Normal service was resumed in front of 80,000 fans at Wembley on Saturday night when WBA and IBF super-middleweight world champion Carl Froch knocked out George Groves in the eighth round of what had been an evenly matched encounter up to that point.

The acrimony between both fighters in the build up to both the first fight in November and the rematch on Saturday was reflected in the elation and relief that showed on Carl Froch’s face at the end, knowing that the most torrid period of his career had finally ended with him laying to rest the goading and needling he’d been subjected to by Groves, who to his credit praised the champion and took his defeat with admirable dignity.

Carl Froch deserves all the accolades for an unbelievable career, during which he has never ducked any opponent or sought to make life easy for himself.

He is a throwback to a time when world champions risked everything by fighting the very best, rather than do their utmost to avoid losing their title.

Unbelievably, Saturday night was the Nottingham fighter’s 13th world title fight in a row.

Imagine the mental strength and fortitude that is required to put your body through the hell of not just one but 13 three-month training back to back.

Punishing early morning road work, countless rounds of sparring, hellish strength and conditioning sessions, not forgetting the rigours of a spartan diet — there are no words available to properly describe the discipline and drive it takes to do so.

The cruelty of a sport in which victory and defeat sit in such sharp contrast was that despite winning the first fight in Manchester, albeit in controversial circumstances, Froch went into the rematch with more to prove than the challenger.

The relentless taunts that Groves deployed prior to both fights, calling into question the 36-year-old four-time world champion’s ability, career and achievements undoubtedly chipped away at Froch’s pride, ensuring that he entered the ring with the weight of the world on his shoulders.

He knew that if he lost to Groves it would define his legacy, leaving him little option other than retirement. A bleaker possibility could not be imagined for a champion as proud as he is.

The fight itself was a cagey and tactical affair. There was none of the blood and guts excitement of the first fight, testament to the healthy respect both fighters had gained for the other as a consequence.

Many expected to Groves to follow the same gameplan and launch an all-out assault from the opening bell, utilising his superior handspeed with a blizzard of right hands to exploit Froch’s habit of carrying his left hand down by his waist.

Instead, Groves remained on the back foot, from where he pecked away with the jab, employing feints to try to create an opening.

It was apparent early on that he and his trainer Paddy Fitzpatrick were determined not to run out of steam by the mid to late rounds, unlike the first fight, and keep enough in the tank for Froch’s anticipated late surge.

Froch was much sharper and more measured than he was first time round, using his jab to good effect and not rushing in.

It was a contest for the purists, evident in the boos that could be heard from the crowd at points over the lack of action.

By the eighth round a case could have been made for putting either fighter ahead on the scorecards, though it later turned out the judges had Froch in front.

The right hand which ended proceedings came on the back of a left hook. As soon as Froch’s left hand made contact with Groves’s right hand, which the challenger had up at the side of his head to defend against the hook, the champion unleashed his right hand down the pipe.

It caught Groves flush on the chin just as he was throwing his own left hook, thus leaving his chin exposed.

In boxing one punch is all it takes, even in fights of the magnitude of this historic affair.

The sight of Carl Froch receiving the plaudits of the crowd in the centre of the ring, hugging and kissing his partner, while in the corner behind him Groves was slumped on his stool with an oxygen mask on, negated the need for words.

Unlike any other sport, boxing offers an examination of the human condition more revelatory than an army of sociologists could hope to achieve.

Elsewhere, fighting on the undercard, Anthony Joshua, Kevin Mitchell and James De Gale came through their respective fights with impressive stoppage victories.

While Joshua dispatched Matt Legg with an uppercut in the first round of their heavyweight contest, Mitchell overcame Ghislain Maduma in the 11th round to make himself the mandatory challenger for the IBF lightweight title, currently held by Mexico’s Miguel Vasquez.

As for James De Gale, the former Olympic champion put in a career-best performance to stop unbeaten US opponent Brandon Gonzalez in the fourth round.

The win now makes De Gale the mandatory challenger for Carl Froch’s IBF title, though it seems unlikely the champion will opt to fight the Londoner next.

Froch’s next fight, if he decides to continue, is likely to be in Las Vegas, fulfilling a long-held ambition to see his name in lights in the fight capital of the world.

For Groves, it’s back to the perennial drawing board.

Despite suffering his second defeat in a row, the 26-year-old’s career is far from over with many exciting fights in his future, including the prospect of a rematch against his former amateur clubmate, the aforementioned James De Gale.

Though records are made to be broken, it’s unlikely that we’ll see 80,000 fans turn out for a fight again anytime soon. It was a great night for boxing but an even greater night for Carl Froch.