George Groves, Sauerland on Rumors of Facing Chris Eubank Jr.

By Carlos Boogs

On Thursday, it was officially announced that George Groves would defend his WBA International super middleweight title against Germany’s two-time world title challenger Eduard Gutknecht at the SSE Arena, Wembley on Friday November 18, live on Channel 5.

Groves (24-3, 18KOs) is looking to send his career one step closer to a world title shot, after dominating fellow Brit Martin Murray in his last outing back in June. After working with trainer Shane McGuigan for his last few fights, Groves feel more confident and he believes his skills are better polished.

Groves has now won his last three bouts and five of his last six after losing a close split decision last September to WBC world champion Badou Jack.

Before the deal with Gutknecht was finalized, there were some industry rumors that Groves was involved in ongoing negotiations to fight middleweight contender Chris Eubank Jr. (23-1, 18KOs).

Groves confirmed that there were negotiations, but they never got too serious. While it didn't happen this time, Groves would love to face Eubank Jr. - at super middleweight of course.

"We spoke with some representatives of a TV channel. They pitched the fight to us. It's an exciting fight I think for many people - two Brits. We're sort of a little more free to explore and fight on other networks, other channels - and that was probably where it ended. The proposal had a lot of holes in it, a lot of problems we were unable to overcome. We haven't heard anything from Eubank Jr's side. This was always my preferred choice [to face Gutknecht on Channel 5]," Groves told BoxingScene.com's Declan Taylor.

"[The fight with Eubank] got a fantastic response. People seemed genuinely excited about it. It could happen down the line. But it would have to happen at super middleweight because I'm not a middleweight."

Groves' promoter, Nisse Sauerland of Sauerland Event, also told BoxingScene that he would love see a fight with Eubank Jr. in the future. 

"There were some talks about it. I'm not going to go into it too much, but George really fancied the fight. It didn't come off for some reasons. That doesn't mean it can't happen in the future. It's a great fight. I think the press conferences would be interesting. Obviously with Eubank Sr. involved as well, one of the most famous boxers the UK has produced. I think it could be a massive fight and one that George believes he could win. I think it would sell very big. They are both big names. I can't see why it cant happen in the future. It's a massive fight for Britain," Sauerland said.