Groves: I should be ready for Andre Ward in two more fights

By Boxing News - 01/05/2013 - Comments

groves442242By Scott Gilfoid: Undefeated super middleweight contender George Groves (16-0, 12 KO’s) believes all he needs is two more fights before he’s ready to take on and try to beat WBA/WBC super middleweight champion Andre Ward (26-0, 14 KO’s), the guy that pretty much everyone in boxing see as the #1 fighter at 168. I’m not really sure what’s so magical about 2 more fights because Groves looks like the exact same fighter to me that won a controversial decision over James DeGale in 2011. If anything, Groves looks worse now because he’s trying to slug and he’s getting tagged left and right because his power is lacking.

Groves said on Steve Bunce’s Boxing Hour program “The elite of the division is Andre Ward. I’d like a couple of more fights before I step inside the ring with him. Other than that, I’m nipping at the heels of everyone else.”

I don’t’ really see Groves being ready for a talent like Ward in two more fights, I hate to say it. Indeed, I think Groves could fight a lifetimes worth of fights and he’d still not be ready. This isn’t about Groves facing a certain amount of guys to get ready for Ward. It’s a talent thing or lack thereof. You can practice playing basketball but you’re still going to be out of your league when you try and take on someone like Kobe Bryant.

Groves has an incredibly high ranking right now at #1 WBO, #5 WBA, #6 WBC, #7 IBF, which I see as WAY too high for the way Groves has looked and the mostly god awful opposition he’s faced. He basically lost to James DeGale in my view, and was hurt on at least two occasions in his last fight against 43-year-old Glen Johnson. Groves just doesn’t have what it takes to compete with someone like Ward.

For that matter, I don’t see Groves in the same league as Carl Froch, Mikkel Kessler, Andre Dirrell, Anthony Dirrell, Sakio Bika, Arthur Abraham, Lucian Bute, Kelly Pavlik, Edwin Rodriguez, DeGale, Thomas Oosthuizen and Adonis Stevenson.

If Groves can’t even beat DeGale without controversy than how in the heck can he be blabbering about being ready to take on Ward in two fights? Come on, prove you beat DeGale without controversy before you start talking being ready to fight Ward.



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