George Groves outfoxes James DeGale

According to 29 out of 31 respected British trainers, in a poll conducted by Boxing Monthly, James DeGale would beat bitter rival George Groves.

What did they know – and what did most of us know?

Last night George Groves used box and move tactics to befuddle his opponent to pinch a close but not undeserved majority decision, with scores of 115-115 and 115-114 twice to swing the victory.

It was typical of the brilliance of his intelligent trainer Adam Booth, credited with the game plan, that Groves surprised most observers by swapping his usual come-forward, hunting style to pick DeGale off from the back foot.

Surely there was no way he would beat his seemingly quicker and sharper Olympic gold medallist-winning opponent in such a fashion?

After a cagey opening round Groves exerted his presence over the following three rounds by catching DeGale with counters, including regular single jabs to the body. He ducked out of shots and used movement to get out of range. He didn’t stay in the same place for a long period of time.

DeGale, capable of producing eye-catching flurries, seemed a little wary to let his hands go as he walked ahead. He didn’t want to be countered and had perhaps expected Groves to come steaming forward and leave himself open. He seemed frustrated and resorted to a couple of illegal moves – a shoulder charge and an elbow – which earned the wrath of the referee, but no points deductions.

In round five DeGale picked up the pace a little and from thereon things were closer.

By the tenth round it was hard to pick a winner, with DeGale having had a good ninth round where he caught Groves with some nice shots. Groves stormed back with some neat combinations in the tenth to take the round and by this stage both men, with only 22 fights between them, looked a little tired from the pace.

The trainers pushed their men on to dig deep and the final two sessions were close affairs.

On the night I had the fight a draw but it was a difficult fight to call. Sky Sports’ Jim Watt at DeGale up by one point, while the punch stats showed Groves had thrown more and landed more.

After a tense wait Groves, much to the delight of most of the crowd, was given the decision. DeGale stormed out of the ring and will no doubt cry robbery after another defeat to Groves, who won a disputed decision in the amateurs. His trainer Jim McDonnell was furious too.

Yet, while it was a close contest that could have swung either way, in the cold light of day when the heat dies down DeGale would be best served to focus on his weaknesses in this contest - and yes, despite his bluster and self-proclaimed invincibility, he showed faults. He didn't throw enough shots when he had Groves backed up and for all his pedigree, he looked a little confused by Groves' movement. In boxing you have to expect the unexpected. Surely that's obvious?

There were rumours that DeGale had already organised a post-fight party before stepping into the ring, which didn't help the public's perception of the southpaw. As the fight built up Jim McDonnell appeared to be massaging DeGale's ego, vocally proclaiming him to be something seriously special and the Harlesden man lapped up the praise. Afterwards DeGale's promoter Frank Warren had a dig for "back slappers" DeGale should rid himself off - suggesting the hangers-on where hindering his man. By contrast, Adam Booth seemed a lot more pragmatic in addressing Groves' weaknesses he had shown in previous contests. Rather than bemoaning the judges DeGale would best served looking at why he didn't win and not why he should have won.

While the pressure was on DeGale to produce a fantastic performance - he didn't but showed heart at the end and was never in trouble by Groves' shots - Groves had nothing to lose, as he was expected to be blown away. He stood firm, stuck to his tactics and can look forward to leaping forward. He's now 13-0.

James DeGale can come again. He wasn't badly hurt and it was a close contest. He's now 10-1 and should learn from the defeat and come back stronger. I'm not sure an immediate rematch is the right solution but Groves and DeGale should get it on again in the future - perhaps with even bigger titles than the British and Commonwealth belts at stake.

This isn't the end but can be a new beginning for George Groves and James DeGale.