Froch vows to wed girlfriend Cordingley as he beats Groves with eighth round knockout in front of 80,000 at Wembley

No controversy. No protest. No second re-match.

Carl Froch put George Groves and all the arguments to sleep with the performance worthy of a God of the ring, climaxed by a crushing right-hand from hell.

f there has been a sweeter moment in fighting life of this stupendous warrior – anywhere in his winning of multiple world titles – he will not be analysing such comparison for some time to come.

Winner: Carl Froch beat George Groves with an 8th round knockout in front of 80,000 at Wembley

Big shot: Froch landed a massive right hand in the eighth round that knocked the young challenger out

All over: The Cobra looks down on S George after landing the decisive blow

One knee: Froch then proposed to his girlfriend Rachael Cordingley after victory

And still... Froch retained his IBF and WBA super middleweight titles

Froch will savour this destruction of the young pretender from London whose mind games had irritated him, whose precociousness had insulted him and whose own right hand had required him to comeback from the bring of disaster in their first fight.
The Cobra will also count the treasure of money made possible by the premature nature of his initial stoppage win. That will amount to at least £7million once Sky pay-per-view revenues have been added to the live gate of 80,000 which made this the fight of the century in Britain.
The vastness of Wembley Stadium became a Coliseum as the crowd rose to salute this triumph of gladiator.
Once Groves had unscrambled his senses he tottered across the ring to congratulate the champion he had tormented.

Jab step: Froch attempts to jab into Groves' midriff

Straight: Groves lands a straight right hand on Froch's chin

In truth Froch had never been in trouble and – perhaps unexpectedly given the weight of opinion that Groves would start powerfully again – ahead on points going into the momentous eighth round.
Supporters of the man from Nottngham had been outnumbered by local Londoners in this great arena but Froch gave his fans their finest hour.
A sharp left set up Groves for the right hook which will take its place in the history of British boxing, along with all the records set by this earth-moving event.
The impact was felt by the host of famous faces in the crowd.
England’s World Cup hopefuls, back here 24 hours after their pre-Brazil warm up win over Peru, England cricket captain Alastair Cook and showbiz celebrities joined the great and the good of boxing on this glittering night.

Jab: Groves lands again, with a jab

Close combat: Froch and Groves get up close and personal

They had been drawn like moths to this dazzling oasis of light on a suburban Saturday night in north London by the prospect of seeing two gladiators settle business left unsettled by the controversy in which their first-fight thriller had ended prematurely.
The potential closeness of the rematch had led to weeks of squabbling about who should referee and judge Froch-Groves 11, and how close to the first bell  the weigh-in should take place.
Groves had continued trying to aggravate Froch and the defending IBF and WBA champion had hired a psychologist to help prevent him over-reacting, losing his cool and walking onto the kind of power punch which floored in the first round in Manchester six months earlier.

Stumble: Groves hits the deck - but he was shoved down by the Cobra

Some arrival: Groves arrived on a double decker bus to Kasabian

Ready to rumble? Groves had been ready to grumble about everything but did he overlook the dimensions of the roped enclosure in which they would do battle?
That small ring under it’s huge canopy was just 20-feet square,the minimum size prescribed by boxing’s title sanctioning bodies.
That is the champion’s prerogative so Groves could not hope to succeed with another protest, even though he would surely have preferred more space in which to move, use his speed and keep the fight at long range.
Froch, the battle-hardened veteran going into his 12th straight world title fight, was looking for war. Once all his guns were blazing Groves could find no bolt-hole in which to hide and the end came with 26 seconds remaining of his cataclysmic eighth round.

Pyro: Groves also let off pyrotechnics as he made his way to the ring

Salute: Groves hails the Wembley crowd ahead of the first bell

Low-key: Froch's entrance to the ring was a much more subtle affair than his opponent

Arms up: Froch received a mixture of boos and cheers from the 80,000 inside the national stadium

Let's get ready to rumble: Ring announcer Michael Buffer brought Vegas glitz and glamour to Wembley

All smiles: Amir Khan poses for a photo before the bell

Mrs Froch: Rachael Cordingley sits ringside for the fight

Glamorous: Tamara Ecclestone takes a break from the action

Former boxer Michael Watson was also in the crowd for the big fight

Champ: Former World Heavyweight Champion Frank Bruno watches the action

Punter: Jamie Redknapp had ringside seats for the big fight

Rocked: Groves lands a solid right hand that leaves Froch reeling

On the ropes: Froch has the younger fighter pinned where he wants him

Grimace: Froch reacts after Groves lands a shot with his left

Defence: Groves covers up under an assualt from the Nottingham man

Front foot: Froch goes on the attack but the Londoner takes evasive action

Forward: Groves tries to land a right hook of his own

Lean back: Groves ducks away from a Froch combination