Latest news with #GeorgeGroves
Daily Mail
8 hours ago
- Sport
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE George Groves reveals Oleksandr Usyk's vulnerability ahead of the Daniel Dubois fight and claims the British heavyweight has 'the kind of power that could change everything in a split second'
Former world champion George Groves has said Daniel Dubois could be walking into the fight of his life tonight at Wembley Stadium but believes the British heavyweight has a real shot at pulling off a seismic upset if he starts fast and lands early on Oleksandr Usyk. Speaking to Mail Sport ahead of the highly anticipated rematch, Groves said he wasn't ready to make a prediction. Not because of uncertainty, but because of how intriguing and unpredictable the contest had become. 'I can't give a prediction because who knows?' Groves said. 'That's the intrigue for anyone following this fight. They've already boxed, and Usyk stopped Dubois. Sure, Frank Warren made a big scene about a low blow – and that's got people split, really. 'But the real story is that Usyk has been phenomenal, unstoppable throughout his entire career. He completed the cruiserweight division, then moved up and unified the heavyweight division. He beat Tyson Fury twice – the man people thought was the No 1 in the division – and now he's done it all.' Groves pointed to a series of recent developments that could confirm Usyk's desire to retire soon – something he said made the Ukrainian potentially vulnerable in what might be his final fight. 'His manager's just parted ways with him. His best friend in boxing, Lomachenko, has just retired. Everyone around him is wrapping up. If Usyk is doing the same, then that's a dangerous mentality to have in heavyweight boxing – especially against someone like Daniel Dubois, who's in such great form.' Groves praised Dubois for the way he dismantled Anthony Joshua in September 2024, saying it was the kind of performance that proved the 27-year-old had grown into a serious contender for the undisputed crown. 'He's obviously a heavyweight champion in his own right now, just came off a magnificent win against Joshua – a guy who's been there and done it, dealt with big occasions. Dubois set about him with an almost punch-perfect performance. 'At some point, Usyk is going to get old, and someone's going to catch him at the right time. That could be Daniel tonight, especially with home advantage at Wembley. It's all to play for.' Asked whether Dubois would need to be perfect and Usyk slightly off for the upset to happen, Groves didn't disagree. 'Yeah. The better fighter is Usyk – he's pound-for-pound one of the best in the world right now. He's never put a foot wrong. He's always had to travel, be the away fighter, and he just gets better as the fight goes on. 'People say they were in it with Usyk early, but that's not enough. He goes through the gears, round after round. Against Fury, I was there, right up close – we've never seen Fury in that sort of trouble. Not like that. So if that version of Usyk shows up, he'll beat Dubois again.' But Groves said he had seen no signs of complacency in the Ukrainian during fight week, despite the questions surrounding his motivation. 'I saw him at the press conference, and he was the same funny character. He had jokes, pictures of the low blow – he had time for the press. He certainly wasn't asleep at the wheel, which made me think: he's still got it.' Still, Groves said Dubois had the kind of power that could change everything in a split second. 'Dubois has got enough power to knock anyone out. So if he lands, who knows? He's got to start quick, like he did against Joshua. Hope to land on him. Definitely whack him downstairs. 'No one likes body shots. You catch Usyk there and he backs off. So Dubois needs to get hold of him, stick it on him.' Looking back at the first fight, Groves felt Dubois never truly had his moment and that the controversial low blow had clouded what was, in truth, a fairly one-sided outcome. 'Usyk might make it tougher for Dubois this time, because he knows a little more about him. But honestly, I don't think Dubois was ever really in the first fight. There was the low blow – it landed on the shorts, the ref called it, and Usyk didn't rush to his feet. After that, he went through the gears and stopped Dubois with a jab. 'Usyk keeps giving you different looks. That's what makes him so elite – you can't switch off. You land once, he adjusts, and you're in trouble again. That's what elite level boxing is.' And if Dubois does pull it off? Groves said it could go down as one of the greatest British wins of all time. 'A fascinating question, that because we don't know what Usyk's got left. You can't quite put it in the same category as Ruiz vs Joshua, because Ruiz shouldn't have stood a chance. But if Dubois wins tonight, it might be one of the best wins by a British fighter in a very long time. 'To become undisputed champion in the heavyweight division – it'd be an incredible feat. Hard to think of a Brit who's got anywhere near that. And we wish him well.' Groves finished on a personal note, recalling Dubois' early days. 'He was down here at the Dale Youth Club when he was a kid, won a few titles for us. Even back then, you knew he was special. He's had a few wobbles, but he's come through it, and now he's fighting stadium fights back-to-back. This could be his biggest victory yet.'
The Independent
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Independent
Former champion explains what Daniel Dubois must do to reverse Oleksandr Usyk result
George Groves has said Daniel Dubois must 'start fast' against Oleksandr Usyk if he is to gain revenge on his rival on Saturday. When Dubois and Usyk square off at Wembley Stadium, undisputed status will be on the line, as the Ukrainian defends the unified heavyweight belts and the Briton defends the IBF title. The bout comes two years after Usyk, 38, stopped Dubois, 27, after climbing off the canvas following a controversial low blow. On that night in Poland, Dubois thought he had scored a knockdown of the unbeaten southpaw, only for his intended body shot to be ruled a low blow. • Usyk went on to stop Dubois in round nine, having outboxed 'Dynamite' for much of the contest, and former super-middleweight world champion Groves has some advice for the younger boxer. 'Dubois has got to start quick,' Groves said at a Midnite Q&A. 'He's got to be switched on mentally from the changing room and prepare himself to start fast. 'He wants to bring pressure, but educated pressure, and hopefully land something heavy and big on Usyk in those first few rounds.' Groves, 37, said it will be important for Dubois to strike 'before Usyk gets his rhythm set and his distance control set up'. 'But if he has success early, that's the best way to start against Usyk.' Since their first clash in 2023, Usyk has stayed unbeaten, outpointing Tyson Fury in May and December of last year. The former cruiserweight king's first win over Fury saw the Ukrainian crowned the first undisputed heavyweight champion in 24 years, as he spoiled the Briton's undefeated record. Meanwhile, Dubois has won all of his bouts since facing Usyk, stopping Jarrell Miller, Filip Hrgovic and Anthony Joshua. The latter victory, at Wembley Stadium in September, saw Dubois retain the IBF heavyweight title. He was elevated from interim champion to official champion between Usyk's two fights with Fury, as the Ukrainian vacated the regular belt. Dubois was due to defend the IBF title against Joseph Parker in February, but he withdrew on two days' notice due to illness. Parker went on to knock out Martin Bakole, while Dubois was soon paired with Usyk again.
The Sun
16-06-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
Anthony Joshua tipped to fight Tyson Fury in October as George Groves gives theory on why it hasn't been announced
GEORGE GROVES believes Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury are destined to fight in October - with a rematch following next year. The Battle of Britain is yet to commence with Fury having retired in January - for the FOURTH time in his career. 3 And the unpredictable Gypsy King has so far stuck to his word - but Groves theorises that he is just waiting for the right offer to come in. He told Sky Sports: "There must be a number that makes it worthwhile for both guys. "Maybe they're just waiting for that number. You don't need to announce that fight now if it's not happening till October. "That fight will be nailed on. He's had surgery, Joshua, and Fury's out running. I'm pretty sure they'll box in September, October, rematch next year." Joshua, 35, recently had surgery on his elbow and is yet to fight since being knocked out by Daniel Dubois, 27, in September. Fury, 36, meanwhile announced his retirement one month after rematch defeat to Oleksandr Usyk, 38. AJ's promoter Eddie Hearn revealed a return fight is targeted before focusing on a potential two-bout deal with Fury in 2026. But former super-middleweight champion Groves said: "If I was either guy, I'd just fight each other and that's it. I wouldn't bother with any other fights. "I'm sure the money's great and that but who's going to be paying through the nose for either guy to not fight each other? "Just save it now, fight each other with no more mileage on the clock, no more risks. Stuff goes wrong in camp or even on fight night. "Both have been beat. Fury hasn't won well for a long time. Just box each other." 3
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Sweatsuit Videos Raise Alarms: Was the Fight Doomed from the Start?
Sweatsuit Videos Raise Alarms: Was the Fight Doomed from the Start? originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Before their fight, Eubank Jr weighed 0.05lb over the 11st 6lb middleweight limit for their match with Benn and was fined £375,000 due to that discrepancy. Advertisement The 35-year-old shared his vicious weight cut on his social media account with the caption: "Pain is temporary... Glory is forever." He appeared drenched in sweat. Thereafter, he stripped his clothes off and put on a sauna and a sweatshirt, instigating concern from his supporters. Former world champion George Groves now contends that the fight would have been canceled. 'If he fights Canelo next, great, it's up at 168. He hasn't got a worry about cutting to 160. You don't have to put up the videos of him sweating out in the sauna suit, which you're not allowed to do. You can't do that, Eubank! The British Boxing Board of Control should have pulled the fight. They should have canceled that fight as soon as they saw that. It's against the rules, you can't post videos of you losing weight like that and still box. But there was too much money on the line. I guarantee if someone did that on the undercard, they would not be boxing that night,' said George Groves during an interview with Scottish boxer Josh Taylor initially called for Chris Eubank Jr.'s bout with Conor Benn to be annulled after footage of their weight cut surfaced. Advertisement 'I think it should be called off. Eubank looked terrible, and he had a rehydration clause chucked in there on top of that as well. I think this is potentially a very disastrous night for boxing waiting to happen. I desperately hope this is not the case,' posted Taylor on social media. Elsewhere, Chris Eubank (35-3, 25 KOs) and his archrival Conor Benn met in an electrifying showdown at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in April, with Eubank emerging victorious by unanimous decision. This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 12, 2025, where it first appeared.
The Independent
27-05-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Canelo vs Scull: Former world champions make their predictions for undisputed title fight
Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez will make his bid to become a two-time undisputed super middleweight champion on May 3 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - taking on the IBF champion William Scull live on DAZN PPV . What have some of boxing's most respected voices been saying about this fight in the build-up? Roy Jones Jr Roy Jones Jr appeared on the Ring Champs podcast and made his predictions for the undisputed clash this weekend. The former four-weight world champion foresaw that Scull, if he stays true to his Cuban heritage, could pose a threat to Canelo. 'We don't expect this guy to beat Canelo,' Jones Jr explained. '[But] who were the only two people to give Canelo a really hard time – Floyd Mayweather [Jr] who was a supreme boxer and Erislandy Lara who is a Cuban extreme boxer. "[ Cubans ] are mindful boxers, usually have very good feet and both caused Canelo the most problems in his career. If this guy has any boxing IQ and he has any kind of feet - this could be a rough night for Canelo, but if he doesn't then Canelo should walk through him' George Groves The former WBA super middleweight champion and one half of the legendary Froch-Groves rivalry did not see Scull as any competition for Alvarez. He cast him aside as a stepping stone for Canelo to reach a super fight with Terence Crawford and believed there were no fighters at super middleweight who could lay a glove on the Mexican. 'You go against Canelo at your peril,' Groves told CasinoBeats. 'Because he's been so dominant at super middleweight over the years. I can't see Crawford putting a dent in him. Obviously, he's got to get past Scull first, but I don't think he'll struggle to win that fight. But at super middleweight, I haven't seen anyone of late who I think is going to give him a run for his money.' Teddy Atlas Teddy Atlas is a well-known boxing trainer, most recognised for his work assisting Hall of Fame trainer Cus D'Amato in developing a young Mike Tyson and guiding Michael Moorer to the world heavyweight championship in 1994. Since retiring as a trainer, he has been an active voice in the boxing world and has weighed in on Canelo-Scull, believing that Canelo will win in whichever way he sees fit. 'Unless Canelo is mentally off,' Atlas explained on his YouTube channel The Fight with Teddy Atlas. 'I think this is the kind of night where he can write his own story and his own ending to the story. It's up to Canelo completely. I see what can be a very handy, if not easy win for Canelo.' Juan Manuel Marquez As a compatriot to Canelo, it is unsurprising that Juan Manuel Marquez should show strong support for the unified super-middleweight champion. This is exactly what the former four-weight world champion did when asked about Scull's chances in the fight. Marquez dismissed Scull. 'William Scull is nobody," Marquez told ES NEWS. "He is nobody in the sport of boxing – He's the IBF champion but do you know William Scull? I don't know William Scull.' Watch the very best boxing with a DAZN subscription DAZN is the home of combat sports, broadcasting over 185 fights a year from the world's best promoters, including Matchroom, Queensberry, Golden Boy, Misfits, PFL, BKFC, GLORY and more. An Annual Saver subscription is a one-off cost of £119.99 / $224.99 (for 12 months access), that's just 64p / $1.21 per fight. There is also a Monthly Flex Pass option (cancel any time) at £24.99 / $29.99 per month. A subscription includes weekly magazine shows, comprehensive fight library, exclusive interviews, behind-the-scenes documentaries, and podcasts and vodcasts.
