George Groves

Just watching it myself.

From a mentality aspect i believe Groves thinks he's better then what he is. Obviously you need belief but dunno if his belief is realistic or he's a bit ''gassed up'' as DeGale says.

Not to sure about all this KO talk he's no Julian Jackson nor is DeGale though in saying that. His defence is poor and he struggles to maintain range and i'm not sure how he's going to handle DeGale if James chooses to walk forward and close the range down and land his looping shots. He seems to unravel very quickly and although he showed massive heart he seems to have more flaws then strengths.

His footwork isn't good and he also throws punches in terrible positions that leave him square and with chin in the air.

Groves seemed wary of Anderson's power and straight forward aggression.

I see DeGale winning personally.

 

even tho im a fan of haye an the hayemaker camp i give groves no chance...

he will be ok at domestic level but at world class he will be well short....

de gale to win by either tko or ko.

de gale is way too good for groves.

 

For me just watching this...Groves doesn't understand when and how to use his defence. He just does the moves and at times it works and at times he gets hit by shots that if he was looking and thinking would of been able to stop it.

Watt ''He has a lot of developing to do..''

 

watching this fight does make him the underdog. His come back and finnish against anderson was very good.

 

I think he can. Degales never been hit back yet has he

 

I think we could get a war. Degale will go for the KO like he said, and whilst Groves is wide open at times he also has good heart, even when he is hurt he is swinging so there's a chance he catches Degale big when he himself is hurt.

Degale by TKO, KO for me though.

 

I think that could be a major issue when he fights De Gale, particularly if De Gale manages to back him up, cause De Gale will stalk him off the front foot imo, he will then either try to counter punch Groves as he leaps in and out with his attacks, or he will try and stalk/maneuver Groves into areas where he can bang him, and if he's cutting the ring off, Groves footwork could be exploited imo.

Groves fights on nervous energy when he's under pressure imo, when has to move quickly, he almost skips in and out like a rabbit caught in the head lights, I think you saw some of that in their amateur fight, and I think that could be a big problem if De Gale manages to back him up, cause De Gale had a lot of success when he backed Smith up, as Smith legs weren't good enough to navigate his way around the ring, and NOT eventually get himself trapped, Smith allowed De Gale to maneuver him into vulnerable areas of the ring, where by De Gale could then step in with his aggression.

Groves footwork, AND dropping his hands, just exasperates the situation defensively imo.

 

It's not a good idea to judge George Groves from that fight. He was terribly unprepared for it.

You've got to remember it was the same night as Haye-Harrison, where Haye was always going to win easily. George Groves, from the same camp, could be forgiven for looking past his own fight and taking in the event a little too much.

Also, Kenny Anderson was a quite last replacement.

Finally, Groves was awful that night, and still won (although the stoppage was wrong in my view). No way he'll be that bad against DeGale.

 

He's a weird fighter, its hard to really say what he's all about. He's like David Haye but with poor movement, defence and more activity. And obviously not the same athlete and as powerful.

But he has some good things, he's pretty fast handed and punches well to head and body and has good desire.

I think he'll do okay but basically he's not going to KO DeGale. He's not got the power, and the inside track is DeGale has a good chin. He's going to be under a lot of pressure as the fight progresses.

 

Yeah I to think he has underrated speed, that might help him get off first against De Gale whilst De Gale is waiting on his counters, Groves will have to make sure he feints De Gale out before he attacks though, as though to offset De Gale's timing(his counters), that we he could land himself inside, as De Gale does not use the jab to control and dictate distance, he likes to invite you in so he can counter.

I think Groves can have success doing the above, but he has to make sure he doesn't allow De Gale to back him up imo, that he can sustain a the kind of tempo he's gonna need to fight at to force De Gale outta his rhythm

 

I agree to some extent Roe but he wasn't facing a box of tricks in Anderson. Anderson was doing heavy sparring with Froch but wasn't fit for 12 rounds. Groves was due to face Obede Toney two weeks prior and i can totally get what you mean but it's his technique or lack of it that's the man issue. He's been hit before and even in his last bout he got tagged a few times by silly shots.

 

theres a reason for that.....

he's quick to get out the way.

watch his shoulder blocking.

 

Groves throws alot of wide punches, brings his body forward with them which leaves him square and ripe for a swipe.

Degale is too slick, too good of a straight puncher, and I fancy him to take Groves out at some stage late in the fight.

 

Is DeGale a great straight puncher? Neither of these strike me as having the most picture perfect technique.

DeGale's still very 'round house' if we're being kind. If we're not we might say 50% of his punches are of the slapping variety.

Groves has one of the weirdest right hands I've seen in a while as well.