DeGale - Groves: The build-up continues

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.

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.

DeGale - Groves: The Promotion Begins

It's a rarity to see two special prospects allowed off the leash to take on one another at relatively stages of their career.

But that's what's going to happen on the night of Saturday 21st May at The O2 Arena in London when British Super-Middleweight Champion James DeGale clashes with arch enemy George Groves, a Commonwealth title holder in the same division.

At the press conference which took place to publicise the fight today (17th May) it would appear both boxers have set out their stalls as far as publicity is concerned.

Floyd Mayweather Jr - Ricky Hatton would seem to be the promotional model.

Now bear with me, neither boxer has earned the right yet to be compared with the above two titans but it's the nearest match from recent memory in terms of exaggerated 'Good Guy v Bad Guy' personas.

DeGale appears to be playing the 'off the wall', flash, brash, (wannabe) superstar. Groves, by contrast, has come across as somewhat more subdued and perhaps more likeable. Of course, things may change in the build up if DeGale gets under Groves' skin and the more quiet character turns into somebody more agitated and animated.

It'll be interested to see what the public makes of it all - if they care.

DeGale has the Olympic gold behind him and might hope, or have hoped already, that he would be treated like a hero. After impressively beating Paul Smith in his Liverpool backyard to win his British belt he's certainly shut some critics up.

Yet, there are sure to be some boos for a person perceived by some as not having enough class or humility. It has to be said DeGale's ring entrance song, a rap entitled "Chunky", is cringe-worthy. So too his ridiculous dance step immediately after winning fights.

Mind you, does talk of naff music and silly poses sound like someone else who made a lucrative career from the sport. Yes, Chris Eubank, who always came to the ring to Simply The Best and used to do his peacock strut.

Eubank eventually won fans over and whether loved or hated, he appeared to make healthy money from the sport. So perhaps there's logic behind DeGale's attitude.

Groves could attract fans who simply want to see DeGale get beaten. While DeGale is impressive to watch when he gets his combinations going, Groves, by contrast, is arguably more fun and fan-friendly, if a little vulnerable.

Hopefully James DeGale against George Groves will boost the coverage of British boxing for all the right reasons. Maybe some casual observers are concerned after what happened when the heavily-hyped contest between David Haye and Audley Harrison took place.

This fight has all the ingredients to be a great night for British boxing. Let's hope it doesn't disappoint.

DeGale - Groves: A Question Of Timing?

Next month two of Britain's brightest prospects are supposed to be squaring off against each other - James DeGale and George Groves.

I say "supposed to be" as there are still doubts whether the Super-Middleweight match-up - on 9th April The Olympia in Kensington, London - will really take place.

There are concerns the fight is coming around too soon - both in the short-term (DeGale and Groves both fought this month) and long-term (they have only fought 22 times between them). Some claim either of the two fighters may pull out injured in the meantime and/or promotional problems (both boxers have different promoters) could scupper the bout.

I don't want to rain on the parade as no matter whether the two talented boxers should be fighting now or in two years' time it's still an exciting domestic match-up which will have British fight fans drooling. While some believe the bout should wait until the two men are more seasoned - and possibly fighting for a world title - the danger is always that one of the two could have a bad setback loss to derail the match-up or a gap in class between the two could grow to ruin the prospect of a potentially close contest.

Ultimately this fight will stir up a great deal of interest and possibly draw in some casual fans along the way with DeGale and Groves appearing to have a long-running feud stemming from a disputed amateur win for Groves (both boxers always used to train at the same gym and spar together).

In advance of this proposed fight here are some points to consider:

Groves is the more in-your-face fighter of the two and will look to exert extreme pressure on DeGale. The Olympic Gold medallist has not had his chin properly tested, nor has been forced to fight at a relentless pace. Liverpudlian Paul Smith was supposed to ask those questions but was blown away both by DeGale's speed and class. It could also be argued Smith was a little too small at the weight to push DeGale back. Groves instead, drawing on the confidence of knowing Degale well at amateur level, will look to drive his man back and take him out of his comfort zone.

Groves, like his promoter and mentor David Haye, chooses to fight with his left hand low. There are different viewpoints on this style - some argue it allows the boxer to be loose and springy, with the angle the shot appears from often surpring an opponent. On the flipside there is every danger the boxer will be left exposed to a nice right hook and it's likely switch-hitter DeGale will look to use a southpaw stance to score right hooks with good effect. Groves was put down and shaken by Scotsman Kenny Anderson, who took the shot at Groves' Commonwealth belt at short notice. Hammersmith fighter Groves also admitted to being shaken up during a sparring session with Carl Froch (some, including DeGale, claim he was knocked out). So there are some question marks about Groves' defence and punch resistance.

Of the two DeGale would appear to have the better skills with a flashy set of combinations, sharp and fast hands and ever-improving footwork. Worryingly, he seems to be getting even better and has passed his recent tests - against decent domestic level opponents Carl Dilks and Paul Smith - with flying colours. I would envisage the Harlesden man looking to pick off Groves with sharp counters as the come-forward fighter leaves himself open by being a little reckless. I think Groves is too brave to be deterred and will not stop ploughing ahead - something which could either be his downfall or open up the door to success if DeGale finds he does not like the intense pressure.

Both men know each other so well that the opening rounds could turn out to be cagey as neither boxer would want to leave themselves open to a humiliating early exit. But after the nerves have been shaken off, who will prevail? Will DeGale conduct a dominant showcase of his repertoire of boxing skills? For me, Groves' best chance is to ruffle up DeGale, take him out of his comfort zone and whip in bodyshots to test the resilience of the man known as Chunky (who walks around at 190lbs).

I don't think it will be enough to stop the ever-improving DeGale's rise and envisage Chunky stopping his brave and game opponent in the latter half of the fight.

This grudge fight has the potential to be a memorable one for British boxing.


* Postscript: Today (17th March) it's been announced that the Degale - Groves fight will take place at the O2 Arena in London on 21st May on the undercard of Nathan Cleverly's fight with Jurgen Braehmer. The extra time to prepare has to be a good thing although this fight would perhaps be better suited as a headliner. This could still happen perhaps if Braehmer's legal issues stop the headline contest from going ahead.


* Poscript II: (30th March) Well, the excitement of the fight - listening to interviews, watching the head-to-head and considering other respected analysists' views - is getting me thinking.

My initial thoughts were of an intense, heated scrap with DeGale using his counter-punching skills to force a stoppage in the second half of the fight against a brave, oncoming Groves.

But based on watching DeGale's and Grove's previous fights in further detail I'm now not so sure. I'm undecided.

Groves, I feel, has better skills than he is credited and can rely on the wily, calm and assured advice of Adam Booth - who has done wonders with David Haye.

I think the Charles Adamu contest shows Groves at his best (against a fighter who is of course several levels below DeGale). The way he picked his shots was brilliant, keeping Adamu on the back foot. He moved in and out well and wasn't too gung-ho.

If Groves adopts a more cautious, shot-picking approach - avoiding DeGale's goading for him to fly in like a wildman - we could be in for an entirely different sort of contest. A more cagey, tactical affair. Many would argue this would favour the supposed better 'pure boxer' in DeGale. Let's see.

The questions I have, which should be answered come fight night, are these:

- What has Groves learned from his toughest fight to date against Kenny Anderson? Groves showed guts to pull through after looking open and being knocked down. Anderson hadn't had long to prepare for this fight and afterwards Groves took a lot of flak. He will lose if he fights with the same wild approach against DeGale. However, although many would question whether there's really enough time to do this, Groves could become a much better defensive fighter after learning from what happened here. The concern might be Groves believing the way he came through this gritty contest shows he can power through anything. That would be a big mistake against DeGale. A fighter that comes to mind is Kevin Mitchell, who pulled through against Carl Johanneson after a rocky patch that looked like he would be stopped. For me - despite showing a clever boxing approach against Breidis Prescott - Mitchell never appeared to learn from that fight, leading up to the devastating loss to Michael Katsidis.

- What has DeGale learned from his toughest fight to date against Paul Smith? DeGale looked fantastic in beating British Super-Middleweight Champion Smith in his backyard. He dominated proceedings and can rightly take huge confidence going in against Groves. DeGale's trainer, Jim McDonnell, claims fighters like DeGale only come along every 20 years. That might get some wetting their lips in anticipation about just how brilliant DeGale can become. However, while DeGale showed how talented he is against Smith, he didn't need to answer questions about his punch resistance. Will he be looking at the mistakes he made - and there were a few points in the fight when he looked a little sloppy - or will he not care?

DeGale and Groves are still slightly raw and most British fight fans would feel their vast potential has not been fully realised. When they take to the ring here's hoping they bring the best out of each other.