Interview – Declan Warrington
BN: Would this tour be happening โ would you be friends like you are โ if heโd won that night at Wembley?
CF: If Iโd have lost itโd probably have been my last fight โ Iโd have finished my career on a loss. Would George be doing this tour if that was his last fight? Probably not. The same way I probably wouldnโt have. But he was young enough to go and eventually win a world title, so he got his defining moment away from Wembley. If Iโd have lost and not fought again, would I have got over it and thought, โHeโs alright, Iโll go on tour with himโ? Maybe not. I do it for my website and to give the fans something back, and I enjoy it. Would I enjoy sitting there listening to me getting chinned in front of 80,000 at Wembley a million times? No, I donโt think I would. Itโs hard to empathise and put myself in that position. But I can understand why George is doing it because it wasnโt his last fight and he had a decent career after.
BN: How much harder would being around him, and revisiting it to the extent you do, be if youโd lost?
CF: It would be [particularly] hard for the first one or two, and then itโs, โWeโve been here, seen it, done it now; weโve talked about it a million timesโ. It would be quite a lot harder; and I think itโs harder for him than it is for me, actually. I go on these tours and I donโt feel at all like it brings any bad memories back, but for him, I sometimes look at him and feel a bit bad when Iโm taking the piss a little bit. Like his podcast โ thatโs me having a bit of a laugh and a bit of a dig. But it [the knockout] did happen. Itโs100 per cent, genuinely, nothing personal.
BN: How much do you cherish the manner in which your career finished, given so few fighters retire off the back of winning?
CF: Iโm really grateful. To myself, for putting in the hard work and dedication, for Rob McCracken for believing in me, and the support I got from my family โ mainly my wife [Rachael]. It was hard for her โ there was a lot of time she was on her own. My older brother [Leeโs] my biggest fan and always had my back; obviously my mum; my dad donโt really give a shit. Heโs a miserable old f**ker. I donโt even talk to him, which is a shame, because my dad got me into boxing โ he loves the sport โ but heโs turned into a bit of a recluse since he remarried. I miss me old man, I love him to bits, but I donโt see him, and heโs never met his seven grandkids โ itโs his other two sons as well. To finish on the crest of the wave โ it was a genuine rival; itโs fair to say we probably hated each other โ with that one-punch knockout on that kind of stage, itโs never, ever going to get any better. Who else goes out on top?
David Hayeโs a proper good mate; to see him end his career on his face with his arse in the air, getting flattened by someone [Tony Bellew] who at cruiserweight would have been a mismatch. To see him go out on a lossโฆย He got paid; he was injured as well.
Itโs one of the reasons I didnโt box again. โImagine losing now. Itโs never going to be as good or as big.โ Going out on a loss; getting knocked out. Donโt fancy it. I only lost twice, on points, to top fighters. I finished on a high. I made a few quid along the way. Really, you canโt ask for much more, can you?
BN: How often do you think about that night at Wembley?
CF: Probably nearly every day. โCause Iโm always taking the piss out of myself by saying โ80,000โ; I have my running joke. When you meet people, it always ends up with, โYour last fight at Wembley Stadiumโ, so I always think about it. I canโt imagine thinking about it as my last fight and getting knocked out every day. Itโd be depressing.
BN: Where does he rank among the best you fought?
CF: Jean Pascal was f**king ferocious. Jermain Taylor was a little bit too quick and too skilful for me but he couldnโt stay with me in the later rounds โ Iโve always been solid with my fitness. Andre Ward was awkward and horrible โ but he knows how to win. [Mikkel] Kesslerโs a real hard fucker; skilful; quite tricky. Arthur Abraham was solid; I battered him for 12 rounds and he kept coming. Andre Dirrell was mustard, but he had no heart when he fought me. [Groves is] in the top five โ I wouldnโt put him in the top three [but] โ thatโs credit to George.
BN: Whatโs the most personal moment youโve shared since youโve got to know each other?
CF: We had a drink in Edinburgh. We were stood in the bar, and it was quite lively, and people were coming up and having selfies; it was a Guinness and Tia Maria shot. The tour was nearly over and I said, โCheers, George. Iโve really enjoyed it โ itโs been great getting to know you. I consider you a mateโ. He went, โIโm the same โ you and your brother โ itโs been brilliant. Youโve made it really comfortable for meโ. There was an acoustic guy playing some songs, and quite a few people in there, and I thought that was a really nice moment. We had a โcheers to the tourโ, and weโve genuinely become friends. I donโt drink much โ I donโt think he does either. Heโs sensible, and I donโt drink enough [to get drunk].
He said, โWill you come and do me podcast?โ; โYeah, absolutely, Iโll come down earlyโ. It was a bit of a pain to jump on the road three hours early but I made sure it happened, because I didnโt want to let him down. If he asks me to do something I want to do it for him. You want to look after your mates, donโt you? Do the right thing by them. Thatโs just how it is with George. I genuinely think heโs a sound geezer. I proper get on with him. Weโve got a lot in common. Weโve both got a missus and kids; we both boxed. I genuinely like George Groves. I wished he lived closer [to Nottingham], because Iโd be phoning him up. โDo you fancy going for a game of snooker or going out for something to eat with the missuses?โ Heโd be great company.
BN: Heโs also become friendly with your brother Leeโฆ
CF: Lee was probably a bit harsh with him but he was looking after his little brother. Groves always had a little wind up with him. I donโt think they actually bothered each other that much. Lee was more annoying for George, than โI canโt stand this Lee Froch, f**king idiotโ. He was always in and around me but he never really did anythingโฆ George stood right in front of Lee at the press conference for the Wembley rematch, and I know that Lee had been drinking neat vodka on the way down. He disguised it in a water bottle. I only found out after, because he used to hide his drinking. When George stood in front of him โ Lee can fight. Heโs had 13 unlicensed fights; won all of them and knocked out 12. Tough men โ hard doormen. People who fancy themselves on the street. Heโs strong as you like; can take a punch. Looking back now, he was pissed โ if that hadโve kicked off then it could have got messy. โF**king hell, that could have been horrible.โ The fight would have been off. I donโt think Lee and George hated each other. I think they were not liked [by each other] by default of [him] being my brother.
It was nice when George first met Lee [in retirement]. Lee actually went out of his way to go and speak to George and say, โGeorge. Alright, mate? Nice to see you. Iโve not spoke to you since the fight but honestly Iโve got no problems with you. I think youโre sound โย a great fighter โย well done in your careerโฆโ. Lee was probably five years sober then โย heโd done his 12 steps and he was fully on it and switched on and humble. I think George was taken back by that, and he relaxed. Them two get on well. I often look round and them two are chatting, and having a laugh.
BN: How do you reflect on that photo from before the first fight, which almost portrays you as a bully?
CF: The reality set in when I was in the ring. I was thinking, โF**king hell, Iโm coldโ. I didnโt want to warm up; I didnโt want to get going. Cometh the hour, cometh the man as they say. You canโt lie to yourself [at that point]. I was thinking, โI could be in trouble hereโ. When I was stood in that corner with everyone around me, I was thinking to myself, โYou lot are all getting out of the ring in a minute, and Iโve got to stay hereโ. Thereโs only four or five who really mean anything to me. Everybody else is either family wanting to get their face on camera or a couple of close mates whoโve been in the changing room. โGet out the ring, you twat. What you doing in the ring?โ Iโd often look round and think, โWhat the fuckโs he doing in the ring? Whoโs brought him?โ As long as Robโs there and I can talk to him, go through the final tactics, thatโs all I need.
I can remember looking over to [Groves] thinking, โCheeky prickโ. Brazen. Just stood there, full of confidence; full of self-belief. Quite proud โย chin in the air. I was thinking, โFor f**kโs sakeโ.
BN: Were you overconfident before those fights, and were you guilty of under-appreciating Groves?ย
CF: I was overconfident in the first one and guilty of not giving him the credit he deserved, definitely. I should have known better because Iโd sparred with him; I knew he was a good fighter. But the rematch I wasnโt over-confident. I was fully aware that I was in a fight with somebody who was very capable; tough; has got fast hands and can punch a bit. I was really confident I was going to do the job, but I wasnโt overconfident in a disrespectful way where I was taking him easy. I was confident because Iโd trained really hard; had all the sparring I wanted. I was fit; my diet was smack on. I was walking to the ring very confident but with full respect for my opponent, which is the best way to be. I fully believed I was in for a really hard nightโs work, and potentially a really tough fight. I was switched on. Focused.