James DeGale insults George Groves
WBA International super middleweight champion James DeGale (8-0, 6 KOs) has insulted Commonwealth champion George Groves (10-0, 8 KOs) by calling him an “ugly ginger kid,” inspiring a new chapter of an ongoing feud between the two.
DeGale, an Olympic gold medallist, compared Groves with upcoming opponent Paul Smith and said, "Groves is the kind of boxer I can't stand because he's trying to live off my name and my Olympic gold medal. And then when we gave him the chance to fight me,
he said no. On the other hand, Paul could have gone on and fought for a world title, but he decided to take on me instead."
“Chunky” will step into the ring with Smith on 11 December in a fight that will be for the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBC) super middleweight title. The fight will take place at the Echo Arena in Liverpool.
Past months have seen back and forth jabs between DeGale and Groves, with Frank Warren, who promotes DeGale, issuing a challenge to Groves in September.
Groves’s promoter, Hayemaker Promotions, rejected the offer and claimed to issue another to Warren, offering DeGale more money and better terms. The deal was never acted upon.
As two of the biggest draws in British boxing, it stands that Groves and DeGale will have to fight sooner or later.
An October 30 bout for Groves against challenger James Obede Toney was cancelled today after Toney failed a medical exam.
A cataract problem was cited as impeding his vision. Groves told Sky Sports he was “gutted,” as he was looking forward to putting on a spectacular show for the sold out card.
DeGale, who is close friends with Smith, said that he hopes the two can reconcile friendship after their contest. "I'm friends with the Smith family, and I hope I will still be friends with them after the fight. Boxing is a tough business and sometimes you
have to make tough fights for whatever reason."
Tags: