GROVES AND SMITH IN FINAL
George declares himself t and the public get the right end to the WBSS super-middle tournament, writes Elliot Worsell
IT’S rare but refreshing whenever common sense prevails in boxing, and this week’s news that George Groves WILL take his place in the final of the World Boxing Super Series’ (WBSS) supermiddleweight tournament certainly represents a victory for common sense.
The fear in recent weeks was that Groves’ problematic shoulder, dislocated in round 12 of his semi-final points win over Chris Eubank Jnr, would rule him out of the final against Callum Smith. There was even talk of Eubank Jnr, the man conquered by Groves, stepping in and replacing the Londoner.
But those fears have been allayed by the news that Groves has been medically cleared to fight Smith in the final, albeit later than initially planned (late August or early September rather than June 2).
It’s the correct move. Despite the race to get the tournament finished within its allotted timeframe, thus avoiding any overlapping with WBSS season two, there
needs to be the right sort of conclusion to it all. If not, it only serves to undermine all the previous good work.
Smith vs. Eubank Jnr, for example, while a very appealing fight on paper, one that would be watchable down the line, isn’t the ending this particular story requires.
Admittedly, Eubank Jnr will always be good value. We know that much by now. But what we also know, thanks to this very tournament, is that he’s not as good as Groves and that he’s probably not a super-middle, either.
Most of all, we know he’s not the finalist in a tournament that set out to separate contenders from the pretenders, and, frankly, it’s for this reason Eubank Jnr needs to be watching the final rather than taking part in it.
“It is great to finally get the fight,” said Smith, 24-0 (17). “It is the one I have wanted for a long time. I am really happy it is going to be Groves rather than anyone else. It is the fight the fans want, too.
“I’ve been ticking over in the gym and staying prepared, but now I can switch on and aim towards a date.”
Groves, 28-3 (20), said: “It is nice to get a provisional date. We have got something to work towards now.
“We know about Smith. We have seen him for a long time and obviously I boxed his brother [Paul]. We are supremely confident of getting the win and getting a good win.”
The big question now, of course, centres on how Groves’ shoulder injury might impact his ability in the fight. We have seen clips of the WBA champion punching pads and seemingly throwing punches as freely as he did before the injury, but, suffice to say, we won’t know the true extent of the injury until his left arm performs under stress.
One man who understands this better than most is David Haye, the former world cruiserweight and heavyweight champion who has not only experienced his body breaking down during fights but has also suffered a career-threatening shoulder injury and even shares a physiotherapist with Groves.
“There are probably a hundred different types of injury he could have done to his shoulder,” Haye told Boxing News. “I don’t know what type of injury it was.
“But I know he has the best physio in the world in Kevin Lidlow, so, in terms of giving him the best advice and the best chance of a full recovery, George has all bases covered.
“If he’s rescheduling the fight, you can bet your bottom dollar he will be 100 per cent ready for it. I’ve had horrendous injuries in the past, and a physio like Kevin won’t allow you to get in the ring if he thinks something is going to pop again.
“With something like that, rehabilitation is really heavy and really gruelling. It’s probably more gruelling, in fact, than the actual training camp itself. He has to make sure it’s rock solid and ready to perform.”
The next question is simple and one this super-middleweight tournament has been crawling towards since its inception: of the eight super-middleweights who entered, who is the best?
At least now we’ll find out.
‘GROVES’ PHYSIO WON’T ALLOW HIM TO GET IN THE RING IF IT MAY POP AGAIN’