DeGale looking to avenge earlier defeat by Groves

By Boxing News - 05/20/2011 - Comments

Image: DeGale looking to avenge earlier defeat by GrovesBy Sean McDaniel: Unbeaten British super middleweight champion James DeGale (10-0, 8 KO’s) will be looking to settle an old score with George Groves (12-0, 10 KO’s) on Saturday night when they go at it in a 12 round bout for the British title at the O2 Arena in London. DeGale was beaten by Groves in a 4 round decision loss five years ago when the two fighters were fighting at the amateur level.

The loss was a bitter one for DeGale, as he seems to have had problems forgetting about it. Groves, for his part, has seen it as a sign that he’s a better fighter than DeGale. For neutral fans that have seen the fight, it’s hard to really get much from the fight because it was amateur level and only four measly rounds with headgear. It proved nothing and the outcome seemed to be pretty much a draw because both fighters had their moments.

However, DeGale has accomplished more than Groves since then and has been looking better than him at the pro level. On Saturday night, DeGale will be looking to beat Groves and show once and for all that he’s the better fighter. It’s going to be a tough fight for both, as Groves and DeGale have so much to prove. Groves may lose the fight but he’s going to be fighting tooth and nail to the bitter end to try and win it. DeGale has the better boxing skills, stamina and defensive ability. Groves is the better pressure fighter and might have a slight edge in power.

DeGale puts his punches together a lot better than Groves and is capable of throwing multiple combinations. DeGale seems to prefer to throw combinations, whereas Groves is more of a one punch at a time slugger that looks to bang his opponents out with one big shot. Unless Groves has learned to move his head a lot better from his sparring with Andre Dirrell in the United States, this could be a short fight. Groves has got to try and get out of the way of DeGale’s hooks and uppercuts because he won’t be able to take DeGale’s punishment for 12 rounds without going down or cutting up.



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