George Groves outclasses Chris Eubank Jr on points to reach tournament final

WBA super-middleweight champion George Groves comprehensively outboxed British rival Chris Eubank Jr to progress to the World Boxing Super Series final on Saturday night in Manchester.

The fight began at a slower pace than many predicted as Groves controlled the opening rounds with his jab and kept his opponent at bay.

Eubank Jr, who was expected to start fast, struggled to negotiate Groves’ crafty boxing ability early on and was cut by an accidental head clash in the third.

The Brighton man showed plenty of grit and determination by fighting on despite the handicap, but was ultimately made to look like a wild novice at times as he swung for the fences in the middle rounds.

The longer the fight went on, the more desperate Eubank Jr became while Groves extended his lead, boxing comfortably at range.

In the twelfth and final round, the 29-year-old dislocated his shoulder and finally appeared hurt by his younger adversary’s pressure. However he saw the fight out and claimed his deserved points victory - 117:112, 116:112, 115:113.

The build-up didn’t see much bitterness between the two competitors, so George Groves' comments after the final bell were no surprise.

“Well done to Chris Eubank,” he said. “He didn’t lie when he said he was gonna grit it out tonight.

“I dropped him at least once but it didn’t count. I’m very, very happy with the performance."

When asked about his injury, the WBA champion responded: “I haven’t diagnosed it yet, but it feels pretty sore. I wasn’t gonna let anything beat me tonight. It was about who wanted it most I think. I obviously wanted it most.”

In contrast, Chris Eubank Jr's comments were a shock to listeners.

“I thought it was close," he stated. "I thought I did enough in the later rounds to win the fight, but it was a close fight.”

His father, Chris Eubank Sr, reacted by declaring: “I am stunned. He [Groves] boxed beautifully I can’t take anything away from him there.

“He [Eubank Jr] left it far too late, he should’ve fought like that from the first round. What now? We go on and we get stronger and we get better and we never stop.”

Earlier in the night, Tommy Langford defended his British middleweight title with a points win over Jack Arnfield while Ryan Walsh retained his Lonsdale belt after drawing with Isaac Lowe.

Zach Parker, Simon Vallily and Sebastian Eubank (brother of Chris Jr) also triumphed on the undercard.