Intrigue continues to mount as James DeGale and George Groves step up their preparation for next month's mouth-watering contest.
As things stands it appears that only DeGale's British title is at stake, although that's not to rule out the belt Groves brings to the table - the Commonwealth strap - also being up for grabs.
No matter what title or titles are being contested this is still effectively a domestic undercard contest and one wonders what Welshman Nathan Cleverly, who is fighting for the WBO Light Heavyweight title, makes of it all. He is the headliner on the night after all.
Perhaps not having the hassle of the limelight might be a blessing in disguise.
George Groves is currently in Miami training alongside his mentor the heavyweight champion David Haye and has conducted sparring sessions with the mercurial Super-Middleweight Andre Dirrell - a world-level fighter. This seems like a sensible move in preparation for a snappy, flash contestant like DeGale.
James DeGale has based himself in Essex under the notoriously tough taskmaster Jim McDonnell. The man called 'Chunky' said he blows up to 190 pounds outside of fights but it's unlikely he won't come into this contest in great condition given McDonnell's reputation.
Some of McDonnell's previous training orders have included getting fighters to pull along cars with passengers sat inside, while it was rumoured he even got one former fighter to sleep in a separate bed to his wife in order to conserve energy!
This week George Groves' promotional team Hayemaker have thrown a barbed counter toward DeGale's side with a heavily-edited video designed to make 'Chunky' look foolish. Entitled 'James Defail', it can be found here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjDBy-JJrsA
James DeGale hasn't being keeping quiet either (no surprise there). He's hit back at Groves as a "chinny" fighter.
I think it's safe to dismiss the Froch spar here. Groves has been open about being floored and let's face it, Froch is a superb, experienced world champion who hits very hard while Groves is green as a professional. It's also been said that Carl Froch does not hold back in sparring and surely Groves will have gained something as a result.
The Anderson knockdown could also be brought into question as a measure of Groves' chin Anderson has a genuinely good punch and Groves left himself exposed to the Scotsman's best shots . He took some blows, went down and then got back up to win (although the stoppage appeared a little premature). Rather, it seemed Groves' defence (or lack of) was the issue - not necessarily his chin.
Of course, DeGale is hyping the fight and he's trying to get under Groves' skin. Both fighters will want to carve out every possible advantage before fight night and a bit of winding up can go a long way.
Just ask Ricky Hatton about his pre-fight exchanges with Floyd Mayweayther Jr.
As things stands it appears that only DeGale's British title is at stake, although that's not to rule out the belt Groves brings to the table - the Commonwealth strap - also being up for grabs.
No matter what title or titles are being contested this is still effectively a domestic undercard contest and one wonders what Welshman Nathan Cleverly, who is fighting for the WBO Light Heavyweight title, makes of it all. He is the headliner on the night after all.
Perhaps not having the hassle of the limelight might be a blessing in disguise.
George Groves is currently in Miami training alongside his mentor the heavyweight champion David Haye and has conducted sparring sessions with the mercurial Super-Middleweight Andre Dirrell - a world-level fighter. This seems like a sensible move in preparation for a snappy, flash contestant like DeGale.
James DeGale has based himself in Essex under the notoriously tough taskmaster Jim McDonnell. The man called 'Chunky' said he blows up to 190 pounds outside of fights but it's unlikely he won't come into this contest in great condition given McDonnell's reputation.
Some of McDonnell's previous training orders have included getting fighters to pull along cars with passengers sat inside, while it was rumoured he even got one former fighter to sleep in a separate bed to his wife in order to conserve energy!
This week George Groves' promotional team Hayemaker have thrown a barbed counter toward DeGale's side with a heavily-edited video designed to make 'Chunky' look foolish. Entitled 'James Defail', it can be found here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjDBy-JJrsA
James DeGale hasn't being keeping quiet either (no surprise there). He's hit back at Groves as a "chinny" fighter.
Here's what he had to say: "There is something wrong with his chin, there has to be if he keeps going over all the time, and I will exploit that."DeGale has based his theory on Groves getting stopped in the amateurs as well as floored by Kenny Anderson last year and in a sparring session with Carl Froch.
I think it's safe to dismiss the Froch spar here. Groves has been open about being floored and let's face it, Froch is a superb, experienced world champion who hits very hard while Groves is green as a professional. It's also been said that Carl Froch does not hold back in sparring and surely Groves will have gained something as a result.
The Anderson knockdown could also be brought into question as a measure of Groves' chin Anderson has a genuinely good punch and Groves left himself exposed to the Scotsman's best shots . He took some blows, went down and then got back up to win (although the stoppage appeared a little premature). Rather, it seemed Groves' defence (or lack of) was the issue - not necessarily his chin.
Of course, DeGale is hyping the fight and he's trying to get under Groves' skin. Both fighters will want to carve out every possible advantage before fight night and a bit of winding up can go a long way.
Just ask Ricky Hatton about his pre-fight exchanges with Floyd Mayweayther Jr.
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