George Groves Announces Retirement

[smashup]

Ward has rightly just made Froch look a fool on twitter....

https://talksport.com/sport/boxing/4...es-retirement/

[Master]

George Groves was the most idiosyncratic of world champions and will be missed in retirement... you suspect deep down Carl Froch will miss him, too

George Groves was in forgiving mood on the first official day of his retirement.

Saint by nickname and Saint by nature, Groves smiled back on his arch rivalries with Carl Froch and James DeGale.

Thirty is an early age to mellow but even Froch's little jibe about how he and boxing would not miss him failed to provoke even a hint of angst in Groves.

Mild irony was as spicy as it got, Groves thanking US legend Andre Ward for 'coming to my defence' on Twitter.

'Froch is an intelligent man,' he added. 'He apologised after taking a lot of stick for saying that. But he knows he was the one who beat me twice, second time with that spectacular knock out in front of 80,000 at Wembley, and walked away with the world championship belts.

'And, yes, he was the best boxer I fought.' So, better than Callum Smith who relieved him of the WBA world title, with which he had gone on to crown his career, in what has turned out to be his last fight?

Yes, partly because Groves knew even before they made that trek into the Saudi Arabian desert last September that the World Series tournament final would be his last fight.

The Saint's fighting heart was no longer fully in it, nor his partially repaired shoulder although he refused to blame the injury for that final stoppage.

'Callum was the better man and deserved to win, ' he said. 'All credit to him for beating me when I really wanted to go out in glory with victory and as world champion.'*

Not until this week did Groves make it official but now he reveals: 'I was always going to retire after that fight, win, lose or draw.'*
A number of factors played into that decision. Not least the brain injury sustained by Edouard Gutknecht in the fight before Groves best Fedor Chudinov to win his WBA super middleweight title.

'The desire was gone after that,' he says. 'After that I only took the few nights necessary to fulfill my ambitions and make my money - before stepping down to spend some of my better years with my wife and two sons as a young man still relatively undamaged.'*

Froch better, too, than DeGale? Yes again. Not only because he beat him but because Groves acknowledges Chunky's Olympic gold talent.
'He's very good,' says Groves. 'Even though he's such a nightmare to deal with that when I thought we had once come to terms for a fight when we bumped into each other at Westfield he wrecked it by trying to change it all next day.'*

That rematch will never happen now, even though there had been speculation Groves would grant the chance of revenge if DeGale wins his upcoming fight against Chris Eubank Jr.

A little more gentle irony from the Saint as he says: 'I will never come back now even though we could both make a lot more money. I don't need it and it makes me smile that he won't be getting it either before he retires.

'But there will be no problem when I bump into him and Froch at ringsides in the future.'*

So what will George do next? 'I want to see if I can be great at something else,' he says. 'Maybe I can be as good at managing young boxers as I was at managing my own career.

He is also branching out into broadcast commentary and motivational speaking.

He says: 'I want to stay around boxing. But the only thing I will miss about being a fighter is the camaraderie in the gym.'*

As for boxing and those of us who charted his noble career, we will miss one of the most idiosyncratic of world champions.
And I suspect that deep down Carl Froch will miss him, too.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/boxi...cid=spartanntp

[Master]

George Groves is relishing the thought of walking into retirement after denying his rival James DeGale a payday that could leave him “demoralised and flattened”.

The 30-year-old former WBA super-middleweight champion announced his retirement on Monday.

Groves had long been expected to fight DeGale, who he outpointed in 2011, in a lucrative rematch should his rival defeat Chris Eubank Jnr next month.

He will instead experiment in motivational speaking, move on to managing fighters through London’s Wasserman agency, and work as a ringside analyst for ITV for what could therefore prove DeGale’s final fight.

Groves was stopped by Callum Smith in September having fought his way to the final of the World Boxing Super Series in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, surrendering the world title he so memorably won at the fourth attempt, having also headlined in front of a near-80,000-strong crowd at Wembley.

Carl Froch, who he lost to that night, remains critical of him but it is DeGale who has been Groves’ long-term rival, and he said: “He has taken the Eubank fight thinking he can fight me next and he can’t, that ship has sailed.

“I’m happy to miss out on the payday, as long as he loses it as well.

“Ideally this flattens him and demoralises him for a couple of weeks, if that was his agenda. James is thick-skinned and has been through as much or more as me. But he’s totally deluded and that helps.

“He still has a job to do and it depends how seriously he takes Eubank Jnr. If he is not focused then he might fall off the rails.”

Groves, who on the whole impressively pursued his career without the guidance of a major promoter, described himself as “fat and out of shape”, but it is the deeper scar of his fight with Eduard Gutknecht, left disabled, that influenced him more than that or his previously dislocated shoulder ever could.

“After that fight I knew my days were numbered and I was going to stay in the sport for as long as was necessary,” he said, amid plans to spend more time with wife Sophie and sons Teddy and Albie. “Straight after that I got the Fedor Chudinov (world-title) fight.

“I ticked one box which was to win a world title and the next was to leave the sport with some money. I signed for the tournament and earned good money and that was enough for me.

“I’ve achieved what I set out to achieve and I’m ready to call it a day. I was in great, great condition for the Eubank fight, nowhere near as good condition for the Smith fight and I’m not sure how long it would take to get back into the shape I was in for the Eubank fight. I don’t need it, or particularly want it that much.

“Boxing became harder and harder, maybe (through) motivation and balancing my home and gym life. It ran its course.

“I’m not coming out of retirement. Not until 2025 when I’ll come back at heavyweight!”

https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/news/ret...223044192.html

[X]

Good fighter, trained hard and maximised his talent.

An articulate guy, who was brilliant at getting under his opponents' skin. The psychology job he did on Froch and de Gale was superb textbook stuff. He also totally outclassed the much hyped Eubank Jnr.

Very good jab, solid solid right hand. Good chin until he somehow always gassed out early. Not sure why.

What happened with poor Gutnecht was terrible and it must have affected him deeply.

Well done on a great career, George, and all the best for retirement.

[Dark Lord Al]

Really did very well and deserves his retirement.

[yance24]

George Groves has announced his retirement

Great boxer.............

[Primo Carnera]

George Groves has announced his retirement

Great boxer.............

Bit harsh banning him for the above comment??

[Master]

George Groves has announced his retirement

Great boxer.............

Bit harsh banning him for the above comment??

I thought it was PK.

[Batman]

George Groves has announced his retirement

Great boxer.............

Bit harsh banning him for the above comment??

I thought it was PK.

Long live Paul Kevin

[Dark Lord Al]

PK Good old Dildo Faggins.

[Primo Carnera]

George Groves has announced his retirement

Great boxer.............

Bit harsh banning him for the above comment??

I thought it was PK.

Trigger happy.

[Master]

George Groves has announced his retirement

Great boxer.............

Bit harsh banning him for the above comment??

I thought it was PK.

Trigger happy.

You can never be too careful.