to edge the “psychological warfare” thus far and his gall in diminishing Froch’s considerable achievements has clearly riled the 36 year old champion from Nottingham.

‘Saint George’ represents the youngest, freshest contender that Froch has confronted for years. He also possesses the technical skills and mobility to frustrate the champion who has never been a good ‘chaser’; reference his struggles with Andre Dirrell and Jermain Taylor, plus his comprehensive loss to Andre Ward.

When Groves opts to deploy his long, accurate jab, it is a formidable weapon and, with 15 early wins on his perfect 19 fight CV, it’s conceivable that he punches just as heavily as ‘The Cobra’. If George clips Carl clean, he’s more than capable of putting him on the carpet and Froch’s commendable thirst to satisfy the crowd means he’s never been the most difficult to tag.

A succession of ring wars accumulates ‘wear and tear’ on even the most hardy gladiators - and ‘The Cobra’ certainly fits into that bracket. Nevertheless, could tonight prove one ‘tear up’ too many for Froch?  The question is can Groves acquit himself honourably then maybe the possibility of a spot of giant killing certainly magnifies if he’s still standing come the final quarter.

However, at elite level it’s as much about the punishment you can absorb as what you can dispense. Only Jermain Taylor has felled Froch in 33 fights – 11 at world championship level – whereas the nation’s gyms are rife with tales of Groves being toppled, even allowing for headguards and cushioned gloves. Both principals have acknowledged that Froch dumped Groves in a spar when George was a novice pro.

My head says I’ll side with ‘The Cobra’s’ better chin to prove the decisive factor in him retaining his belts.

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Filipino legend Manny Pacquiao makes his first ring appearance of 2013 this evening in the Asian gambling Mecca of Macau.

His bang-up with Aztec warrior Brandon ‘Bam Bam’ Rios, an all action ex WBA lightweight champion who’s been beaten just once in 33, always promised to be a spicy affair between two incurable warmongers.

However, the ante was raised several notches last Wednesday when members from the rival camps exchanged blows at the Macau gymnasium they share. Internet footage of the spat has gone viral.

The feuding factions have history. In 2010, Rios made a crass tape mimicking the Parkinson tremors of Freddie Roach, long term trainer of the ‘Pacman’.

Conditioning guru Alex Ariza, formerly a fixture at Roach’s Wild Card gym in Hollywood – where he worked closely with both the Filipino and Amir Khan – is now attached to Team Rios after being sacked by Roach.

Having been delayed due to a media commitment, the Mexicans exceeded their allocated training slot at the gym. When Roach requested they leave immediately, using rather industrial and racially sensitive vernacular, a ‘free for all’ broke out. Ariza later confessed to kicking Roach in the chest.

If the action between the ropes this evening is anywhere near as feisty, it’ll prove unmissable. BoxNation televise live in the UK. £2 from every new subscription will be donated to the Typhoon Haiyan relief fund.

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Forget Froch or Groves, Oakland’s Andre Ward, the reigning WBA Super champion, is the premier super-middleweight on this planet by some distance.

Last weekend, the 29 year old ‘Son Of God’, now undefeated in 27, returned from a 14 month hiatus due to shoulder surgery to snap the 24 fight unbeaten streak of mallet fisted Edwin Rodriguez.

The slippery Californian cruised to a wide unanimous decision. However, the promotion was marred on two fronts.

Firstly, the Dominican challenger added to the disturbing trend of fighters who’ve failed to make the stipulated championship weight by several pounds, and then made no effort to shed the surplus.

Not only is this grossly unprofessional and disrespectful of the sport’s traditions, it also compromises the event as a fair sporting spectacle.

The final few pounds and ounces are always the most difficult to shift. When one fighter has tortured their body to settle the scales but his opponent refuses to, they secure an unfair advantage which is tantamount to cheating. Far more stringent penalties are required to rid boxing of this increasingly common foul practice.

Secondly, I was astonished by the officious refereeing of Jack Reese. After a fractious but far from lawless start to the contest, ‘Mr Fussy’ not only took the unprecedented step of halting the action to deduct two points from both principals for ‘unsportsmanlike conduct’, he also instructed the commissioner at ringside to fine the pair; an act way outside his jurisdiction.

The referee’s role should always be to safeguard the fighter’s safety and ensure that the action flows for the fans. As in any sport, the best officials are the ones that you don’t notice.

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Last Sunday news leaked that David Haye had again withdrawn from his proposed heavyweight blockbuster with Tyson Fury.....just as Team Fury had always insinuated he would.

‘The Hayemaker’ claimed he’d been advised to bale out on the advice of medics following shoulder surgery in Germany.  However, despite tweeting photos of himself from his hospital bed and stating he was ‘truly gutted’ about the ‘crushing blow’, he sounded most sincere.

Just eight days prior to the announcement, he was spotted road bowling in Ireland. Fans will also recall that earlier this year he pulled out of a scheduled fight with Germany’s Manuel Charr citing a ‘hand injury’ and cried off from a September date with Fury because of a ‘deep cut’.

Despite the offensive nature of Fury’s tweets regarding the pull-outs, it’s hard not to empathise with the Manchester traveller who has twice put his 6ft 9in, 18 stone frame through an arduous training program only to have a career best pay-per-view purse pulled from beneath him.

Tellingly, Haye has not confirmed his retirement from the ring. Don’t be too surprised if he re-surfaces in 2014 for a fight with either of the Klitschko brothers.

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