Monday 15 February 2016 10:14, UK
George Groves' appeal against Callum Smith's WBC title eliminator bout with Hadillah Mohoumadi on April 2 has been rejected.
Unbeaten Smith (18-0-KO13) will take on France-based Mohoumadi (20-3-1-KO15) for the super-middleweight title at Liverpool's Echo Arena for the right to face champion Badou Jack.
Groves and his promoters Team Sauerland lodged an appeal with the WBC to prevent the bout being sanctioned as a final title eliminator on the basis the fight features the organisation's number one ranked contender in Smith facing off against Mohoumadi, who is ranked number six.
Three-time world title challenger Groves attempted to prevent the winner getting a title shot because he is ranked second but the WBC rejected his appeal.
Eddie Hearn, Smith's promoter said: "As predicted, the WBC have rejected the George Groves and Sauerland protest to stop the final eliminator between Callum Smith and Mohoumaddi.
"We have called the Groves fight out for some time and it was continually scoffed at by him and his team.
"Now we are one fight away from Badou Jack and the WBC title, Callum has the biggest test of his career on April 2 but I believe this young man has everything needed to become a world champion in one of boxing's hotter divisions."
Groves called out Smith following his stoppage win over Italian Andrea Di Luisa last month but the 25-year-old Liverpool product is not interested now that he has surpassed him in the pecking order - as his brother Paul explained in a column for Sky Sports earlier this month.
Paul Smith wrote: "There was no point calling out Callum Smith out, even before the fight with Hadillah Mohoumadi was officially confirmed. In my opinion the only reason why Groves wants it is because Callum's now the number one challenger in the WBC."
