George Groves vs. Christopher Rebrasse: Preview and Prediction for Upcoming Bout
Super middleweight contender George Groves returns to Wembley Stadium on Saturday for the first time since getting knocked out by Carl Froch last May in one of the year's biggest fights. His opponent will be the Frenchman Christopher Rebrasse.
Groves is riding a two-fight losing streak, but in both those losses, he showed flashes of genuine talent against two of the sport's top stars. If he can put his stoppage losses behind him, he's young enough to rebuild his promising career.
But he's going to need to get back into the win column first.
Tale of the Tape
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| Per BoxRec | George Groves | Christopher Rebrasse |
| Record: | 19-2, 15 KOs | 22-2-3, 6 KOs |
| Height: | 5'11.5" | Unlisted |
| Reach: | 72" | Unlisted |
| Weight: | 168 lbs. | 168 lbs. |
| Age: | 26 | 28 |
| Stance: | Orthodox | Orthodox |
| Hometown: | London, England | Levallois-Perret, France |
| Rounds: | 112 | 181 |
Christopher Rebrasse's height and reach are unlisted, but against Mouhamed Ali Ndiaye, he looked to be a tall, rangy fighter.
Rebrasse is two years older than Grove and has been in five more professional fights. But the edge in meaningful experience goes to Groves. In addition to his two fights with Carl Froch, he's faced world-class veterans like Glen Johnson and other top prospects like James DeGale.
Main Storylines
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Last November, Groves took his first professional loss against fellow Brit Froch. Still, it was a defeat that substantially raised Groves' profile in the sport. The young upstart took the fight to Froch, knocking him down in Round 1, and he was up on the cards when he lost by controversial Round 9 TKO.
The stoppage of Groves was one of the most criticized of recent years.
Froch and Groves fought a rematch last May in front of a sell-out crowd of 80,000 in London's Wembley Stadium. Groves once again started strong, but the veteran "Cobra" slowly took control of the fight and put Groves away with a brilliant right hand in Round 8.
This time, the referee's decision to stop the fight was not questioned.
Now, Groves is looking to regain some of the momentum he had built up after his first fight with Froch. Still well shy of 30, he has time to rebuild his career into a good one.
Rebrasse has only fought twice outside of France, and those were in nearby Italy. He's a decent, regional-level journeyman with very little power. He's an ideal candidate to get Groves back in the win column.
Strengths
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Groves is a skilled, all-around boxer. He has a very good jab and decent power. He is athletic and physically powerful for his weight class.
Groves has developed at a good pace, gaining a high level of experience in his relatively short career. He's faced strong competition at times and faced the pressure of major fights.
Rebrasse has good length and a solid jab. He protects himself well behind a classic, high guard. He has a decent sense of distance and range.
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Weaknesses
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Groves is coming off two straight stoppage losses to Carl Froch. Although the first stoppage seemed a bit quick, he was clearly rocked in the fight. Less than four months ago, Froch stopped him decisively in the rematch.
With two stoppage losses in less than a year, there are mental and physical question marks facing Groves. It remains to be seen how he'll recover.
Rebrasse does not have significant power for a super middleweight, having stopped just six opponents of relatively low quality. Although he won his rematch against Mouhamed Ali Ndiaye by TKO, he looks like a lean fighter who is vulnerable to getting pushed around.
George Groves Will Win If...
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Groves has a strong jab, and he should use it to get Rebrasse moving backward. Groves should pressure the Frenchman, imposing himself physically and softening up the body with a steady attack.
Rebrasse has a good, tight high guard, so the body attack will be important to draw the hands down so Groves can look to connect with the straight right and left hook upstairs. Groves will no doubt be excited to get back on the winning side of the ledger, but he needs to stay patient and take what is open as an avenue of attack. Against Rebrasse, that's likely to be the torso at first.
Groves is a clear favorite in this fight, but until he's shown there are no long-term effects from his two back-to-back stoppage losses, question marks will hang over him. But if he's put those two setbacks mentally and physically behind him, he should have too much ability for Rebrasse.
Christopher Rebrasse Will Win If...
6 of 7While it's an old boxing adage that "you never hook with a hooker," jabbing with a jabber is another matter. Against a strong jabber like Groves, sometimes the best thing an opponent can do is use his own jab to disrupt.
Rebrasse should look to get off first with his own lead left, pumping the jab and moving laterally, away from Groves' right hand, taking away the angle for Groves to move forward and attack downstairs.
Rebrasse has to give varied looks to frustrate Groves and prevent him from establishing a strong rhythm on offense. Groves is going to be very hungry for the opportunity to look good in his return to Wembley Stadium. If Rebrasse can stymie that aggression, he can convert it to frustration and start forcing Groves to make defensive mistakes.
Prediction
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Christopher Rebrasse was an unfamiliar name to me. But there are a lot of boxers in the world and plenty that I haven't heard of.
But I haven't even heard of anybody he's fought. So he's pretty far off the radar coming into this relatively high-profile fight.
Watching Rebrasse on YouTube, he looks like a guy with some definite talent. He's a skilled professional. But even in the fights he's winning against obscure opponents, he hardly looks dazzling.
George Groves has looked very good in the past against some very good fighters. He's won a bunch of rounds in the past over Froch, the No. 2 fighter in the world at 168.
So as long as Groves isn't damaged goods from getting knocked out less than four months ago, this should be a showcase for him. I doubt his handlers would have made this fight for him this soon after he lost if they weren't pretty confident about the result.
I'm picking Groves to win by stoppage inside of six. It will probably be awhile before he gets another crack at a belt, but he should remain near the top of the division.
A rematch with fellow Brit DeGale would be a great fight for him.
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