It would seem that many of George Groves’ old foes are wishing him well in Saturday’s WBC title clash with Badou Jack in Las Vegas on Saturday.
First Carl Froch, who defeated the Hammersmith man in back-to-back world title fights, wished him luck for the sake of British boxing, and now IBF 168 lb champion James DeGale, defeated by Groves in their close 2011 encounter, has joined the chorus of well-wishers in hope of getting a big domestic unification rematch signed for the future.
“I want him to win,” DeGale said to Sky Sports. “Of course I don’t like him and never will, but I want him to get a world title and set up that rematch, next summer, at Wembley Stadium.”
While American media seem to believe the fight with Jack is a 50/50, British fans, perhaps predictably, see things slightly differently, as a fast start from Groves on Saturday, like the one that famously put the granite-chinned Carl Froch on the seat of his pants, could mean a short night’s work for the challenger.
Jack, who won his belt in April via an upset points win over Anthony Dirrell, has proved himself extremely vulnerable in the past, getting knocked out inside a round against 2nd tier American Derek Edwards 18 months ago, and in the eyes of many – DeGale included – is a weak link at 168.
“I’ve actually been listening to a few of Ugly Kid’s (Groves) interviews and they are extremely confident he is going to take Jack out and – even I hate to say it – he is a better fighter than Badou Jack and has got the tools to beat him.
“I do think he wins it. I even think that he might well stop him, I really do,” DeGale added.
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