George Groves to set up James DeGale grudge match
George Groves has been added to the David Haye and Audley Harrison card and will put his Commonwealth super-middleweight title on the line for the first time against unbeaten Scotsman Kenny Anderson.
Groves was set to face James Obede Toney last Saturday, but the contender had to pull out because of an eye injury and so “Saint George” and his team have subsequently been on the lookout for a quick replacement.
Hayemaker Promotions have done very well to secure Anderson who looks a class act so far in his career and it is also a real signal of intent for Groves as he steps up to a higher calibre of fighter. Anderson has had 12 fights which are two more than Groves while both boast eight KO’s. Anderson is a skilled technician and a thoughtful puncher who likes to control the centre of the ring, his style should combine nicely with the hard-hitting Groves and there could be a real tear-up on the cards.
Perhaps most significantly if Groves was to come through this battle he would be potentially lining up a fight against nemesis James DeGale, should the Olympian beat Paul Smith in their British title match that is.
On his website Groves said; "We've got him. Kenny Anderson has signed,
"It's going to be a defence of my Commonwealth title which I'm happy about and also, more importantly, it's going to be a final eliminator for the British title as well.
"Everyone's heard me moaning and whining about not being in the mix for the British title but now we've well and truly wedged our way in. So, providing I deliver the goods against Anderson, I'll be fighting the winner of that British title fight at the end of the year."
This is a fascinating development because the two are arch-rivals since their amateur days and throw barbs at each other at every opportunity. It’s come as something of a surprise that they would meet so soon in their careers because these days, when there is potential for a big fight, pugilists are kept apart for as long as possible and so the hype machines can go in to overdrive for years, before the inevitable collapse of the fight.
As Groves and DeGale both compete at super-middleweight the obvious comparisons in terms of their rivalry will be Nigel Benn and Chris Eubank who fought those two brutal battles in the 1990s.
However Eubank and Benn were further along in their careers
where as Groves and DeGale are still a bit wet behind the ears, still the antipathy and talent the pair share would surely produce fireworks.
Firstly though both of these two talents have to come through two very tough rivals in Anderson and Smith and nobody will be looking further than that right now.
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