By Richard Myers: Saturday May 21st looks to be a good night for British boxing fans. Not only is the talented Nathan Cleverly fighting for his first world title against Juergen Braehmer (a 50/50 fight in my view) but two of Britain’s hottest prospects square off. James Degale 10 (8KOs) – 0 and George Groves 12 (10KOs) – 0 are two of the best Super Middleweights in Britain.
A war of words has ignited the interest of the British public and they have genuine dislike for one another. The winner will climb the rankings and could put their name in line for a shot at the European or maybe even a world title shot later this year.
Predicating who will win this fight is hard. Most fight fans would like to point to how Groves struggled with then undefeated Kenny Anderson as a reason for Degale winning the bout. I am not too sure. Groves like Degale has been tested early which is not all too common. Groves struggled with Anderson early and I agree he got hit too much but he showed he had heart and that he can come back from adversity. Degale is a fighter who depends entirely on his self-belief. I believe that if this is dented then he may not be the same fighter. In no way am I saying that Naseem Hammed and James Degale are in the same league but both are fuelled by their confidence. When Hammed’s was broken in his only loss he never really recovered.
The skill level of both fighters is also very high but for different reasons. Groves in a way mimics David Hayes style of staying on the outside and using movement to outwit his opponent. Degale on the other hand is happy to work on the inside and will stand in front of you to get his punches off like he did in the Sam Horton fight. Degale also has a better defence on the inside which allows him to fight like this. Both have decent power but neither has had a real one punch KO to speak of. Most of their stoppages have come via the referee. Both have good speed but again neither is lightening fast. I also do not think that stamina will be an issue for either fighter as neither has shown signs yet. However neither has gone 12 rounds yet. Degale came closest in the Smith fight when he stopped him in the 9th. Degale did not seem to be tired.
In conclusion I believe that this fight has the makings of a British classic. If Groves decides to stand and trade with Degale I believe it will be even better. I think that Degale is most likely to win as he showed that he really is above domestic level when he beat Smith in such a dominating manor. I think it will be by stoppage around the 6th round or by points. However a Groves win would not be a huge surprise to me either. I wish both fighters luck for this fight and whoever comes out on top (unless it’s a draw!) hopefully will be our next super middleweight star.
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