Martin Murray and George Groves ready for 'final chance of glory'
Tuesday 24 May 2016 18:14, UK
George Groves says neither he nor Martin Murray can afford to lose their all-British title fight next month.
The super-middleweight pair square off in an eliminator for the WBA international title at the O2 Arena on the Sky Sports Box Office card which features Anthony Joshua's first IBF heavyweight title defence, against Dominic Breazeale.
Groves accepts it is a contest that could shape both men's future and, having lost three of his past six fights, the 28-year-old has made adjustments to his training schedule to ensure he follows up his recent wins over Andrea Di Luisa and David Brophy with another success.
"In boxing a loss can set you back a long way so I don't think either of us can afford to lose this fight," he told Sky Sports News HQ.
"Both of us can say we've been unlucky at times but I feel I'm coming to my peak now, to my very best.
"I think I've made a lot of improvements; at the start of my career I was known for being a powerful and explosive fighter and after moving up to world-title level it's been more about endurance and stamina.
"I've had some gruelling 12-round fights and, working with Shane McGuigan, we're working on going through the gears.
"I'm fully capable of fighting at a high-intensity level for 12 rounds."
Murray has described the contest as a "final chance of glory" for them both and predicted it could turn out to be a classic.
"I know I'm good enough to become world champion, George feels he is good enough as well, and we are both prepared," he said.
"We are both at that stage in our careers where we are willing to put it on the line to get that final chance of glory.
"George is a world-class fighter and an intelligent fighter like myself. This has got all the ingredients to be a classic."
