Wembley To Host Froch V Groves Rematch
Carl Froch and George Groves will clash at Wembley Stadium connected by EE in London on 31st May, live on Sky Sports Box Office, with the fight likely to set a British post-War attendance record.
The Super Middleweight rematch for Froch’s WBA and IBF World titles follows their first encounter at the Phones 4u Arena in Manchester, controversially stopped in the ninth round after the challenger, Groves, had floored the Nottingham star in the opening round.
The fight will be the first boxing bout at Wembley Stadium since it re-opened in 2007, and comes just days after signing its first lead partner, EE, last week.
60,000 to 70,000 could be expected for the fight in the 90,000 seater stadium, which would break the previous post-War record of 55,000 – set in 2008 when home favourite Ricky Hatton took on, and defeated, Juan Lazcano at the City of Manchester Stadium.
Wembley had previously appeared to be out of the running because England play a pre-World Cup friendly against Peru at the venue the previous evening.
However, promoter Eddie Hearn said: ‘Ever since I walked out at Wembley I knew this was the one. Logistically we had some hurdles to overcome but the support of Wembley, The FA and Sky Sports have helped make history here. This is the first ever fight at the new Wembley Stadium and what better venue to stage the biggest British fight of all time.’
‘I’m proud to be involved in an event of this magnitude. Internationally the fight will broadcast live to over 100 countries around the world but ultimately this a night that will take British boxing to a new level. The rivalry is fierce; everything is on the line, quite simply: you need to be at Wembley on May 31st.’
Barney Francis, managing director of Sky Sports added: ‘Froch v Groves II at Wembley will be one the biggest fights ever staged on British soil and it’s live only on Sky Sports Box Office. The fight ends an incredible month of sport on Sky and is the perfect bridge to a fantastic Summer of Sport that includes Test cricket, F1 Grand Prix, golf and Super League.’
Melvin Benn, chairman of Wembley Stadium (picture above, right with Francis and Hearn), commented: ‘Wembley Stadium has a special affinity with world class boxing having hosted many classics over the years, most notably Henry Cooper’s iconic bout with Muhammad Ali in 1963. We haven’t had a fight here since Frank Bruno vs. Oliver McCall in 1995 so we’re long overdue a duel of this magnitude. This is arguably the biggest fight since the Nigel Benn vs. Chris Eubank rematch of 1993 and there’s no better venue in the UK to host such a bout.’
