Groves to be ringside at Dirrell-Jack – and awaits the winner

placeholder graphic

Connor Boundy previews the upcoming fight…

The current WBC mandatory challenger George Groves has announced that he will be ringside in Chicago when WBC super middleweight champion Anthony Dirrell defends his crown against Badou Jack.

Groves, 27, became Dirrell’s mandatory when he beat Frenchmen Sebastian Rebrasse at Wembley Arena last September. He then took a stay busy fight where he stopped American Denis Douglin in seven rounds on the undercard of the Tony Bellew-Nathan Cleverly rematch in Liverpool last November.

Dirrell, from Flint Michigan, won his first title when he beat the tough and rugged Sakio Bika via unanimous decision last August. The 30-year-old has voiced his disapproval at Groves becoming his number one contender slating the Hammersmith man for being an unworthy challenger on the grounds of his two stoppage defeats to Carl Froch.

The WBC have ordered that the winner of Dirrell-Jack will immediately start negotiations with Team Groves for a fight to take place this summer. If no deal has been reached over a certain period of time then a purse bid will be ordered. Dirrell’s brother, Andre, is scheduled to face Britain’s James DeGale for the vacant IBF title on May 23rd in Boston.

If Groves and Degale are both victorious in their world title fights then a big domestic unification fight looks likely to occur. It could have happened this year at the O2 Arena on April 25th but Groves turned it down in order to pursue his title challenge against Dirrell. If the rematch ever gets made then it will most likely be in 2016, with Wembley Stadium being talked about as the possible venue.

No posts to display