TIME TO GRO King George’s sights set on lasting legacy
GEORGE GROVES hopes winning the World Boxing Super Series will see him rated among boxing’s pound-for-pound elite.
Londoner Groves makes a first defence of his WBA world super-middleweight title against Swindon’s Jamie Cox in the eight-man tournament’s quarter-finals at Wembley Arena on Saturday.
The winner progresses to face either Brighton’s Chris Eubank Jr or Turkey’s Avni Yildirim – who fought last night – in January’s semi-finals.
Groves, 29, believes that winning the Super Series will see him ranked ahead of bitter rival James DeGale, who is not in the tournament but is considered among boxing’s best over all weight divisions.
He said: “I was running round a few years ago telling everyone that everything happens for a reason but this tournament has come round for me at the right time.
“Andre Ward retired the other week – but once he moved up out of the super-middleweight division there was no real superstar left in it, including myself.
“At the end of this tournament I will be able to say I am one of the best pound-for-pound fighters out there.
“If I need a couple more fights to get into that pound-forpound list I am capable of it and that will be the final goal, to get pound-for-pound top five or top 10.
“A tournament will help me on the way. That is what happened to Ward. He was an Olympic champion who turned pro, won the Super Six tournament in 2011 and came out of it a top pound-for-pound fighter.”
Groves became world champ at the fourth attempt – halting Fedor Chudinov after stoppage defeats by Carl Froch in 2013 and 2014 and a split points decision loss to Sweden’s Badou Jack two years ago.
But before his emotional triumph over Chudinov at Bramall Lane came a dominant points win over Kazakhstan’s German-based Eduard Gutknecht, who suffered life-changing head injuries during the fight which left him in a wheelchair and unable to talk.
Groves admits he is haunted by Gutknecht’s condition but it has not put him off achieving more in boxing.
He said: “I need to carry on boxing so that’s what I’ve been doing. I just have to put it to the back of my mind.
“It does make me reassess things. Not just me but my mum and dad, wife, close friends and family. They will be happy when I call it a day.
“But I still need to box, I still want to box and until that changes that’s what I’ll do.” Starting with that clash with Cox (left) on Saturday.