Callum Smith KOs George Groves – RESULTS

By Boxing News - 09/28/2018 - Comments

Image: Callum Smith KOs George Groves - RESULTS

By Scott Gilfoid: Callum Smith (25-0, 18 KOs) was getting badly out-boxed for the first six rounds until nailing WBA Super World super middleweight champion George Groves (28-4, 20 KOs) with a big left hand to stop him in round 7 in the final of the World Boxing Super Series 168 pound tournament on Friday night at King Adbullah Sports City, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

(Photo credit: World Boxing Super Series)

Smith, 28, knocked Groves down with a left counter to the head. While Groves was down, Smith landed a rabbit punch to the back of the head. Groves, 30, was either too hurt from the initial left or the rabbit shot to get back up. The referee Luis Pabon chose to ignore the double foul by Smith in hitting Groves while he was down in the back of the head.

In hindsight, the referee should have counted the initial knockdown and given Groves time to recover from the rabbit punch while he was down. The way it played out, we’ll never know if Groves was hurt more by the rabbit shot while down on the canvas or the left hand that dropped him. At any rate, the official time of the stoppage was at 2:04 of round seven.

The victory for Smith gives him the Muhammad Ali Trophy in capturing the World Boxing Super Series tournament, as well as the WBA ‘Super World’ super middleweight title, WBC Diamond and Ring Magazine title. It’s good that Smith won the fight, but I’m not sure that he would beat the likes of Chris Eubank Jr., Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez, David Benavidez, Jose Uzcategui or Jesse Hart. With the way that Smith looked tonight, I think he would lose to all of those guys.

Groves looked like he was 40-years-old out there tonight, getting hurt numerous times in the fight, and not fighting smart. Groves was out-boxing Smith from the outside, but for some reason he got greedy in the 7th round, which left him open for a left-hand counter that dropped him. That wouldn’t have happened if Groves had fought smart and stayed on the outside using his jab. He should have known better than to try and mix it up with the big punching Smith. The time for Groves to trade with Smith should have come in the championship rounds and only if he was showing signs of fatigue, which he wasn’t in round seven. Groves made a blunder in trading with Smith in the 7th. It was a dumb move and it cost him the fight.

”It wasn’t meant to be,” Groves said to ITV Box Office. ”Credit to Callum Smith, he caught me. He has power. He done a fantastic job. We knew he could punch. He has height and reach as well, so I didn’t really want to trade with him. I was landing myself, but so was he and he got the finish. The shoulder looked alright and I felt alright. I’m not here to make exuses. It worked. Callum was the better man on the night. I’m going to have a good rest. I’m NOT retiring. It’s been a dogged year for me,” Groves said.

Grove shouldn’t retire. He would have won the fight if he had continued to box Smith, but like I said, he got greedy, and this is what happens when you mix it up with someone with power.