EDITOR’S LETTER
Investigating the appeal and implications of Groves-eubank Jnr
The appeal of Groves-eubank Jnr
FOUR years ago, British fans were going nuts about Howard Foster’s infamous decision to stop the first Carl Froch-george Groves contest in the ninth round. On that night, in the space of half-anhour, Groves went from unfancied contender to uncrowned king in the eyes of many. For the Hammersmith super-middle, it was a level of adulation he’s yet to experience since, but one he now has the opportunity to regain.
That loss, which may or may not have occurred without the referee’s controversial stoppage, was emphatically reiterated the following year with one rampaging blow. Groves’ reputation collapsed a split second after he did. A third failed world title attempt occurred in Las Vegas in September 2015, this time to Badou Jack over 12 largely nip-and-tuck rounds, and the outlook for Groves, at least as a potential world champion, was bleak.
The victories that followed – in nods to both Groves’ strength of mind and the opportunities available to world class boxers in the 21st century – saw the Englishman win the WBA 168lbs title when he stopped Fedor Chudinov after a rickety start earlier this year. Encouragingly, in his first defence, there was a renewed swagger about Groves’ work as he violently took the wind out of Jamie Cox. A pressure lifted, perhaps, and a level of contentment we hadn’t seen for a while. Plenty in Groves’ position of financial security have allowed such comfort to steal their desire and, in that regard, he has already proved plenty. But things are still not quite as they used to be.
Without question one of the biggest stars in British boxing, and among the most accomplished, he is yet to be crowned the people’s champion he so nearly became when he took on Froch for the first time. That could all be about to change as he embarks on perhaps his most important fight, certainly in terms of exposure, since the Froch rivalry.
In February next year, he takes on Chris Eubank Jnr who, three years ago this week, lost a close but fair decision to Billy Joe Saunders in a European middleweight title fight. In a similar way to Groves against Froch, but on a much smaller scale – both in interest and achievement – Eubank had proved his worth in defeat.
Again like Groves, the Brighton fighter has achieved plenty since his coming out party (an October thrashing of Avni Yildirim providing the icing on a cake baked with with fringe contenders and fading stars), but he’s yet to beat a proven world force at the top of their game. While Groves defied predictions he was finished, Eubank Jnr dealt with accusations of running from Gennady Golovkin and Saunders - untruths that appeared thanks to his father’s controlling nature at the negotiating table. For Eubank Jnr, while he may publicly say the opposite, the desire to move out of his father’s shadow is likely a huge driver and one that this irresistible showdown facilitates. But without Senior’s involvement, which has yo-yoed from unnecessary meddling to mighty masterstrokes, it’s unlikely Jnr would be in the position he’s in today: Not only is he one-half of the best domestic showdown since Froch-groves II, he’s the bookies favourite to win.
ITV missed a trick by not putting the preliminaries of Groves and Eubank on free-to-air television to maximise the appeal of the Manchester Arena blockbuster. Ultimately, though, what they have now is a gem that is the envy of boxing broadcasters, and a Box Office event that will meet little criticism from the hardcore. Because this, ladies and gentleman, is a real fight. Certainly, we should thank the World Boxing Super Series for giving the contest legs (Groves-eubank is one of the supermiddleweight semi-finals), but it’s a rivalry that was born in the gym when they sparred several years ago, and one that has gathered pace thanks to the desire of two perfectly-matched athletes to be the best they possibly can.
Which is the kind of fight that boxing, when you strip away the razzmatazz, should always be about.