George Groves, you HAVE been good for British boxing

“I believe I have been good for British boxing”. Well George, you’re right.

These days, it has become the norm to see Wembley Stadium hosting championship boxing, as it rides the Anthony Joshua wave which has swept the nation.

Before this, legendary names such Muhammad Ali, Henry Cooper and Frank Bruno were those associated with London’s most iconic venue.

But George Groves deserves to be on that list. His ‘bad-boy’ role in the build up to his two fights with Carl Froch, played a part in a great British sporting rivalry.

Since his two defeats to Carl, his villain persona has u-turned, and he is without doubt one of the sport’s most likeable personalities.

His crowning night, winning the WBA World Title at Bramall Lane, lifted the biggest of weights off of his shoulders.

Since then, it seemed like anything else was just a bonus. Two successful title defences, and simultaneously a run to the WBSS Final, gave us 3 more memorable nights on a long list.

30 isn’t the oldest of ages to retire, but having read his parting statement, it’s hard to see why the Saint would continue.

As an amateur, schoolboy and ABA titles set in stone the winning mentality that would see him make an inevitably successful jump to the pro game.

Just 9 fights in, he managed to secure the Commonwealth title. This would prove to be only a stepping-stone to a British and Commonwealth title clash with long-time rival James DeGale.

A majority decision win at the O2 Arena is to this day still debated as Groves’ best win, considering what DeGale went on to achieve in his respective career, having already been an Olympic Gold Medallist.

Despite maybe being his best win, Groves has himself said that he fought better than DeGale.

His step-up to World level in 2013 just happened to be against a certain elite fighter in Carl Froch. But Groves was never one to be fazed.

‘Everything for a reason’ was his phrase. And looking back 6 years on, this may have been the reason that he had forged the career he has.

Flooring the man with a ‘granite chin’, the controversial stoppage, the rematch at Wembley, the rubix cube, the ‘push and pull about’ on Gloves Are Off – a combination of things that snowballed the profile of Groves.

Whilst the end result ended in disappointment, he rebuilt like great Champions do, and once again came so close to world glory, but was halted by a future pound-for-pound lister. This time Badou Jack.

It was at the fourth attempt that George Groves got his hands on the prize. On the day his beloved Chelsea lost the FA Cup Final, the Saint had to bring some joy to West London. His dominating performance of Fedor Chudinov too much for the referee, and a 6th round stoppage bought him the one thing he’d always wanted.

But it was before this that Groves was struck with a moment of realisation, which perhaps fuelled his desire to quit earlier than most.

His 2016 fight with Eduard Gutknecht, seemed at the time like a routine points win. Later that night, Gutknecht collapsed and was treated for swelling on the brain.

Currently wheelchair bound and unable to talk, it is moments like that which can make a fighter assess their position in the sport.

If anything, it is this section of Groves’ retirement statement that shows the measure of the man.

The later section of his career, provided a chance to take home the inaugural Muhammad Ali Trophy in the World Boxing Super Series. His ties with Team Sauerland meant that from the word go, rumours surrounding his inclusion were justified.

Despite his standing as one of the best Super-Middleweights on the planet, it is the all-British clashes where Groves thrived. Three of these followed his world title win – Jamie Cox, Chris Eubank Jr and Callum Smith.

Jamie Cox was dispatched with relative ease. Chris Eubank Jr not so. In a fight where Groves was deemed by many an underdog, he showed once again why he is never to be underestimated. Groves was boxing his way to a wide points win, when his shoulder popped out, providing us with one of the most memorable final rounds of the year. The final moments of that 12th round, will forever live long in my memory as a George Groves fan.

Callum Smith was a different kettle of fish. Groves recovered from his subsequent shoulder injury, but Smith looked fresher, stronger and fitter.

But let’s not dwell. His career is that of which many would dream of when starting out. Brilliant inside the ring and a gentleman out of it.

So for now at least, let’s ignore the comments from the likes of Carl Froch and take time to appreciate a British boxing legend.

Oscar Bevis

Why you should be happy about Canelo fighting Jacobs, and not GGG

Canelo Alvarez v Daniel Jacobs – 3 belt unification, Cinco de Mayo weekend, Las Vegas. It has all the makings of a classic. So let’s celebrate it.

Canelo Alvarez v Gennady Golovkin was for many, the most hotly anticipated match-up in world boxing. After an action-packed fight in September 2017, controversy reigned supreme and a rematch was demanded. Second time around, it was like the first time never ended.

But once again it was the scorecards that were the talking point. Many felt that after 24 rounds of boxing, for GGG to have won on only one scorecard is something of a scandal. Well it was.

Cries of corruption were pure slander, but it was becoming evidently clear that an ageing Golovkin was edging ever further from having a fair shot at beating his man.

With this in mind, it was unsurprising that negotiations for a trilogy never got off of the ground. Canelo had to find a man willing to believe he can do what nobody had done before, and knock him out.

Rocky Fielding tried and failed, and Canelo subsequently won a world title in a 3rd different weight class. However, it is the middleweight division where the big fights are at.

Bring in, Daniel Jacobs.

The ‘Miracle Man’, and current IBF champion, may just be Canelo’s hardest fight yet.

The vanished Dmitry Pirog is the one indisputable blemish on a record spanning over 37 fights.

But that was a different Jacobs. Since then, his 8 year record has consisted of rebuilding, winning the WBA world title and making 4 successful defences before losing by unanimous decision in a unification to the aforementioned Gennady Golovkin; to which many argue he did at least enough to deserve a draw.

Jacobs stock rose after his performance against Golovkin, and DAZN had found an ideal character to build a successful platform for on their new streaming service.

Since then, his 3 fights have led him to a vacant world title, and a shot at the sport’s biggest star.

At just 31, Danny Jacobs has survived cancer, won two world titles and put Brooklyn back on the boxing map.

Jacobs doesn’t just have a great story and personality though, but an arsenal of elite boxing skills.

Aside from GGG, he will be one of the hardest punchers that Canelo will have stepped inside the ring with.

Jacobs won’t want to use this to push Canelo back, he’ll want to make him stand and trade, simply because Canelo is one of the best back-foot counter-punchers in the game.

That’s not to say the Mexican can’t take a shot.

Another weapon in the Jacobs armoury, is his speed. Combined with his reach and height advantage over Canelo, this is a reason as to why Jacobs has many backers, including a certain Roy Jones Jr.

Jones isn’t the only one who believes Jacobs has what it takes to do the near impossible, in fact, some bookmakers have the Miracle Man at shorter odds than GGG the second time round.

One thing we do know, is that the New Yorker will not be one to let this opportunity pass lightly.

There is no doubt Jacobs can mix it at elite level; but this is Canelo, and this is a once in a generation type of elite.

Oscar Bevis

Terence Crawford v Amir Khan – announcement press conference

London and New York have this week been the scene for the meeting of two of the hottest Welterweight properties, in what looks to be one of the most exciting fights in the division. The Boxing Royalty team went down to the Landmark Hotel in London on Tuesday, to get full access to one of 2019’s biggest fights.

It seems disrespectful to put a P4P lister like Terence Crawford on a stage in London, and talk about a fighter like Kell Brook. Sure, the public demand for Kell and Amir to lock horns has been there for years, but Amir’s next one is a fight that transcends the British boxing casual.

Terence Crawford’s achievements at Light-Welterweight are undisputed, literally. In 2017, he became the first man since Kostya Tszyu back in 2003, to hold every single belt at 140lbs. His options are far from limited.

Speaking to Top Rank promoter Bob Arum, we asked him what else was out there for Terence.

“There are so many good fighters at Welterweight. The Lithuanian [Egidijus] Kavaliauskas and the Russian [Alexander] Besputin are both unbeaten and would be easy fights to make”

Of course who are we to sit here and deny why any of these guys deserve a shot, but if Terence wants to reign supreme, he needed something a bit bigger.

Errol Spence Jr is all tied up with Mikey Garcia, Shawn Porter has a scheduled defence of his WBC title, Danny Garcia is scheduled to fight on the same night as Crawford and Manny Pacquiao is fighting even sooner.

Amir Khan may have seen his best days, and on viewing against Samuel Vargas last time out it was hard to dispute otherwise. But unbeaten at Welterweight, unbeaten against southpaws and still one of boxing’s biggest names globally, the fight made perfect sense.

Despite Amir’s standing amongst boxing fans globally, Crawford was not hesitant in telling the audience that he feels Amir is slightly off of the pace of the division’s top guys. In response to being asked if Amir was top 5, he said this:

“Top 6 maybe, top 7. You know the top guys in the division, I don’t have to tell you”

Amir was in a position of power. He had a choice of two fights which were hardly going to see him go without. Amir told Boxing Royalty why this fight, more than any other, would be an easy one to get up for.

“When you’re fighting the likes of the Vargas’ and Lo Greco’s, it’s very hard to motivate yourself because you know you’re going to go in and win the fight. A fight like this will make you train and work because this is where legends are made”

Amongst the frenzy of the fight being announced, was also the news that this would be the first PPV of Top Rank’s latest deal with ESPN.

Matchroom CEO Frank Smith clarified to us that a deal is yet to be put in place for UK television.

Frank also rubbished the alleged in-house disappointment at not making the domestic clash between Khan and Brook, and said it is still a possibility despite the ending of Khan’s original three-fight deal with Matchroom.

“How disappointed can you be? Look just because we had a certain period on our deal with Amir, it doesn’t mean there is the inability to make the fight”

Moving on to the fight itself, and bookmakers and pundits across the board have Crawford as an overwhelming favourite. Surprised? Of course not, but this doesn’t mean Crawford should sleep on one of boxing’s fastest fighters.

“If you are going to give somebody as technically sound as Crawford trouble, then you need speed. Amir Khan should be a pickpocket he’s that fast” – Spencer Fearon speaking to Boxing Royalty

One thing Khan cannot do is lose concentration, because whilst Crawford may not be the most concussive of punchers, he can really hurt.

Crawford has ability to counter-punch whilst coming forward, and is perhaps the most comfortable looking switch hitter in the current game. He’s arsenal of skills is on par with some of the greats, and even led Bob Arum to draw comparisons with one of the greatest fighters to ever grace the sport.

“Crawford is the best Welterweight since Sugar Ray Leonard. He’d be comparable or maybe even a slight favourite against Sugar Ray Leonard. I really believe he matches up with that ability”

I think Floyd may have something to say about that.

Lastly on Amir Khan, who has switched back to original trainer Virgil Hunter, who was previously forced to step-away from boxing due to a health scare. Now, with Virgil back in his corner, Khan has a rejuvenated sense of confidence, drawing back on their success in their 5 fights together.

“The only fight we lost together was against Canelo. He’s a bigger guy, but even that we were still winning with our skills before I go caught with a big shot“

So, will Amir can unstuck for perhaps one final time, or will this be the time he stamps his foot down on one of boxing’s toughest divisions?

Oscar Bevis

Sergio Garcia v Ted Cheeseman – Press Conference – February 2nd

Ted Cheeseman says he is relishing the opportunity to push himself one step closer to a world title shot when he headlines the O2 Arena against European Champion Sergio Garcia early next month.

It has been a fairly smooth career for the Bermondsey boy so far, who on his last outing picked up the British title with a win over domestic rival Asinia Byfield.

However, Cheeseman insists that if he manages to dethrone the current European Champion in Spain’s Sergio Garcia, then his domestic rivals will have to watch him move on to bigger things. Speaking to us, he said that the newly crowned WBC Champion Tony Harrison was firmly in his sites for 2019.

“With Sergio being ranked number 3 in the WBC, I can take that ranking as long as I win, and that’s a very high ranking. You’re basically there for a world title, and Harrison doesn’t seem like the strongest champion. I’d be confident of fighting him and doing the business”

His opponent Sergio Garcia may have amassed a record of 28-0-0, but his ring experience should not be too far from that of Cheeseman, who unarguably has the more impressive resume. The 26 year old is managed by former world champion Sergio Martinez, and is one of the flagship stars of his promotional company. Garcia is top 15 ranked with several governing bodies, and therefore will be hoping that world title dreams of his own will not be shattered come February 2nd.

The co-main event is definitely one to watch out for, as Craig Richards and Jake Ball are set to lock horns in a feisty encounter.

The fight was originally planned for October last year, on the Ryder v Siroktin undercard at the Copper Box Arena. Unfortunately, a hand injury for Jake meant that the fight was rescheduled for later in the year. Then, in similar circumstances to the first time, the fight was once again pushed back.

As imagined, Craig was not best pleased, and didn’t fail to highlight so during his time on the mic at the press conference. When speaking to Boxing Royalty, he vented his frustration in how the situation had impacted him.

“I never got my title fight in 2018 and that was frustrating. I trained throughout the whole of Christmas; on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day and over the New Year. That’s time I could have spent with my family”

Many domestic dust-ups that look good on paper fail to deliver, especially when involving two fighters who simply cannot afford to lose. In this instance, perhaps the slight needle that the delay has given this fight will bring the best out of both men.

We asked Jake Ball what he hopes 2019 has in store for him, however he insisted that his focus is nowhere beyond February 2nd.

“At the minute, February 2nd is the only thing on my mind. I’ve trained hard, the whole of last year was basically one big training camp. In 2019, I want to keep very busy and stay active, but let’s get February 2nd out of the way first”

3 training camps without pay is not ideal, so any claims that Jake and his team had over-reacted to his hand injury are unfair. One thing we do know is that once February 2nd comes, these two have a massive score to settle.

Britain had a record number of Commonwealth Champions in 2018, and Felix Cash is looking to kick off 2019 by adding the same belt to his mantelpiece.

The middleweight is looking to carry on the second phase of his career after picking up his first professional title at the back-end of last year. His opponent, 11-4-1 Rasheed Abolaji, is something of an unknown quantity. The Nigerian did lose his previous fight, but has experience of fighting on these shores, albeit in a UD loss to the now retired Sam Sheedy.

Cash may be going in as the favourite, but he will be wanting to bring his A-game. Domestically, the middleweight division has some tasty match-ups, and Cash won’t want to be sidelined with a lacklustre performance.

Also on the card is Lawrence Okolie, who’s ‘international’ opponent is set to be named in the next 48 hours.

A whirlwind 2018 for Lawrence included winning the British Title at Wembley Stadium, headlining at the O2 Arena and sparing with Lineal Heavyweight Champion Tyson Fury in his preparation for Deontay Wilder. If things were to get better in 2019, then Lawrence could end the year as a world champion.

The crusierweight division is set to open up, with Oleksandr Usyk’s jump to heavyweight freeing up four belts in the process. Russian Denis Lebedev has been mentioned by Eddie Hearn, as the two worked closely for his win over Mike Wilson in Monte Carlo.

Present at the press conference and looking to make noise for a future fight was Wadi Camacho, who has been linked with Okolie several times in the past. Speaking to Lawrence, he welcomes all takers, but questions the minerals of Britain’s domestic crusierweights.

“I think in Britain at least, once people realise they might have a chance to fight me they all of a sudden need one more fight or want 10xthe money. If they don’t want to respect my British title then it is what it is and they can just keep talking online”

As for February 2nd, Lawrence will be looking to keep his winning record going and provide more excitement than he did last time out.

Finally, we have some exciting young British talent on the card, featuring one of Britain’s most decorated amateurs.

Commonwealth Gold Medalist and 11 time Amateur National Champion Charles Frankham has signed his first professional deal with Matchroom. The 19 year old is set to make his debut on the February 2nd card, and is one of five fighters trained by Tony Sims to be fighting on the night.

Commonwealth Games Bronze Medalist John Docherty is another, and he will be looking to extend his record to 3-0. Docherty burst onto the scene with an 8 second stoppage on debut in Newcastle, before fighting in Florence before the turn of the year. At the press conference, he told Boxing Royalty a bit about his opponent, and that despite having two knockouts from two fights, he has more strings to his bow.

“My opponent will be a light-heavyweight because for my previous two fights I’ve looked massive to my opponents and knocked them out. I’m more than just a big puncher, I proved that in the amateurs and will show that on fight-night”

Heavyweight Fabio Wardley and Scott Fitzgerland make up the rest of the card, although more names could be added in the coming weeks. Wardley was last out 5 weeks ago and highlighted how he is looking to keep active in what are still the novice stages of his career. Scott Fitzgerald will have one eye on the main event as he looks to get a big fight for Spring, but must still complete a job of his own against an unnamed opponent.

On the conclusion of the press conference, we briefly caught up with Eddie Hearn to discuss Garcia-Cheeseman, Richards-Ball, Kell Brook, Khan-Crawford and Whyte-Klitschko.

“Garcia is top 5 with the WBC and top 15 with the IBF. Cheeseman has just beaten Byfield so this is a massive step up, but I like the way him and Tony Sims are moving”

“This is a really big fight for Craig and Jake, because the loser is completely out of the picture. This fight has become high-profile now, everyone watching the press conference today is looking forward to the fight, so the winner can go on to some big things”

“I think that the Brook fight is probably done now. Kell told me it would never happen and he was right. As for Amir, I think his deal with us will be extended. Let’s see how he gets on against Crawford”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if Klitschko came back, I think every day he looks at the division and thinks what a great time it is, because he didn’t have that at his prime. We welcome that fight but for Dillian the focus is on fighting Anthony Joshua”

The February 2nd show from the O2 will be live on Sky Sports. Tickets are still available.

Oscar Bevis