What next for George Groves?
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Londoner has some big fights on the horizon
Boxer George Groves finally got his hands on the world title that had eluded him for so long. After failing against Carl Froch x2 and Badou Jack, the Londoner beat hard-hitting Russian Fedor Chudinov on Saturday at Bramall Lane to realise a lifelong dream.
British boxing may have lost a king in Kell Brook, who was stopped in 11 rounds by American sensation Errol Spence Jr in a top of the bill classic, but fight fans gained another in George Groves. It wasn’t a moment too soon for the hard-working super middleweight, who now shows a CV reading 26 wins against three defeats.
Groves finally becomes world champ
The fighting pride of Hammersmith was again expected to struggle when matched with Fedor Chudinov – who famously beat Felix Sturm and Frank Buglioni to boost his stock – but was a convincing winner in the end, halting his man inside six rounds after an impressive display of boxing. Groves was awarded the vacant WBA strap for his efforts, but after working so hard to become champion of the world, what’s next for the 29-year-old?
Ideally, we’re sure another crack at Carl Froch would be his fight of choice, but The Cobra already has two TKO wins over his rival, and has since retired, moving over to the other side of the ropes, becoming a pundit for Sky Sports – never again mentioning his win over Groves at Wembley in front of 80,000 people.
Possible rematch with DeGale
It’s another all-British clash fans want to see however, and that’s George Groves vs James DeGale II. The pair met early in their careers, Groves claiming a majority decision win at the 02 Arena way back in 2011. That memorable performance saw the victor pick-up British and Commonwealth titles in what was a real upset at the time. Could they renew rivalries at world level?
Chunky DeGale has since gone on to bigger and better things, the 6ft southpaw recently getting a draw with Badou Jack, the man who beat Groves a couple of summers ago. With the judges unable to split the fighting pair that night in New York, James held on to his IBF world title, meaning any clash with Groves would be set-up as a winner takes all unification bout.
Fans love a London derby
Despite leading the way in the super-middleweight division, British fans have never fully taken to either Groves or DeGale and, outside of their hardcore base, the pair would struggle to top a bill in the UK individually. That has seen them forced overseas to fight the best.
That said, there’s little doubt a rematch between Groves and DeGale would capture the attention, with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom promotions more than capable of packing out an arena like the O2 for what would be a tantalising London derby.
