SWINDON trainer Paddy Fitzpatrick has warned Carl Froch not to rely on the “championship rounds” in the rematch against George Groves.

Fitzpatrick, who trains Groves, claims Froch cannot afford to start slowly because his boxer is going to make him work for all 12 rounds.

Froch was sent crashing to the canvas in the pair’s first clash before bouncing back to claim a controversial ninth-round stoppage and Fitzpatrick has told the IBF and WBA champion to expect more of the same when he meets Groves again on May 31.

“Carl Froch can say what he wants about the championship rounds but he is going to be made to work those championship rounds early in this fight,” revealed Fitzpatrick.

“This next fight he will have to work 12 complete rounds, if it goes that far, because George will be on him from the start.”

Fitzpatrick doesn’t believe Froch will change his gameplan for the rematch and claims the Nottingham man is only a “six-round fighter”.

“Tell me when you have seen him start quickly?” added Fitzpatrick. “He started relatively quick against Mikkel Kessler but I don’t think that was the same Kessler.

“Carl continues to talk about the championship rounds. He has had that gameplan for the last few fights and other fights have been close so that gameplan doesn’t always work, so don’t hang anything on that.

“He is a six-round fighter. He fights in the championship rounds, he is not a 12-round fighter. Even when George gave him that kind of fight and took it to him he wasn’t winning the fight.

“So you can say what you want and he can say what he wants about the championship rounds but he is going to be made to work those championship rounds early on in this fight.”

Groves’ trainer admits Froch could be “more dangerous” in the rematch but expects his emotions to get the better of him on fight night.

“I expect Carl to be an more dangerous fighter than he was last time,” added Fitzpatrick. “But I’ll tell you the type of Carl Froch I expect - Mike Tyson in the rematch with Evander Holyfield. I expect him to implode because he is in a fight he doesn’t want.

“He will want to change something but what are you going to do? Do you want to start quicker when you normally don’t?

“Now you are out of character, already are you going to wait for the championship rounds, you’d better not because George is starting quicker than he did last time, so what you going to do?

“The closer it gets, oh Jesus, he’ll be feeling all those emotions and trying to push those emotions out.

“He took a lot of punishment in that first fight. He went into that fight believing that all he had to do was hit George on the chin and he would go. He thought George wasn’t ready for him in any shape or form.

“He finished that fight knowing that he had been hurt repeatedly, out-fought and out-boxed repeatedly.

“He’s going to have a lot of emotions to deal with in this next fight.”