BRING ON EUBANK
George Groves wins in style as he tackles Jamie Cox at Wembley Arena
‘IT’S A SHOT THAT I THROW ON THE PADS, AND IN SPARRING’
THE final shot was perfect. Jamie Cox, a game challenger for George Groves’ WBA supermiddleweight title, flung in a lead right hook. Groves countered, scooping up a thunderous backhand right. The blow reverberated off Cox’s ribs, dashing him down to the canvas. He gasped in air but could not beat referee Steve Gray’s count. The end came at 1-42 of the fourth round.
Until then Cox had taken the fight to the champion. The Swindon man had come into this World Boxing Super Series quarter-final as a hefty underdog. Groves was taller and, after fighting the likes of Carl Froch (twice), Badou Jack and winning his world title against Dmitry Chudinov, a seasoned world champion. Cox in contrast had not fought at a comparable level. But he rose to the occasion, attacking Groves with gusto.
The champion made full use of his range in the first round. Cox reached for him with southpaw jabs but fell short. Groves flicked up his left to counter. He brought in his heavy right early, landing the cross flush.
But the challenger was also tough. Cox absorbed those hits and plunged after Groves in the second round. Early on Groves was looking to sweep his right up into Cox’s body. Jamie pushed himself through the incoming fire to hammer at Groves with hooks, pinning the champion down on the ropes. Cox fought furiously, working at an intensity to unsettle the Hammersmith man. Scowling, Groves heaved his right back at his challenger. Cox came forward baring his mouthguard, at times it could have been a smile or a snarl.
Groves began to manhandle Cox in the third round, tossing him into the ropes. Cox lunged at him, only for Groves to bring him on to a right uppercut. Groves slashed his straight right down, getting on top, containing the threat.
Then he served the conclusive finish in the fourth. “If you see an opening, I’m a reaction fighter so I work with what’s in front of me. It’s a shot that I throw on the pads with Shane [Mcguigan] a lot. I’ve been getting it off in sparring. Sometimes you feel them go in and you know that’s going to have an effect,” Groves said.
Cox acknowledged, “His boxing skill was better than I expected, that’s what surprised me, his skills. Sometimes you don’t have to be the strongest, you pick
your shots and that’s what he did very well.”
The occasion was marred by trouble in the crowd, with a brawl, by no means the only one of the evening, breaking out in the stands even as the bout reached its defining moment. That is a deeply worrying trend for boxing this year.
Unrequired judges were Howard Foster, Terry O’connor and Dave Parris.
Chris Eubank Jnr waits in the wings for Groves. Junior stepped through the ropes to face the WBA champion. They will box early next year, January or Feburary, at a venue to be confirmed, in their World Boxing Super Series semi-final. The first superfight of 2018 has been set up wonderfully.
John Ryder put in a commanding performance as he destroyed Patrick Nielsen. Both southpaws, from the first round the Islington “Gorilla” drove forward to slice left uppercuts through Nielsen’s guard and counter him with his jab. Ryder put him down at the end the second round, a thunderous right hook dropping the Dane to his hands and knees.
Nielsen beat the count then but disorientated he headed to the wrong corner until his team called him back.
Ryder controlled the centre of the ring and applied a devastating finish in the fifth. His right hook dashed the gumshield out of Nielsen’s mouth. Dazed already, he gazed at the fallen mouthpiece with his hands at his sides. Ryder tore into him with a left cross and final right uppercut that upended Nielsen like a tree been ripped out of the earth. The bell rang to end the round but Nielsen could not beat Robert Williams’ count. ➤
Howard Foster disqualified Louis
Adolphe in the first round. The Wimbledon boxer caught up Nathan
Mcintosh in a clinch and they spun round. The referee reached out to call break. Mcintosh’s hands were down, his chin undefended. With an almighty hook Adolphe struck the Nottingham man down. The referee was not positioned between the two but Mr. Foster did not second guess himself. He’d called break, ruled the blow illegal and so Adolphe lost his first professional contest. The bout had been scheduled for eight.
Poole’s Chris Billam Smith cut an imposing figure as he dispatched
Aleksandr Todorovic. He began jabbing, before bringing his hefty right to the body. The Serbian sank to a knee and at just 2-43 of the first round it was over.
Kirk Garvey jabbed well before grinding down Jozef Kolodozej, working with increasing volume. At 2-43 of the fourth and last round Clapham’s Garvey opened up with a combination to send a final right hand thumping through and see referee Robert Williams halt the Slovakian.
Camberley’s Jonny Phillips tore back into Croydon’s Nathanael
Wilson, trading blows with him freely. A countering right fell shot but a massive left hook smacked into Wilson’s jaw. He rose but was on unsteady legs. Howard Foster waved it off at 2-42 of the first round.
Wembley’s Youssef Khoumari stepped up his aggression in the fourth and last round to take a 40-36 points win for referee Robert Williams over Kingsteignton’s Jamie Speight. Dean Richardson swarmed over Andrei Moravek, hammering the Slovakian with hooks. Moravek could not keep him off. The South Ruislip man put him down twice in the second, with referee Howard Foster ending it at 2-58 of the round.
Luton’s Michael Devine kept active to take a four-rounder 40-36 over Worcester’s Michael Mooney. Howard Foster refereed. Bulgarian Angel Emilov hurt Hammersmith’s Daniel Keenan at the end of the second round and battled through to take a 39-38 four-round points for referee Robert Williams. Mikael Lawal of Shepherd’s Bush extricated himself from clinches to batter Tomislav Rudan through the ropes. The Croatian made it upright only for Lawal to knock him cold with a chilling right uppercut at 2-57 of the second round. Referee Howard Foster dispensed with the count at once. Kian Thomas of Kentish Town was too sharp and too good for Ferenc Katona, hurting the Hungarian with well-placed hooks to the body. He smashed the Hungarian across the canvas in the fourth round with a stunning right hook. Katona could not beat referee Robert Williams’ count at 2-53. In a surprise, Stourbridge journeyman Kevin Mccauley got the 14th win of his 178 fight career, beating Jamie Carley 39-38 after four rounds for referee Robert Williams. Mccauley did pick out shots even though Roehampton’s Carley waded through them to hammer him back with hooks.
THE VERDICT A quality war sets up huge Groves-eubank showdown.