Thursday 25 May 2017 12:49, UK
Carl Froch might not be George Groves' biggest fan, but 'The Cobra' reveals how much his nemesis winning a world title would mean to him. And it is not just for personal gains...
If I think about it, deep down, if I could make the decision and be the man in charge of it all, I would like to see him win. If it was down to me, I would just give it to him. I genuinely mean that.
For the good of boxing and for selfish reasons, I hope George Groves wins the world title.
If he loses to Fedor Chudinov, I can't see me feeling sorry for him. It will show he just isn't good enough.
If Groves does win, then fair play to him. He will be the world champion, albeit with the WBA regular and against a limited fighter, so he should win. But if he does that, my legacy gets better because I've beaten more world champions than anyone at super-middleweight.
I am sitting quite pretty, I have a young family and people would probably like to see me fight again, but I am happy and it could have gone a lot worse if I didn't get up off the floor in the first round in Manchester. Imagine ending my career being KO'd by George Groves?
For me, I am positive and I always look forward and never back, so when I see Groves I just feel neutral. I don't really wish him good luck and hope he does well and I don't look at him and think what a you-know-what he was.
I'd have to be stupid to be harbouring any animosity towards him and I am actually going a bit soft because I felt a bit sorry for him. If there is any boxer that is so desperate to have a world title and has worked as hard as anybody to get there, it would actually be nice to see it happen.
If I think about it, deep down, if I could make the decision and be the man in charge of it all, I would like to see him win. If it was down to me, I would just give it to him. I genuinely mean that.
He is a dad now, that gives you a different perspective, and I sometimes think we only ever see each other when one of us, or both of us, are fighting and you forget people actually have a life outside it.
Nothing is going to change my opinion about the way he behaved, the way he stood by it and carried it on, but some people are just like that and you just choose not to be friends.
But looking at him as a sportsman and as someone who has grafted and wants to be the best in the world at what he does, he is trying his heart out.
He got stopped by me and then conclusively knocked out by me the second time. He had that close, close decision to Badou Jack go against him, so he has had it hard.
And I might be softening now I have retired but he came close to becoming really - and I mean really - big. Maybe if he'd beaten me in the first one and certainly if he'd won the rematch, George Groves would be the big box office star.
Watch Groves vs Chudinov before Brook vs Spence Jr, from Bramall Lane, Sheffield, May 27, live on Sky Sports Box Office. Book the event online here or via your Sky remote.
