GROVES PREDICTS EXPLOSIONS IN BATTLE OF BRITAIN
SNOWBOARDER Billy Morgan shook off a hangover of Olympic proportions to play a starring role in PyeongChang’s closing ceremony.
GEORGE GROVES predicts he will stop Callum Smith in the inaugural final of the Muhammad Ali Trophy.
Smith easily beat Nieky Holzken by a unanimous decision to earn the right to face Groves in the super-middleweight final of the World Boxing Super Series.
And the WBA Super champ
Relive every moment of the Olympic Winter Games at Eurosport.co. uk and on the Eurosport app expects a titanic Battle of Britain. Groves, who was ringside in Nuremberg to see Smith win, said: “This is the fight people want to see.
“It will be an explosive final and I don’t expect it to go the distance. I’m confident.” Groves, who dislocated his shoulder in his win over Chris Eubank Junior in the other semi, says he will be fit for the final on June 2 at London’s O2. “It was a little painful at the time but it’s not so painful now,” said the Hammersmith fighter. “I’m extremely confident that I’ll be more than fit to fight in the final.” Smith, never troubled against late replacement Holzken, said he FORMER British bobsleigh driver John Jackson has had a bust-up with his exteam-mates after a disastrous Olympic performance. Four years ago Jackson’s ‘Meatwagon’ finished fifth, a result expected to be bumped to bronze because of Russian dopers. And he claimed a 17th and 18th-place finish for Brad Hall and Lamin Deen (above, left) could drag the sport back to the non-funded dark ages. That prompted Andrew always wanted to meet Groves (left) in the final.
“Groves is the one everyone wants to beat,” said the unbeaten Scouser, who is now 24-0. “He’s the No.1 seed and it’s the fight I wanted.
“Tonight was about not taking any chances. It was a potential banana skin and it was all about not slipping up.” Matthews – part of Deen’s crew – to post pictures of Jackson (above, right) crashing at the Vancouver 2010 Games.
And Hall fumed: “I find a lot of the comments unfair considering the circumstances which you are fully aware of, yet fail to mention.”
Those “circumstances” refer to a turbulent six months for British sliders, with bullying and sexism allegations, leadership and funding problems.
Mica McNeill and Mica Moore – whose support was axed last September – had to crowdfund £40,000 just to get to the Games.
“We made the best of a bad situation,” said Hall.