IN part three of Adam Booth’s Groves vs. Eubank Jr breakdown, the pair’s former trainer assesses the punch power of George Groves and also explains why ‘The Saint’ will have been more affected by recent ring tragedy than Chris Eubank Jr.
Question: How will George Groves and Chris Eubank Jr deal with the recent injuries to their opponents (Nick Blackwell andEduard Gutknecht)?
Adam Booth: “It will have affected George more. I think George has obviously had to deal with it. I don’t think Eubank has had to deal with it.”
Q: Could this fight on Saturday (February 17) be a potentially brutal affair?
AB: “If it goes past the fourth round, yes.”
Q: If it ends early, will it be Groves walking away with the victory?
AB: “George is heavy-handed enough to stop any super-middleweight early. And although Junior is not the most polished, he improvises with his defence. If that improvisation doesn’t work and George is able to stand him upright, that is where he controls the fight. Also, up close George is plenty strong enough to manhandle Eubank.
“But, again, emotional composure comes into play. While George works that jab and uses that high energy to stay at long range, he will know the energy of the man in front of him, and will know that if he doesn’t get rid of him or can’t hurt him, he’s in for a long, hard night.”
Q: Does Eubank Jr have the power to end the fight early in his favour?
AB: “I think for Eubank to win the fight early he would have to get George trading up with him. If George keeps to his boxing and keeps it simple, Junior doesn’t have the power to get rid of him from that position. George, though, can get rid of someone from a measured position.”
Part 4 of Adam Booth’s Groves vs. Eubank Jr breakdown will be published online tomorrow, while the full interview can be read in this week’s magazine (digital: February 13, print: February 15).
