Groves Predicts War With Murray, Eyes Sturm/Chudinov Title Shot
Apr 25, 2016 • 1:30 PM ET
As previously reported on BoxingScene.com, George Groves will take on Martin Murray on the undercard to Anthony Joshua's IBF world heavyweight title defence at The O2 on June 25.
The fight will be an eliminator for the WBA super middleweight title and will provide support to Joshua when he returns to the London venue as champion following his two-round demolition of Chris Martin earlier this month.
It is Groves' (23-3) fourth world title shot in the division after losing to Badou Jack on points last year and suffering back-to-back stoppages to Carl Froch in 2014 and 2013.
Murray (32-3-1), who has fought three times for a world middleweight belt, will have his second crack at the 168lbs title after losing a close decision to Arthur Abraham in Germany in November.
The St Helen's fighter was stopped by middleweight kingpin Gennady Golovkin in February, lost to Sergio Gabriel Martinez in 2013 and held Felix Sturm to a draw in 2011.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Groves said: "Everyone's seen plenty of me and plenty of Murray. He's a very good fighter who's campaigned at the highest level. He's world-level opposition. He's a good fighter, a neat and tidy boxer with a high work-rate. Nothing much more can be said apart from 'a war'. A war is my prediction.
"It's a big fight for both of us. Win this fight and it should open plenty of doors for me to step on and fight for a world title and achieve my goal of becoming a world champion. It's a WBA world title eliminator. The current champion is Felix Sturm, who's tested positive for a banned substance. If he's found to have been cheating with the B sample, then the belt will revert back to Fedor Chudinov, who he beat earlier this year.
"I'm assuming that the winner of me and Murray will have a shot against either Sturm or Chudinov but this is such a big high-profile fight that all the world champions out there will be looking at it and saying, 'The winner is a big fight that will generate lots of money and interest'.
