‘The best punch I have thrown in my life’

And just like that, it was all over. All those months of debating, arguing and predicting. The taunting, training and trash-talking. All put to bed with one devastating swoop of Carl Froch’s right hand.

There were two minutes and 34 seconds of the eighth round gone in what was the biggest all-British fight since the war, arguably of all time.

It was some 189 days since another of Froch’s punches started all of these questions, up in Manchester, when referee Howard Foster so controversially stepped in.

But no referees or judges were required on Saturday, as the defending IBF and WBA champion drew a line under it all in violent style.

“How do you define a great punch?” the 36-year-old said pensively. “It’s what it means. And what that meant was; the whole George Groves saga, the history of the fight and how people will look back at it in years to come – it will be that right hand. That’s why it is the best punch I have thrown in my life. All of that, it’s finished now.

“I would’ve retired if I had lost tonight. I didn’t want to be remembered as the loser in the biggest post-war fight in Britain.”

It has been years since we last saw Froch despatch a man with a single punch. Even his brutal finish against Lucien Bute two years back came via a barrage of shots. In fact ‘The Cobra’ admitted he had not ended a contest in such fashion since back in 2006, almost eight years to the day, when Lisburn’s Brian Magee swallowed a beautiful right uppercut.

Froch added: “I went over the top of George’s head with that right hand a couple of times.

“That punch just came, I just threw it, I didn’t really try and knock him out, I didn’t load up. I just threw it, it landed and it was a lovely, perfect, pearler of a shot. It closed the show and that’s what world-class fighters do.”

Almost 80,000 turned up to catch a glimpse, millions more tuned in on pay-per-view and few were disappointed.

The same cannot be said of the first fight in November, when the crowd booed so viciously in conclusion. This time they filed out knowing they had witnessed something truly special.

Groves emerged onto what would normally be the pitch in a double-decker London bus. Froch on foot but with no less intent. The eight rounds were very close until Froch’s final intervention.

Groves hit the floor like a rock, stayed there, momentarily lifeless, before his brain somehow re-engaged, but referee Charlie Fitch had already waved off the contest.

During the post-fight scenes, in stark contrast to the months of build-up, the duo embraced warmly, Froch whispering words into his young opponent’s ear.

“I told him he’s young, very talented and skilful. He can come again. Don’t go home on a downward spiral. Unfortunately I caught you with a shot but that’s boxing.”

But that was where the compliments ended. Froch went on: “He hasn’t quite got that toughness that you need at the top, top level.

“If I fight George Groves 10 times I beat him 10 times. I’ve got ingredients you can’t teach. It’s toughness and heart. He still needs to prove to me that he can take more than a right hand from an elite level fighter.

“Nights like tonight can end a career. It could kill him – I shouldn’t use that word – but it can finish him off. But who am I to give him advice? I don’t think he likes me.”

Groves, who earned a career-best payday of €2.5m, said: “I’m only 26 and I just boxed in front of 80,000. I didn’t get the result I wanted but I’m sure I have a long and successful career ahead of me. I thank Carl for taking the fight. I got caught with a shot. It’s boxing and fair play to Carl Froch, he got the job done, he was the better man on the night in that respect. Tonight, it was a split second that let me down.”

And that was all Froch needed.