George Groves went into his rematch with Carl Froch at Wembley looking to avenge what he believed to be an unfair defeat against the Nottingham-born champion last year.
Froch took charge in the opening rounds having worked behind an efficient jab, making it hard for Groves to score or develop any regular patterns.
With the fight heading towards a seemingly points-decided finish, Groves opened up a little more in the eighth and appeared to have Froch worried with two industrious hooks.
However, despite looking shaken, Froch delivered a world-class shot to open up his opponent and send Groves scrambling to the canvas, leaving the referee to call off proceedings in the eighth round.
You can see how all of the action developed by reading our minute-by-minute updates below.
Good evening everyone and welcome to Sports Mole's live coverage as Carl Froch meets George Groves in their highly anticipated rematch at Wembley. This contest has been talked up as the biggest fight in the history of British boxing, as Groves attempts to avenge his controversial defeat to IBF and WBA super-middleweight champion Froch in November of last year.
Tonight's fight takes place at Wembley Stadium, with all 80,000 tickets now sold out. The animosity between the pair has been boiling since the back-end of last year, with their rivalry being talked up to be larger and more poisonous than the likes of Morales and Barrera.
The contest places the cultured Froch, who has 32 wins and two defeats, against the rising Groves who has 19 wins and one defeat to his name.
There are a number of undercard fights before the main event tonight. Earlier, British heavyweight Anthony Joshua stopped Matt Legg with a first-round knockout, to extend his record to six wins from six.
Doncaster-born Jamie McDonnell has also claimed the previously vacant WBA bantamweight title having stopped Tabtimdaeng Na Rachawat in Round 10 with a crushing left hook.
As it stands, we've just passed the midway point in the IBF lightweight title final eliminator in which Kevin Mitchell is facing Canadian Ghislain Maduma. We'll bring you the result of that encounter when it's over, before bringing you a round-by-round update of James DeGale's fight against Brandon Gonzales.
The winner of DeGale and Gonzales's fight will probably be given the chance to take on the victor of Froch vs. Groves. Some incentive, hey?
Such is the weight being placed on tonight's fight, the previous attendance record for a post-War fight in Britain (set by Ricky Hatton) has now been overwritten by this event.
Are we going to see a war of attrition, or will one fighter decide to box to comprehensive tactics? The build up suggests we're in for an attacking corker, though I think in reality we all know there's too much on the line to box without a brain this evening.
Both men are now in the stadium and are beginning their preparations for the fight. Here's what Groves had to say to Sky Box Office: "I feel calm. This is a fantastic place to box, it was good to come down earlier and soak some of the atmosphere here but it will be nothing compared to how it will be in two hours."
Froch has also been quick to declare how prepared he feels for the contest:
"I'm not exactly battling the nerves. I have been fine all day, relaxing with my feet up and getting ready for the fight. It was nice to go out to the arena and have a look when my good friend Anthony Joshua was fighting. I wanted to hear the sounds, it sounds like a modern day coliseum, it brought a smile to my face because I am a big fan of ancient Rome and all the gladiator films. It is very atmospheric. It has cheered me up and I am looking forward to getting out there."
Well, it's been a dominant night for the British thus far with Kevin Mitchell having stopped Ghislain Maduma in the 11th round of their contest. The Londoner appeared to be behind on the judges' cards up until that point, though...
The tension continues to build for the main contest amidst these undercard fights, with a number of experts and celebrities weighing in to give their opinion of Froch vs. Groves II.
Barry McGuigan, former WBA featherweight champion, has had this to say: "This is a macho game but in the heat of battle it can spill over into arrogance and I doubt if George Groves can stay composed and just keep boxing throughout. Force my hand and I go for Carl Froch with a stoppage in the 10th, 11th or 12th round."
James DeGale, who is up next on the card, has jumped to the defence of Groves: "It will be a close one. I'm sitting on the fence but, with a gun to my head, I'd probably go with Groves. You never know, because there are so many ifs and buts. That's why the fight is so intriguing: no-one knows."
The venue of tonight's fight could play a big part in the outcome too, with both fighters having to experience something relatively unheard of in the contemporary history of British boxing: performing in front of 80,000 people in one of the most impressive pieces of sporting architecture in the world.
Ex-world welterweight champion Paulie Malignaggi has been speaking to BBC Sport to reveal some insight into the conditions the fighters will face tonight: "It will be loud at Wembley, but I like to fight outdoors. You get the cool breeze, which is good when your body temperature gets hot. It can be a little nerve-wracking but once you get used to fighting in front of big crowds, it doesn't matter. When you are not used to it, you can think 'wow, what am I doing here?'"
So, we're about to begin the final undercard fight as James DeGale faces Brandon Gonzales in their IBF super-middleweight title eliminator. We'll bring you round-by-round updates as it happens...
DeGale comes out with a real statement of intent as he catches Gonzales with a left-hand lead in the opening seconds. He pushes Gonzales back with a consistent jab. Gonzales looks rather sluggish as he appears to hug his way into the fight instead of boxing. DeGale doesn't mind too much and he loads in with a few tentative uppercuts as his competitor pulls away. DeGale definitely took that one, Gonzales will need to offer something else even if he's planning on nursing his way into this fight.
More hugging to begin with, then. DeGale doesn't abide though as he lands a few quick ones. Gonzales responds for the first time of the night with some good bodywork, landing a few jabs to DeGale's midriff. Some tidy work from Gonzales sees him catch DeGale on the chest with the jab as he pulls away, however he responds with a few cheeky uppercuts which border on the illegal. The American has finally woken up!
It's very tight, but DeGale lands a nice left onto Gonzales's cheek, before bouncing away and landing another left to the body. Gonzales doesn't think too much about it as he pushes DeGale into a corner, where he lands plush to the chin. DeGale works his way back out and lands a spearing right jab after good work set up with his left. DeGale gives the referee a look of disgust as it appears Gonzales makes an illegal move. Tense stuff here at Wembley...
Gonzales is showing some good tactics as he backs DeGale onto the ropes and goes about his work with an element of brutalism. Not too much being offered in the way of class, but he's frustrating DeGale and not giving him an option. Hang on, though, DeGale springs into life and explodes with a combination of lefts which send Gonzales down to the canvas. He's back after five though, Fantastic work from the Englishman. DeGale continues and Gonzales doesn't have much of a reply, as he seeks to see out the round. For some reason, though, the referee doesn't see him lasting and ends the fight. Fourth-round stoppage win for DeGale!
James DeGale beats Brandon Gonzales with a stoppage in the fourth round to win their IBF super-middleweight title eliminator contest
Well, memories of the first Froch vs. Groves contest here as the referee is the source of controversy. I'm not so sure that should have been stopped. Gonzales looked a little ropey after the knockdown, but he showed his gloves with energy as he looked to evade DeGale for the remaining seconds. I'm sure this won't be the last we hear about this fight...
Talk about trying to steal the limelight, though... That flurry of punches for the knockout was as good as any I've seen. DeGale also used his post-match comments to declare that he is now gunning for whoever wins tonight's main fight.
The ring-walks for Froch vs. Groves aren't scheduled until 9.45pm so until then we'll be entertained with a four-round contest between two youngsters.
Well, we didn't get past the first round as Jack Heath is knocked down by Gamal Yafai, with the referee ruling him unable to continue.
Following on from his victory earlier, James DeGale has been speaking to reporters in his post-match interview:
"I've been living like a hermit the last couple of weeks while I've been training but I've won and I'm the mandatory challenger now. I don't care who wins, I'm going to go with Groves but I don't care if he gets knocked out. My power has always been there but I have been injured. I am injury free now and I am ready for whoever."
We're about 15 minutes away from the ring-walks this evening. Before we begin, Groves weighed almost 2lb under the 12st limit at the weigh-in, while Froch was heavier at 11st 13lb 9oz.
Prior to the fight, Froch used the press to get his point across that he believes Groves may now be starting to feel the pressure ahead of the fight. He told the Daily Star:
"When I fought Jermain Taylor in my first defence in America, three months out, I thought I would be fine, I can beat him.
"The week before the fight, you land in America, and it dawns on you that you're fighting Jermain Taylor, he's fast, he hits hard. George has already boxed me, but the magnitude of the event potentially could be dawning on him.
"He's put himself in a position where he's told everyone that the first fight was a stonewall robbery. But he knows when he looked in the mirror the following morning, his face was swollen, he had two black eyes and a swollen lip and lumps all over his head."
Groves has contested these views, though, with the youngster claiming that he will knock Froch out with a left hook: "Anyone who was watched the media workouts will see that we have been working on left hooks, and we know that the left hook will work. It will be the left hook that finishes Carl Froch."
Wembley is really rocking now as we await the entrance of both fighters. The seats are starting to fill up and we should have a full-house in the next couple of minutes.
Perhaps a bit of mind games going on as Groves delays his entrance? His room gets a bit of a ticking off from tonight's promoter and soon enough he emerges. George Groves is on his way out at Wembley following an introduction from the iconic Michael Buffer.
Kasabian provide the backdrop for Groves, who emerges rather comically on top of a red double-decker bus... Really? It's like something out of a sitcom.
Groves is met with a mixed bag, equal shares of boos and cheers - predictably enough...
He moves undeterred through the crowd with a determined strut, let's see what Froch has in store for us; his entrance is up next.
The large number of screens around the ground display an image of Froch, who is about to begin his walk down to the ring. Boos, mainly...
Froch's entrance is a little less dramatic. He jogs down to the ring to the sound of Queen's We Will Rock You...
Hang on, I take that back... Froch is now doing a little bit of a warm-up amid a sequence of lasers in front of the crowd. He looks just as focussed as Groves. We're in for a real barn-stormer tonight!
We're almost there, could this be one of British boxing's most memorable nights?
Here we go, Groves in the blue shorts, Froch in the black; Michael Buffer, take it away...
Lots of false starting as both fighters duck in and out trying to draw their opponent into the first move. Groves lands the first blow with a short jab with his right and then a left a moment later. Groves is encouraging all the movement in this first round and he lands another tamely on the chin of Froch, who doesn't look fazed by his opponent's movement. Groves looks to work with the jab, but there hasn't been much landed.
More movement from Groves yet again and the fighters get into a hold. Froch unsportingly throws Groves to the floor, but escapes a telling off from the ref. Froch works more of a sharper jab, despite not landing much, to give Groves something to think about. Groves lands a nice right though to counter Froch's intuition, which he then follows up with an impressive left.
Froch looks focused as he gets back to work on the jab, keeping Groves at bay with straight lefts. The two explode as Froch throws a melee of punches, before Groves responds with an impressive right. The fighters settle back down to the chess-style tactics, with Froch working with short snaps. Froch looking good on the front foot now. He's probably taken the first and third.
Froch's jab is causing a bit of a problem here for Groves, leaving the Londoner unable to get close. However, he does well to climb inside with a well-timed right, which crashes into Froch's cheek. He catches Froch with another impressive right, but he responds with a nice hook which has Groves back-peddling. Groves can't really get into range, though he's connected with a few unerring shots. Froch still slightly edging this, though things are really hotting up now.
Tasty, Froch unloads on Groves early on in the fifth, with the current champion forcing his opponent into the corner before landing three good punches. Groves looks a little desperate but manages to escape. They both go on the inside and Froch makes full use with a number of body shots. Froch is having the last word on most exchanges and it's not playing out too kindly for Groves. Another for Froch, a little more comfortably this time I'd say...
Froch begins with a raid to the body that leaves Groves wincing. The Cobra looks to be in control now. Groves is still scoring, however, as he lands a decent left on the back foot. Groves now has a small mark appearing under his left eye, which could cause problems later on. Groves doesn't look like he's boxing to a plan: a lot of single shots, but he's not working any patterns together. Froch finishes on the front foot.
We get a taste of what Groves is about as he lands that big left hook early on and it leaves Froch a little beleaguered. He knows he's taken a good one and looks rather stunned as he bounces back to gather his mind. Froch tries to respond, but he misses and Groves lands a nice one to the ear. Froch gets some good body shots in, but Groves is the real winner with an impressive shot which started proceedings. A momentum changer, maybe?
I have Froch a few points ahead at the moment having worked that efficient jab, but Groves has shown some strong punches in the recent rounds.
Groves lands with a left hook again to start the eighth, he probably knows he needs to give something now given that he's undoubtedly behind on points. Groves is in the ascendancy as he lands two big body shots, with Froch looking a tad weathered in his approach. But hang on a minute, BANG! Froch comes up with a big, straight right hand, which sends Groves to the canvas. Lights out and game over. The referee calls it off and Froch is the winner again...
Carl Froch beats George Groves with an eighth round stoppage
What a shot! A true beast of a punch brings tonight's talk to an end. Groves seemed to be out for a while, with doctors giving him some attention. He's up on his feet now though, as the fighters hug each other to show their respect. That punch was pure class from Froch, who threw a seemingly dumb left to open up his opponent before climbing in with a devastating right to the chin. Thanks for joining us tonight, we'll no doubt see you again, with DeGale planning a showdown with tonight's champion.
