George Groves will defend his Commonwealth title against unbeaten Kenny Anderson on the Best of Enemies bill.
'Saint' is on MEN bill - and collision course with old enemy DeGale
Georges Groves has been added to the Best of Enemies bill.
The Commonwealth super-middleweight champion will defend his title against unbeaten Scotsman, Kenny Anderson, live on
Sky Box Office and in 3D on November 13.
The bout has also been confirmed as an eliminator for the British belt, which will be on the line when his bitter rival James DeGale challenges Paul Smith in Liverpool four weeks later.
The double boost comes days after Groves' first defence and first headline fight was cancelled at the last minute due to initial opponent James Obede Toney's eye problems.
And the Saint is not only relieved to be back in action so soon, but delighted he is now on a direct collision cause with DeGale. The pair have been enemies since their days as amateurs and both fighters' promoters tried in vain to entice the other into the ring only last month.
But now Groves knows if he comes through Anderson and DeGale takes the British title off Smith, the fight British boxing wants to see will happen.
"It's going to be a defence of my Commonwealth title which I'm happy about and also, more importantly, it's going to be a final eliminator for the British title as well," he told his own website,
georgegroves.com.
"Everyone's heard me moaning and whining about not being in the mix for the British title but now we've well and truly wedged our way in. So, providing I deliver the goods against Anderson, I'll be fighting the winner of that British title fight at the end of the year.
Ecstatic
"I'm so lucky to be boxing at the MEN Arena again, with it sold out. Last time when I got in the ring, there must have been a good 15,000 people in there and the reception was ecstatic.
"If I can get anything like that again, this is what you live for in boxing, it's what you work hard for. I'm just chuffed."
Anderson is a 2006 Commonwealth Games gold medalist and unbeaten in his first 12 pro fights, eight of them ending early.
The Edinburgh 27-year-old was one of two fighters Hayemaker turned to when Toney was ruled out 48 hours before Groves was due to top the bill at the York Hall.
He declined the offer as he was was scheduled to face former British champion Tony Quigley, but that has been put on the back burner so he can resume rivalries with a man he knows well. Anderson was one of Groves' sparring partners in the summer ahead of his American debut and is widely believed to have been the one on the receiving end.
"He's mentioned the sparring saying we took this fight off the back of that sparring but we were talking about the fight long before we even sparred," said Groves.
"That sparring we did, I know Kenny wasn't fit for it, and I was only two weeks into my preparations.
"He looked like he was holding back and I was working on different techniques so I don't read too much into the sparring. He better expect a lot better George Groves by the time we fight."
