George Groves eyes Badou Jack win on Mayweather uncard
Wednesday 9 September 2015 16:05, UK
George Groves says he holds no fear going into his WBC super-middleweight title bout with Badou Jack and insists that beating a Floyd Mayweather fighter in Las Vegas will make victory all the sweeter.
The 27-year-old is looking to become a world champion on the Mayweather v Andre Berto undercard on September 12 at the MGM Grand and has labelled his next opponent as "just another fighter".
Groves (21-2-KO16) has been training for two months in Big Bear in California ahead of the bout and said he is looking forward to returning to fight in Vegas after his time there as a young amateur. He is determined to spoil the party for Jack (19-1-1 KO12), who is part of the Mayweather stable.
"Boxing in Vegas is always exciting," Groves said. "I boxed out there as an amateur and a professional - always successfully. Plus this time obviously [there is] a substantial belt on the line. So I'm extremely excited. When you're a kid you dream about boxing and headlining.
"One of those feats is to fight for a world title in Vegas. Now I have a chance to fulfil that. Boxing in Mayweather's hometown isn't a problem, it makes sense. Just another fighter.
"There are no fighters I'd never do business. I do not mind who it is. It could be anyone in the world. I'm sure I'll beat anyone in the world the way I'm training while performing right now. So it's going to be even sweeter that it is on a Floyd boy."
However, as excited as Groves is to be back in Vegas fighting a Mayweather opponent on the pound-for-pound king's last scheduled bout, he insisted it could not compare to his Wembley showdown with Carl Froch.
Groves lost back-to-back bouts with the now-retired Froch, including an 80,000 sell-out fight in London, and insisted that his upcoming contest could not compare.
"Magnitude, no, of course not," Groves said. "No disrespect to Floyd. No disrespect to Mayweather Promotions. Even Floyd would say that it's not his biggest fight.
"So, Badou's a big fight. It's a fight for me, fighting for the world title, whether undercard or not, in Las Vegas is what people all around the world dream of.
"It's exciting for me. I've been spoiled. I've experienced a lot. I've been able to take part in a lot of boxing. We hope many more from the future. But, yes. From now on in I'm just going to play this one down. This is just a fight."
Groves' preparation for this fight has been in stark contrast to the build-up before both contests with Froch, and he has enjoyed the near-anonymity of training in California.
He has been preparing at Abel Sanchez's gym and, although he has not trained with Gennady Golovkin, he said it was nice to be in a gym 'full of winners and champions'.
Groves said: "I was the only one selling the show [with Froch], so it was my job to make sure there's interesting news happening on a daily basis, weekly basis. People want to talk to you about it.
"It's not just for a list, or for the media or TV. It's the average guy on the street. I've been recognized once since I've been in Big Bear, which is fantastic for me. I usually can't make it out the door without someone wanting to talk to me about something.
"So it's nice to finish a session. Go and get your head down, relax, rest, do nothing. And again, I'm going to do your next session. This is a luxury I can't afford in London now.
"We've left no stone unturned. I'm in great shape and I feel up to beating anyone in the world right now, so it doesn't matter who it is. Unfortunately for Badou, it's him. He's in my way."
Jack, 31, said he was happy with his perceived role of the underdog and insisted that his defence would be a huge weapon on fight night.
"I like it. I like it," Jack said. "I was the underdog before [when he won the title against Anthony Dirrell] and changed the role as well. We saw what happened in there? It's less pressure. So I like it. I think I'm a better technical fighter. A better, smarter fighter.
"But the name of the game is hit, and don't get hit. And I definitely got better defence so it's a 50-50 fight and I think that's where you don't know who's going to win. That's what makes it so exciting. So I think I'm the best fighter and I'm 110 per cent confident that we're going to win this fight."
