AHEAD of their February 17 WBA super-middleweight title fight at the Manchester Arena, challenger Chris Eubank Jr insisted that champion George Groves was nervous.
“I would be if I was George. In the press conference that was the vibe I got. He didn’t seem confident. He didn’t have any type of aura that I could detect that he was confident. Maybe he is just a great actor,” Eubank said.
Groves has criticised Eubank and particularly his father, Chris Eubank Senior, for his pre-fight comments. Junior dismissed such jibes. “I don’t need to pay attention to any of that. All I’m focusing on is what I need to do to win. I’m not focusing on what my father is saying, what George is saying. George seems to very focused on our relationship. He talks about things that have no relevance to the fight and what will happen on the night. Which is great, it’s great for me to hear that he is saying these things. It means he is not focused, he is filling his mind with things that are not going to help him survive. That is what it is going to be. It’s going to be George Groves not trying to get knocked out for 12 rounds,” Eubank said.
There will be great attention on the fight’s referee, as Eubank’s father is publicly discussing his son pushing for a stoppage. “The referee will do his job. If George is getting hurt the ref will stop the fight or Shane [McGuigan, his trainer] will throw the towel in. George is a fighter, we are all fighters. Our job is to protect ourselves,” Junior reflected.
“I don’t know. I’m not the referee. I want to win by any means necessary within the rules of boxing. If the ref stops the fight, he stops the fight. It’s not my decision. It’s my job to go in there and rip that title away from George Groves.”
The Groves vs. Eubank Jr Ali Trophy semi-final on 17th February is LIVE on ITV Box Office. It is available to buy NOW for £16.95.
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