By Nurten Sen: Saturday was a great night for British boxing fans. Wins for Carl Froch and Tony Bellew ensured some more great nights down the road but for me the result that was most impressive was that of ‘Saint’ George Groves. Groves improved to 19-0 (15 kos) with a very dominant and one-sided TKO victory in the fifth round over Noe Gonzalez Alcoba who slipped to 30-3 (22 KOs). Ex-titlist Richie Woodhall told Skysports.com that it was a ‘perfect performance’ and it was hard not to be impressed by Groves, as Mr Woodhall was.
Very slick head movement, good foot and upper-body movement, a ramrod-like jab and blistering combinations from all kinds of angles bewildered the poor Ganzalez and made hime look amateurish.
Since his fight with James DeGale 2 years ago Groves has been quite a high-profile prospect considering his relative inexperience. That fight really captured the imagination of the public as we had DeGale, with mainstream recognition from his Olympic victory, fighting the relatively unknown but likable Groves, with the backing of Adam Booth and David Haye, and who held an apparently contentious decision victory over DeGale in the amateur ranks. The level of trash talking from DeGale really made people want Groves, however unlikely it seemed, to do a number on him. They weren’t to be disappointed and, since Groves emerged victorious he has improved immeasurably.
The British public have also continued to follow and support Groves too, one must only look at the reception he received from the crowd on Saturday to see the level of support he has. Everyone had bought tickets to see Carl Froch in another huge fight and, considering the very public spat between Groves and Froch over the former’s sparring with Mikkel Kessler, the cheers from the crowd on his entry to the arena were a very definite sign of his popularity. One would have thought that had any other boxer in the world entered that night the boos might have been heard on the other side of the Atlantic, especially given the fanatical nature of UK fight fans.
Now with rankings at 1, 2 and 3 with the WBO, WBA and WBC respectively, Groves knows he is within touching distance of a Word title, massive paydays and household recognition. If you look at the atmosphere on Saturday, or any other big fights in recent years involving British fighters such as Ricky Hatton or Joe Calzaghe, you could forgive Groves for having itchy feet and wanting to cement his place among Britain’s boxing elite as soon as possible. Is he ready? I guess we will find out very soon. One thing is for sure, ‘St George’ is the quintessential ‘true English gentleman’ and there can be no doubt that he has, and will continue to have, the full support of the devoted British boxing public.
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