By Jake Donovan

George Groves hopes to be third time lucky in his upcoming super middleweight title challenger versus defending champ Badou Jack. The two collide on September 12 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, serving in supporting capacity to Floyd Mayweather’s billed swan song versus Andre Berto.

Two previous cracks at a championship saw Groves suffer back-to-back stoppage losses to countryman Carl Froch in England. Their first fight in Nov. ‘13 ended under dubious circumstances, with the then-unbeaten Groves well ahead but running into trouble in the 9th round only for referee Howard John Foster to develop an itchy trigger finger in prematurely stopping the contest.

There was considerably less controversy surrounding the rematch, where Groves got caught by what he refers to as “the best punch Carl Froch ever threw in his career,” suffering an 8th round knockout loss in what wound up to be Froch’s last ever prize fight. The event drew 80,000 at Wembley Stadium and also proving to be a smash hit in the Pay-Per-View market.

Contributing to the event’s success was Groves’ efforts on the campaign trail, though he also believes it took away from devoting his undivided attention to a proper training camp.

“The Froch fight was history in the U.K.. It was a huge Pay-Per-View event, 80,000 in attendance and everyone knows the story by now,” Groves pointed out during a recent media conference call, though revealing one key tidbit. “I was the only one (among the fighters) selling the show. It was my job on a daily and weekly basis.”

He’s since won two straight fights while awaiting his next title opportunity. Part of the waiting game included his sitting ringside for Jack’s upset win over Anthony Dirrell this past April in Chicago.

The trip to the states was just for a short spell, but impactful enough to convince him to return well ahead of fight night. Leaving nothing to chance, the 27-year old Brit has been holed up in Big Bear, California for most of the summer, leaving behind all of the distractions and concentrating on what it will take to finally claim his crown.

“We’ve been there since mid-July. I didn’t want to come out two weeks before and be jetlagged during the most important part. So we said why not come out here for the whole camp,” Groves (21-2, 16KOs) explained. “Abel Sanchez (who trains middleweight champ Gennady Golovkin, among many others) was kind enough to let us use his camp out here. We got everything we liked, trained in (proper) altitude. We won’t feel the proof of the benefits until fight night, but we’ve taken the proper steps and truly believe we’re well prepared.”

Another benefit to training for a fight thousands of miles from home is the tranquility that comes with relative anonymity in unfamiliar settings.

“I’ve been recognized once since I’ve been in Big Bear, which is fantastic for me,” Groves admits. “I’m used to not being able to go anywhere in England without being stopped on the street. I appreciate the fanfare back home, but it’s nice for this change of pace.

That kind of peace of mind comes at a cost, but Groves believes it will be well worth the investment.

“We felt, it doesn’t matter about the expense or the (financial) commitment,” Groves said. “Me and the rest of the team committed to the task at hand. In the meantime, we’ve avoided anything that needs to be done.”

Jake Donovan is the managing editor of BoxingScene.com
Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
Facebook Page: JakeBScene