The World Boxing Super Series tournament at 168 pounds continues this Saturday at the Wembley Arena in London as George Groves returns to face fellow countryman Jamie Cox in the third of the tournament quarterfinals.
When the tournament was announced back in July “Saint” George Groves was slotted as the number one seed. The top seeds got to choose their first round opponents, so Groves opted for Cox.
Groves is coming off a May stoppage win over rugged Fedor Chudinov that saw him win the WBA world title. For Groves, it was a long time coming. Groves rose to international prominence with his pair of losses to rival countryman Carl Froch. Those were world title shots but they came back in 2013-2014 when Groves was coming up. He fought on to earn another shot at a world title in September of 2015 and came up short against Badou Jack. To this day, Groves feels he won that fight and he fought on to finally earn a world title in his last outing. His motivation in choosing Cox as an opening opponent, Groves is looking to shut up one of his naysayers.
Cox watched Groves become a star after the Froch fights, and quite simply, Cox feels it is his time now. Undefeated at 24-0, this is Cox’s first shot at a world title and his resume looks to be strictly regional fare, especially when compared to the resume Groves brings to the table.
In previous quarterfinal action, British fighters Callum Smith and Chris Eubank Jr. advanced to the semifinals. In September, Smith defeated Sweden’s Erik Skoglund to advance, while Eubank Jr. made short work of Avni Yilidrim this past weekend, knocking him out in three rounds. The final quarterfinal bout pits undefeated American Rob Brant as he travels to Germany to face veteran former champion Jurgen Braehmer on October 27th.
World Boxing Super Series Q1 – Wembley Arena – London, England
Super Middleweight 12 rounds –
Jamie Cox +475 o9½ -140
George Groves -650 u9½ +120
