Injury blow for Groves

George Groves has been forced out of his December date in Liverpool - leaving arch rival James DeGale as the headline act.

George Groves has been forced out of his December date in Liverpool - leaving arch rival James DeGale as the headline act. The British and Commonwealth super-middleweight champion, who won their showdown in May, picked up an injury and had no choice but to pull out of the Echo Arena card on December 9th. It means DeGale will top the bill as he defends is WBO Inter-Continental Super-Middleweight belt against Spain's Jose Maria Guerrero. Groves has a badly bruised knuckle and has been told not to punch for two weeks as a precaution. "I'm really gutted as I was coming along nicely in training and on course for the fight in a couple of weeks' time," he said. "The injury is a setback and I really wanted to end the year with four good wins. "I'm sorry that my fans won't be able to see me in action, but I'll be back early next year and ready to kick of 2012 with bang as I continue towards further titles."

Disappointed

The injury has denied Groves the chance to end a stellar year in which he has beaten DeGale and Paul Smith and was named the British Boxing Writers' Young Fighter of the Year. He is expected to return early in 2012 with manager and trainer Adam Booth admitting it was not worth the risk to fight on the Liverpool bill. "Obviously we are all disappointed as George was looking forward to getting back into the ring again so quickly after his great win over Paul Smith," he said. "At this stage of George's career it would be crazy to compromise him and carry an injury of that nature into the fight. He's been advised to rest it for now."