This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/may/20/george-groves-carl-froch-sauerland-boxing

The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 1 Version 2
George Groves signs Sauerland contract as Carl Froch showdown looms George Groves signs Sauerland contract before Carl Froch showdown
(about 9 hours later)
George Groves has signed a long-term promotional contract with Sauerland in the build-up to his much-anticipated rematch with Carl Froch at Wembley Stadium on 31 May. George Groves admits he has gambled by signing with Sauerland Promotions in the buildup to his rematch with Carl Froch at Wembley Stadium on Saturday week but he is determined to take the risk out of the equation by stopping the champion in three rounds.
Groves, who has previously been promoted by Frank Warren and Eddie Hearn, joins the five-times world champion Mikkel Kessler and the British heavyweight David Price at the German-based firm. Groves on Tuesday confirmed he had contracted to a long-term deal with the German promoters, even though he might have been able to negotiate better terms if he were to take Froch’s super-middleweight belt.
The deal comes less than two weeks before Groves goes head to head with Froch for the WBA and IBF world super -middleweight titles in front of an expected 80,000 crowd. Over lunch in Hammersmith in west London, not far from where he was born 27 years ago, Groves (who sticks to water) looks and sounds as relaxed as he always does.
“I am extremely pleased to have signed with Team Sauerland,” Groves said. “I have boxed on their shows in the past and have known Kalle and Nisse (Sauerland) for years. The shows they put on in Europe are phenomenal. “I think three rounds,” he said when pressed for a prediction. “Paddy [Fitzpatrick, his trainer] is talking about five. So, never go against the coach.”
“This is definitely a step in the right direction for me as I look to build my name not only across Europe but all around the world. I feel that now I have the right team in place to help me achieve everything I need to in boxing.” Such an unequivocal statement of intent will not surprise students of Groves’s predictions. He shocked everyone – most of all Froch – when he carried through on his promise to put his opponent down in the first round when they met the first time in December. This time he is just as confident, perhaps more so.
Groves has won 19 of his 20 professional bouts, with his sole defeat coming against Froch in November when the fight was controversially stopped in the ninth round. The 26-year-old is also a former Commonwealth and British title holder. “They’re superconfident I can do the business,” he said of the Sauerland brothers, who have been courting him for weeks. “My value is there. The deal I have signed now is the equivalent of having knocked Carl Froch out next weekend.
Kalle Sauerland said: “We are proud to have won the race for George’s signature and look forward to guiding one of the most exciting talents on the planet. “I went into the first fight [when Froch stopped him in the ninth round] on my own, all on my own, and I felt I paid a price for that, to a certain extent. I’m in a much stronger position and I have a much stronger promotional team behind me. Not that that will make any difference in the fight, because that’s not how boxing works.
“We are sure that George will write boxing history and delighted that we will be a part of the journey on a personal and business level.” “I don’t need to have my career built now. I’m an established fighter, not a fighter who needs steady progression. I’m going to be world champion next week and then all I needs is someone to negotiate fights, which I’m going to be part of anyway – and still be on Sky – and take over the world.
“Kalle [Sauerland] will make me a high-profile fighter here in the UK and I think he will certainly open a lot of doors to have big fights across Europe and in the States.
I’ve been pretty good at negotiating. People might disagree and think I’m trying to cash out early, but if I don’t win next week then I essentially don’t really have a deal with. But I know what my value is once I win.
That’s the equivalent of what I’ve got now with Sauerland, because they’ve shown that commitment to me. I had similar offers from other promoters, and I was very tempted.
“I think Carl will come out, hang on and, if he gets past six rounds, maybe get a bit of confidence. If it gets towards rounds 10, 11, he might think I’m going to blow up. He’s been there before [coming from behind to stop Jermaine Taylor in the last 14 seconds]. Even against me. But I think he will make too many fundamental mistakes. He will explode and – without giving away too much – followed by an implosion. That will come very early. Once he walks on to shots, he won’t get up. Paddy’s saying five, I’m saying three.”
Froch said he imagined Froch, who is 11 years older, regards him as a pesky child. “He’s spending a lot of time coaching himself not to lose his rag with me. But ultimately that’s taxing. It takes a lot of energy. If you’re driving home and you’re kids are playing up in the back seat, I’m pretty sure that’s taxing. You’re trying to hold your composure, you’re trying not to shout at them.
“And that’s how Carl sees me. He thinks I’m a petulant kid playing up in the back seat, and he wants to turn around and tell me to behave. But he knows if he does that, it’s going to be embarrassing. So he’s sitting there, trying to be calm. He’s in the same situation now.”