“Everything for a reason” has been my mantra throughout this training camp and I strongly believe in its message. Everything I have done during preparation, whether in the gym or at press conferences, has been for a reason. Every punch I throw on May 31 will be for a very specific reason. And the fight itself is happening and was mandated by the IBF for a very good reason.
Anybody who saw our first fight will know why the rematch is happening. Only the referee Howard Foster believed the stoppage was correct. Even Carl Froch, the beneficiary of the stoppage, eventually agreed with the consensus opinion that it was wrong. Most importantly, though, the IBF deemed it unfair and that's why we're getting ready to do it all over again.
This time round there will be no controversy and no need to argue. Carl Froch has been forced to take a fight he didn't want and, on May 31, we will all see why he was so keen to pursue so-called other options rather than face me again. He will realise what happened in our first fight wasn't a fluke, nor was it due to him simply overlooking me or taking me lightly. Instead, he will realise what happened first time round owed more to the fact I am a far superior fighter; quicker with my hands, feet and brain, more mobile, stronger inside and the heavier puncher with one shot.
There is nothing he can take from the first fight to give him confidence or hope going into this rematch. He can't improve aspects of his game that have been broken or non-existent since day one. Sure, he can train harder and focus more, but how will that erase his many technical deficiencies and flaws? Remember, he's 36 years of age, ten years my senior, and I'm the one with room to improve. He's had his time, he's won his world titles, and he's taken hard punches from some of the best super-middleweights in the world.
Well, on May 31 at Wembley Stadium, I'll happily dish out some more. And if he expects me to perform the way I did last time we met, he's sorely mistaken. Unlike Froch, I can and have improved. This time I'm leaving absolutely nothing to chance.
Froch vs. Goves 2 takes place Saturday, May 31st LIVE on HBO beginning at 4:00 PM ET/PT.
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