By James Slater: The way he’s going – and it may be no fault of his own, just a spell of unfortunate bad luck – unbeaten British super-middleweight star George Groves is going to reduce his fan base by a substantial margin.
Groves first drew criticism from some quarters after pulling out of his scheduled rematch with Scotland’s Kenny Anderson. Groves put the pull out down to injury, yet he was lambasted by some when it was announced how he had signed to fight WBO champ Robert Stieglitz on May 5th. To some, it seemed as though Groves had “tossed aside” Anderson in favour of a bigger, more lucrative fight.
But now, in quite shocking and disappointing news, Groves has announced how he will not be facing Stieglitz on May 5th as planned. The reason: yet another injury; or maybe the same one that put paid to the Anderson return.
Writing on his face book page, Groves apologised to his fans:
“I am sorry to have to announce that I won’t be boxing on May 5. I have picked up an injury in the build up to this fight. We tried to work through it, but soon realized I wouldn’t be able to perform the training needed to prepare for this fight. After coming back to London immediately and seeking medical advice, I hope that this problem will be sorted soon and will only be a short delay.
“I am truly sorry to everyone who will be affected by this. This is without a doubt the toughest decision I have ever had to make.”
According to web site British Boxers.com, Stieglitz hopes to fight on on May 5th, and is now seeking an alternate, late replacement challenger. It’s actually a double dose of bad news for the reigning WBO champ, as big star Mikkel Kessler, who was originally supposed to face Stieglitz next, also pulled out with an injury.
It is not clear yet what the injury Groves has picked up actually is. When Groves speaks of “trying to work through it,” it sounds as though the problem may be a back issue. This is all speculation, of course. Groves has not seen action since his Nov. 2011 stoppage of Paul Smith; this win his first fight back since silencing arch-rival James DeGale.
Now, however, a good deal of the momentum Groves had picked up has faded. Groves is down on BoxRec as facing Anderson on June 30th. But which re-scheduled bout will actually happen first: the Anderson fight or the Stieglitz fight?