George Groves won’t give up on becoming a world-beater ahead of clash with Eduard Gutknecht at Wembley Arena

EXCLUSIVE
John Dillon18 November 2016

More than a year on, and with another three fights under his belt, George Groves still recalls glancing from his corner towards his family ringside at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas and feeling a familiar sense of devastation.

For the third time, he had challenged for a world title and, as he waited for the judges’ verdicts on his battle with Badou Jack — he believed he had done enough to finally secure his prize.

But concern was etched on the faces of his relatives, who were near to the judges in September last year.

“I remember how they looked, their expressions,” said Groves. “I could see the worry. I thought I had won but I lost on a split decision and that hurt. It is the worst feeling to lose a world title fight.

“I’ve known it three times now and it gives you bad times. It makes you question yourself about what you are really doing and I guess it makes other people wonder, too.

“But I’ve overcome that feeling three times, too, and I am ready to battle on to achieve what I believe is my destiny and get a world belt. It would negate all the effort I’ve put in if I didn’t pursue the dream.”

Groves, 28, whose two other world title clashes were the super-middleweight defeats by Carl Froch, meets German former European light-heavyweight champion Eduard Gutknecht, 34, at Wembley Arena tonight as he plots a route to what he hopes will be a fourth world title attempt.

The fight is live on Channel 5 and Groves hopes his first appearance before the big audiences of terrestrial TV will help force his way back to major public attention. He teamed up with a new trainer, Shane McGuigan, after the Jack defeat and together they have engineered three straight wins to prompt Groves to raise hopes he can fight next year for the vacant WBA super-middleweight crown.

McGuigan, son of Barry, is also overseeing the careers of former heavyweight world champion David Haye and Northern Ireland featherweight champion Carl Frampton.

Pain game: Groves throught he’d won his clash with Badou Jack Photo: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

After a session at McGuigan’s gym underneath a railway arch close to Groves’ birthplace in Hammersmith, he added: “You need different things at different times and Shane has helped me develop and improve so much.

“I just feel so happy and comfortable working with him. There have been nights in the ring when, despite all the hard work, I have not felt 100 per cent on top of things.

“Shane is breaking new ground as a trainer and it has been so good for me. I never really got to the point of quitting because boxing is what I have done for so long. But, of course, when you work so hard and things go wrong for you on a number of occasions, it is a big test of your mentality.

“But it is about learning, putting things right and having the character to carry on. And Shane has helped me so much in getting to a point where I feel really good about what I am doing.

“It will be good to have the chance to show that to a terrestrial TV audience. This is a major time for British boxing and I want to fight for the WBA title next year, provided I get past Gutknecht.”

Tonight’s fight is for the WBA international belt and could offer Groves a path towards a shot at the main crown vacated by Felix Sturm last month.

“I know Gutknecht is not a household name but he will be a tough test and that can help me show what I can do.”

Fellow Londoner James DeGale is preparing to meet Jack in a super-middleweight unification bout on January 14 in New York, with the WBC and IBF belts on the line.

Groves inflicted the only defeat of DeGale’s professional career in a grudge match in 2011 since when the latter has made two successful defences of the IBF title since he won against Andre Dirrell in May 2015.

Groves added. “He took his chance and has made the most of it. Jack will be a tough fight for him. It would be great if one day James and I could fight again with world titles on the line.”

You can watch Groves vs Gutknecht on Channel 5 tonight at 10pm. Click here for more information.

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