JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia -- Tournaments in boxing are generally met with glee by boxing fans. In a sport where the best don't always fight the best, tournaments bring a sense of structure where fighters have no choice but to fight each other. The biggest tournament going right now is the World Boxing Super Series and on Sept. 28, streaming live on DAZN, George Groves (28-3, 20 KOs) will face off against Callum Smith (24-0, 17 KOs) in the tournament finale. Up for grabs will be the tournaments Mohammed Ali trophy along with Groves' WBA super middleweight title.
Groves is a 30-year-old orthodox fighter who likes to bang. His footwork isn't great and he certainly doesn't dazzle with his hand speed or elusiveness. However, he does have good power and he loves to trade heavy leather. Groves is at his best when he's in the pocket and he does a tremendous job of mixing up his attack upstairs and to the body. While he has a good left hook his best weapon is his right hand. With that right hand Groves will throw bombs upstairs and is also very good at catching opponents with uppercuts they don't see coming. Yet, he's also fairly easy to hit and has been stopped twice in his three career losses.
Despite being a world champion, Groves is probably best known for the fights he's lost. His first career loss came in 2013 against Carl Froch when the referee stopped the fight with Groves still standing in what wasn't a very good stoppage. However, doubt about the loss was erased in their rematch when Froch nearly took Grove's head off with a right hand. Fans also remember Groves' loss to Badou Jack in 2015 but since that loss Groves has gone 7-0 with four knockouts. His fight against Smith will mark the third defense of his WBA title.
Smith is an orthodox fighter who will have a 4-inch height advantage and an even bigger reach advantage against Groves. He works behind, and likes to control fights with an excellent jab. He often spends the majority of a round simply controlling the distance with his jab and he likes to follow it up with an accurate straight right hand. Along with those weapons Smith also has a very good left hook which is especially dangerous when he's throwing it to the body. He has also shown himself to be a sturdy defensive fighter and has never been dropped as a pro.
While Groves has faced fighters like Froch, Martin Murray, and Chris Eubank Jr., Smith hasn't fought many big names. Most of his opponents aren't widely known but he has handed five fighters their first career loss. Groves certainly represents a step up in competition for Smith but he comes from a fighting family and seems ready for the challenge.
Whoever can control the distance in this fight should control the outcome. Groves is at his best when he is on the inside, mixing things up. Look for Groves to make this an inside fight, even if he has to play possum in the corner to get Smith to attack. He will try to stay inside and bang the body of Smith in an attempt to slow him down and if he can catch him with some big punches he could get Smith in trouble. As for Smith, look for him to try and keep Groves at the end of his jab where he can also measure him for powerful right hands. When he does get inside look for him to bang left hooks to the body and clinch or lean down on the back of Groves' neck to impose his size advantage.
PREDICTION: This should be a very close and hard fought battle. Smith with get out to an early lead with the help of his size advantage and jab. However, Groves will start to find the target in the middle rounds and will really make Smith have to dig deep. Smith will fight intelligently though and won't get drawn into a brawl and he will beat Groves by the way of majority decision.
 |
| Groves battering a bloodied Chris Eubank Jr. |
Despite being a world champion, Groves is probably best known for the fights he's lost. His first career loss came in 2013 against Carl Froch when the referee stopped the fight with Groves still standing in what wasn't a very good stoppage. However, doubt about the loss was erased in their rematch when Froch nearly took Grove's head off with a right hand. Fans also remember Groves' loss to Badou Jack in 2015 but since that loss Groves has gone 7-0 with four knockouts. His fight against Smith will mark the third defense of his WBA title.
Smith is an orthodox fighter who will have a 4-inch height advantage and an even bigger reach advantage against Groves. He works behind, and likes to control fights with an excellent jab. He often spends the majority of a round simply controlling the distance with his jab and he likes to follow it up with an accurate straight right hand. Along with those weapons Smith also has a very good left hook which is especially dangerous when he's throwing it to the body. He has also shown himself to be a sturdy defensive fighter and has never been dropped as a pro.
 |
| Smith admiring his knockdown of Rocky Fielding |
Whoever can control the distance in this fight should control the outcome. Groves is at his best when he is on the inside, mixing things up. Look for Groves to make this an inside fight, even if he has to play possum in the corner to get Smith to attack. He will try to stay inside and bang the body of Smith in an attempt to slow him down and if he can catch him with some big punches he could get Smith in trouble. As for Smith, look for him to try and keep Groves at the end of his jab where he can also measure him for powerful right hands. When he does get inside look for him to bang left hooks to the body and clinch or lean down on the back of Groves' neck to impose his size advantage.
PREDICTION: This should be a very close and hard fought battle. Smith with get out to an early lead with the help of his size advantage and jab. However, Groves will start to find the target in the middle rounds and will really make Smith have to dig deep. Smith will fight intelligently though and won't get drawn into a brawl and he will beat Groves by the way of majority decision.
Comments
Post a Comment