George Groves should hire Rob McCracken as his new coach, says Jamie Moore
Thursday 8 October 2015 12:28, UK
Jamie Moore discusses George Groves' search for a new trainer, Liam Smith's world title tilt and Manny Pacquiao's future...
George Groves is looking for a new trainer. Who would you go with if you were him and are you a live outsider?
Jamie says: I wouldn't say I'm a live outsider. I think the commute to Manchester would be a bit much for him!
He might have hit the nail on the head with Rob McCracken. I think that's a good shout. In the past we've seen fighters join up with trainers who've trained other fighters to beat them and it's worked out well. They've done their homework and know the fighters better than they know themselves sometimes.
I don't know what the situation with Carl Froch is at the minute as to whether he'll box again but if he doesn't, there's a slight chance Groves could go to McCracken. If Froch is content with his career and is going to walk away, then from McCracken's point of view it's a great opportunity to make another statement.
Gabriel Sanchez is another good shout if Groves wants to go abroad and freshen it up.
Is Liam Smith going to be the first in his family to be a world champion?
Yes. I can see it. He's definitely the quietest out of them all but he could be the most effective - certainly on the inside. He's such a good pressure fighter and on Saturday night I think he'll be the first Smith brother to be crowned world champion.
If he fights to his potential then it's going to take a hell of a fighter to stop him at light-middleweight because he's so strong on the front foot. He's a bit different from the other three in that he's got quite a Mexican style - he comes forward quite a lot and likes to walk his opponent down with a nice jab and tight guard. He likes to get inside and work you to the head and body.
They've all got contrasting styles but aren't one-trick ponies. It's a good blend.
Manny Pacquiao looks like he's heading in to politics full time but is set for one more fight first. Who do you expect that to be against?
If he's moving in to politics, he's got many more fights on his hands!
In the ring, I think the Amir Khan fight makes the most sense for him if he's going to have one more before he calls it a day. Financially, that makes sense for them both and they're ex-gym mates with their own ideas about how the fight would go.
Amir has been looking for that big fight at elite level for some time now and I think he could get Pacquiao at the right time. Style-wise, Amir is similar to Floyd Mayweather Jr in terms of hand speed and lateral movement. Amir will watch Mayweather v Pacquiao and think he can emulate it. Pacquiao didn't have much success in that fight - the majority of that fight was controlled by Mayweather and Amir will think he can do the same thing.
Does Martin Murray have what it takes to dethrone Arthur Abraham?
Yes, definitely. I think Murray is all wrong for Abraham. Even though he's just come up from middleweight, Murray is big - he's naturally bigger than Abraham was when he first moved up from middleweight to super-middleweight and that could prove key.
Style-wise, I don't think Murray is right for Abraham, either. Murray is tall and strong with a good jab. He can also fight on the inside and I think whatever Abraham will do to try and overcome that will be nullified by Murray.
If you can get through 11 rounds with Golovkin, who's a tremendous pressure fighter and has unbelievable power and accuracy, then I don't think you'll have any problem getting through anything Abraham is going to put on him. Plus, I expect Murray to be in even better shape than he was against Golovkin. I think he's on to a winner and will beat Abraham on points.
Chris 'English' Eubank said bad language from boxers and boxing journalists is damaging the sport. Do you agree?
He has got a point, actually. I don't always agree with him but I get that. Certainly from a father's point of view when your kids are looking at the media, you tend to notice these things a bit more.
I can't call anyone out on it, though. I'm the worst when it comes to swearing. I blame my Dad! And I blame boxing, the media and everyone else... but at the end of the day, it's my fault.
If it was a bit more controlled, it might be better because it can be a bad influence and I actually think 'English' has a point with what he's saying.
