Hearn: Groves is one fight away from a world title shot

By Boxing News - 05/26/2013 - Comments

groves44By Scott Gilfoid: Matchroom Sport promoter Eddie Hearn believes that his fighter unbeaten super middleweight contender George Groves (19-0, 15 KO’s) is only one fight away from a title shot against one of the world champions.

Groves, 25, says he’d like to fight fellow stable-mate IBF/WBA super middleweight champion Carl Froch this year, but he’s not having any luck in drawing him into a fight because Froch has been setting his sights on bigger fights with better known opposition.

Hearn said to I Film London “I think George is one big win away from fighting for a world title. He’s top five in every governing body. Definitely that [Groves vs. Froch] is a big fight.”

You notice how Hearn doesn’t say that the title shot that Groves will be getting will be against Froch. That’s because he can’t say that due to Froch having zero interest in taking a fight with Groves.

In order for Hearn to get Froch in the ring with Groves, Hearn would likely have to pull Froch kicking and screaming into the ring because he just doesn’t want any part of Groves.

If Groves does get a title shot this year, it’s going to be against WBO champion Robert Stieglitz or the winner of the Sakio Bika vs. Marco Antonio Periban fight. With Froch having taken Mikkel Kessler’s WBA title that narrows down the champions that Groves can fight.

Of course, there is also WBA champion Andre Ward, but Hearn isn’t going to put Groves in with Ward and let the talented American easily beat Groves and ruin his confidence in the process.

Hearn will keep Groves far, far away from Ward. Instead, it’ll be either the Bika-Periban winner or Stieglitz. Bika would be a really tough fight for Groves and I don’t think Groves is ready for someone like that, and Stieglitz could be a problem as well if he fights like he did in beating Arthur Abraham recently.

Groves stopped fringe contender Noe Gonzalez in the 5th round last Saturday night on the Froch vs. Kessler undercard at the O2 Arena in London, UK. Hearn is all excited about Groves’s win over Gonzalez, but the fact is it took Groves longer to stop Gonzalez than it did for Adonis Stevenson. Gonzalez was stopped in only 2 rounds last year in April by Stevenson. Why Hearn selected Gonzalez for Groves after a loss like that is the big question.

Hearn knows that Groves has to start facing quality opposition, yet he keeps putting him in with weak opposition and undermining Groves’ efforts to try and Froch to fight him. I mean, how can Groves make a case that he deserves a fight with Froch when Hearn is putting Groves in with guys like Gonzalez, Bakar Barakat. Dario German Balmaceda and a faded Glen Johnson. This is the same kind of weak match-making that Hearn has done for Darren Barker and Kell Brook. From Froch’s perspective, why would he ever want to fight someone like Groves when he’s not fighting anyone of quality. That’s not Groves’ fault;, it’s his promoter Hearn’s fault. He’s coddling him.



Comments are closed.