Referee robs Froch and Groves their place in English boxing folklore! 

I said it just after the fight, now since the dust has settled I feel the same way. This was one of the worst referee decisions in boxing I have ever witnessed. Yes EVER.

In the 9th round, after a thrilling, intriguing and exciting battle. Referee Howard Foster decided to ruin what was emerging as one of the greatest domestic fights in boxing history.

This battle had everything. A strong, proven, experienced, warrior like champion in Carl Froch. Against the young, cocky, arrogant, skillful and ultra confident George Groves.

The build up to the fight was of epic proportions, and unlike many battles that had all the talk before hand and no substances. This one was living up to all the hype, and then some.

The tone was set in the first round when Groves amazingly dropped Froch with a superb left, right combination.

Froch looked groggy when he got back to his feet, but as a true champion, Froch weathered the storm. However, the damage had already been done.

Throughout the fight Groves looked the more assured and composed fighter, catching Froch with his jab then connecting constantly with a big overhand right. Froch seemed bewildered and couldn’t avoid Groves’ right hand.

For much of the early rounds, Froch looked out of sorts and couldn’t seem to get his jab off. Going into the 8th round, I had Groves up six rounds to one. But Froch is not a champion for no reason and began to step it up.

As Groves started to tire, Froch took the eighth round with his typical warrior, walk forward battling spirit and suddenly the fight had taken on another dimension going into the ninth.

As the  fight was gearing up to enter into a legendary last four rounds. The ref ruined it.

Yes Froch caught Groves with one or two shots, yes Groves looked as unsteady as he had all fight.

But after from what I could see, only about one or two real clear / clean shot in a barrage of about six or seven punches. I am at a loss to see how and why Howard Foster decided to stopped the fight. To top is off, when does a ref get the boxer taking the punishment in a headlock to stop a fight? The ref was lost.

Naturally, Groves was incensed. Even a standing count at that stage would have been unjust but at least the fight would have continued.

As the fight was stopped boo’s rung out around the Manchester arena. A place where Groves was boo’d and jeered as he entered the ring, he was now leaving to a crescendo of cheers and applause.

Nobody in the arena could believe that this so called experienced ref had just robbed the British public, and the sport of boxing of a legendary battle and a fitting ending.

Not only the British public, but the two fighters were robbed also. Had the fight continued, Froch was robbed of what could have been a tremendous come from behind victory.

Groves was robbed of a world title, a legendary victory and masterminding an impressive upset to rival some of the greatest in the sport.

This fight was possibly on the way to being in the top ten, greatest fights in British boxing history had it continued.

In the refs logic, Froch should have been stopped in the first round. He was in more trouble and unsteady in that first round, than Groves was when the fight was stopped in the 9th.

This is was a title fight, both fighters are elite boxers, who had trained for months for this battle. Obviously both fighters would get hit and hurt and some point, but would recover to fight on.

That is the nature of a fight. If you look back in history, that is what made the great fights of the past great. A so called experienced ref should know this, there are no excuses.

I understand the argument of the ref is there to protect the health of the fighters, which I fully understand and agree with. Though it was a tough fight, Groves didn’t take much punishment in the whole fight, let alone the 9th round. He could have let it gone on a few more seconds at the very least.

What made it even worse was Groves was clearly winning the fight. The ref should have known this also, so to stop it that prematurely was absolutely diabolical.

The ref should be boycotted for what he has taken from the fighters and the boxing fans.

Oh and I say “clearly” winning the fight, but bizarrely on two of the scorecards Groves was only winning by ONE point 76-75.  lol Seriously, I am at a loss with boxing.