By Rusty Nate: Commonwealth super middleweight champion George Groves has recently stuck the knife into James Degale again for no real reason just before Degale attempts to capture the WBC Silver Title.

This is a comment that has either been taken out of context when Groves was being interviewed and was asked about Degale (as they always are) or Groves thought he would try and throw Degale off his game before his next fight.

Personally I would like to think it’s the latter of the two reasons. I know that’s a little childish to hope and I am not usually a big fan of the trash talking between rival fighters however in Groves case I think he earned the right.

Before their much hyped fight last year in the UK Groves was subjected to some of the worst and most personally insulting trash talk I have ever heard in boxing by James Degale. Groves didn’t retaliate and he didn’t try to attack Degale at the weigh in as some fighters have. He simply sat there and took all the abuse Degale could muster. At the end of the fight I can assure you that Degale felt like, for lack of a better phrase, a prize idiot!

He had overlooked Groves so badly! He blindly ignored how good Groves was and of course we all know he considered himself to be the superior boxer, fighter, puncher mover and so forth! A silly mistake for a man beaten by Groves in the amateurs already.

In all honesty the fight was close as you all know, I had it level but I couldn’t have argued with any decision from the judges.

What I did think was quite interesting was Groves appeared to make the fight very hard for him self and thus it was closer than it needed to be on the scoring. He had the right tactics of course. Degale struggles to fight coming forward and so to sit back and counter punch him all night was spot on from the Groves camp, but what surprises me is how we have since seen Groves in with Paul Smith and Francisco Sierra and he has pressed the action, used his reach and his power and ultimately KO’d both of them. I honestly don’t see why this never happened against Degale.

I am usually pretty neutral when it comes to fighters and their careers because I like to keep an open mind and not judge them based on personality however in Degales case I think he is the exception, his attitude towards his own skills and his dismissive comments regarding all of his opponents over the past 4 years has completely turned me off him. He is one of the few boxers (very few) boxers that I simply do not like.

From a career point of view he had massive potential as an Olympian medal winner as did Audley Harrison but I don’t think I can see Degale winning a world title against a legitimate champion. I see his promoter waiting it out until he can fight for a vacant title or until one of those random fighters that is not very good finds himself as champion for a fight before losing (Carlos Maussa for example).

George Groves I am still undecided on his career potential but the Johnson fight should tell us a huge amount about him. I do like him as a fighter and how he handles himself outside the ring. I think he is improving fight after fight but is the improvement that is needed to become a legit champion in this division going to prove just to much for him?

Ultimately they are both likely to have lucrative careers just off the back of fighting each other but the SM Division is certainly no place for below par fighters at the top level. Froch, Bute, Ward, Abraham, Green, Kessler, Dirrell, Stieglitz, Taylor and the list goes on and on especially when you include the Light Heavies that love to step down! I just cant see Degale or Groves beating any of the above mentioned fighters.

What’s also possibly the most freighting thing for Degale & Groves about these top SM contenders………NO OF THEM DODGE ANYONE!!!! If you want to fight in this division you are going to come up against elite world class talent fight after fight. This division certainly separates the contenders from the pretenders very, very quickly.

I truly wish them good luck as they move up the ranks! They WILL need it!