After several months of verbal back-chat between Carl Froch and George Groves, we are just over 48 hours away from seeing who will prevail from the IBF and WBA super-middleweight clash between the two British fighters at the Phones4U Arena.
Froch, the defending champion, goes into the encounter as the favourite to win the contest, but after weeks of slowly easing himself into the limelight Groves has many boxing fans believing that he is capable of causing an upset on Saturday night.
Below, Sports Mole previews the main event, and takes a look at the stellar undercard that has been put together for the pay-per-view event in Manchester
Carl Froch vs. George Groves
When this fight was announced in July, the general consensus was that challenger Groves had taken the match 12 months too early in a blossoming career that has seen him pick up 19 successive victories.
Groves had earned the right to face the experienced Froch after moving into a mandatory position in the world rankings, but the Londoner wasn't receiving the respect that he felt that he deserved, and many supporters were treating Froch's acceptance of the fight as a step back after his gruelling points win over Mikkel Kessler.
But after the animosity between the two Brits made the transition from dislike to underlying hatred, so much fuel has been added to the fire to make this encounter as anticipated as the failed attempt to bring David Haye and Tyson Fury together.
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You knew what you were getting with Haye and Fury. It would have been explosive, but it had the potential to be a short match. With Froch and Groves, you have two men that want to take each other's heads off, but they want to do so in a manner that would give them the satisfaction of being classed as the superior man.
Neither fighter would feel the full sense of achievement with a first-round stoppage. Both want to prove that they have superior boxing skills than their opponent. Froch wants to show that the challenger doesn't deserve to compete at world level, and Groves wants to tell the world that Froch is on the decline.
Groves rightly insists that it's impossible to tell at this stage whether Froch's efforts against Kessler in May have had a lasting effect on the 35-year-old, but if they haven't, then the 26-year-old could find himself thrown into the deep end on Saturday night because the Froch who beat Kessler will have enough to overcome Groves, who has previously hit the canvas during his career.
The pair have traded insults, the pair have traded opinions on how they think the fight will go in an attempt to alter the thinking of their opponent. Groves has maintained his stance that he has the blueprint to defeat, and knock out, Froch, but that could only happen if Froch abandons his own gameplan.
Groves has done everything possible to rattle Froch, and he has had some success during their exchanges in the media, but the challenger only wins this fight if he draws Froch into the kind of tussle that he wants.
Prediction: Both fighters have their strengths and both have their weaknesses, but the main question being asked by the boxing fraternity is whether Groves can withstand Froch's power for 12 rounds? The London man might cause the champion trouble with his slicker movement early on, but if Froch connects with a right hand during the encounter, that could change the course of the fight and earn him the TKO. Froch in eight.
Undercard
The undercard that has been assembled in Manchester is stacked with some of Great Britain's most talented boxers, but it shouldn't take too much of the spotlight away from the headline bout.
WBA super-bantamweight champion Scott Quigg will defend his world title against Diego Silva in front of his home crowd in a fight that will be the chief support to the main event. The 25-year-old fought to a majority draw against Yoandris Salinas seven weeks ago, but he should have plenty in the tank to overcome the experienced Argentine.
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Anthony Crolla had been expected to fight for the British lightweight belt against Martin Gethin, but after the champion withdrew, the WBO intercontinental holder will face Stephen Foster, who is making the step up from super-featherweight.
Jamie McConnell will look to get over the disappointment of having to vacate his IBF bantamweight title with an eight-rounder against France's Bernard Inom, while Olympic gold medallist Luke Campbell also faces French opposition in Morgan Duthes in just his fourth fight as a professional.
Middleweight contender Martin Murray had been expected to compete on the card ahead of a potential world title clash in 2014, but after coming down with a virus, his place has been taken by Irishman Andy Lee, who also has global ambitions over the next 12 months.
Darren Plant
