Has your opinion of Callum Smith changed after beating Groves?

Big shout out to Moog, scissors, twenty-man ...three of the better posters on here. ..yehad a great result with Mundo this weekend .....yere flexibly-challenged hero came through for ye. Fair dues.

 

I'd forgotten that. Barry was our best. super fighter. great bodypuncher.

 

Hmm...I’m not convinced...

I had Groves ahead up until the stoppage, albeit he was expending far more energy and looking tired.

His main attributes are his size and strength. He doesn’t waste many shots and is a good finisher but he gets out worked as a result of the former.

He’s a pretty straightforward fighter and I think Groves vulnerability and fitness played into his hands.

He’s beaten a very good fighter ultimately but it wasn’t a dominant performance from round 1.

If he’s in with a good boxer who doesn’t tire and become more vulnerable then he’ll get beaten on points imo.

Good but not completely sold.

Maybe I’m being harsh, I rate Groves and would like to see him move up. Groves does have a fantastic jab and was having to work really hard to edge Smith until he was taken out...

 

He's gone way up in my eyes. I always felt he was technically decent, but I felt at a certain level he would come unstuck but he did the opposite, he excelled. I thought he boxed an outstanding fight, and it was clear he and Joe Gallagher really do their homework. Excellent performance against a world level SMW.

 

I haven't seen the fight but groves look beaten up at the end of it.

 

I wouldn't like to see George up with the elite of 175ib division as I think he would get hurt. He should retire or stay at 168ib and still be a top 2-4 fighter in the division, no shame in that. I dont think he would be a top 2-4 fighter at LHW.

 

I don't think your being harsh, I do think people are getting all giddy over his victory because he won by KO though. I rate Groves also, thought he'd probably win on points or a Smith stoppage if he was to win but not on points. Think people are over looking the fact Smith was starting to lose rounds.

Im not sure Groves was the best in the division, you can't deny he hasnt fought a genuine sized SMW since Badou Jack. However given his run and the fact he was in the tournament, on paper it can't be disputed and Smith beat him, so he is now the defacto number 1 so congrats to him.

I think Smith is good but he doesn't change it up enough for me, he does the same things over and over. If he does get beat I think it will look like what's now acustomed as a Gallagher-esque loss - lack of diversity. I think when someone exploits that, that's when he will lose but it will take a skilful boxer to do it.

He carries good power it would seem all the way through a fight though and he is a class finisher, great instinct.

 

In fairness Smith changed it up in this fight. He was less attack minded, his defence was tighter, he caught and countered, when he is normally on front foot 95% of the time. He was also more disciplined when he attacked, so that mixed it up from his normal strategy. I thought Joe G gave him terrific tactics.

 

Yep, better than I thought. Certainly more powerful and with better punch resistance anyway. I still don't think he's a great 'boxer' but he does use his range very well. I'd like to see him in with Zurdo, that's as good a fight as you'll get at 168 currently.

 

my opinion has definitely changed. i was a HUGE fan but felt since the fielding and Mohoumadi fights, he'd massively stagnated, wasn't improving and hasn't looked the best in the WBSS. But he was brilliant on friday night, thought he completely rose to the occasion and put on a really composed performance against the consensus number 1 in the division. The counter left hook and the way he hunted Groves after was reminiscent of the Maohoumadi TKO, and the way he finished Groves with the body shot was great.