The former super-middleweight world champion picks Jake Paul’s next opponent and previews Darren Till v Tommy Fury.
George Groves has cast doubt over Carl Froch’s ability to beat Jake Paul after the pair exchanged words on social media.
Froch claimed he could beat the YouTube star “with one arm behind my back”, but Groves believes Paul’s size would make him a tricky opponent for the retired former world champion.
In our exclusive intervier, Groves – himself a former super-middleweight world champion – also looks ahead to some of the biggest upcoming fights in the boxing betting, including a potential meeting between Paul and Canelo Alvarez and Tyson Fury’s rematch against heavyweight king Oleksandr Usyk.
Jake Paul is on a lot of fighters’ lips, who is the best next opponent for him?
Everyone’s crying out for a fight, aren’t they? Tony Bellew was out there, and he wasn’t just there for the gag. He was there and he wanted to throw his name in the hat. He’s obviously got a big profile from being in the Rocky movies and being in the jungle, so maybe he thinks he’s in there with a chance. My old mate Froch, he’s got a reaction out of Paul.
Carl Froch is a hall of famer, why is he calling out Jake Paul? Then he retracts it and says ‘it will be for charity’. Let’s do that then, Carl. Let’s put that money out there for charity. Or just offer to spar him behind closed doors for no money, for your YouTube channel, I think that’ll do great numbers. Same for Bellew, same for the rest of them. But I don’t think it will be as easy as Froch thinks. Jake is quite a big geezer, Froch will be giving away a lot of size and weight. He probably won’t be able to run through him like he thinks.
Andre Ward was part of the broadcast for Netflix. Kate Abdo was trying to coax it out of him, but he didn’t quite have the nuts to say, “How about me?” But he sort of alluded to it. I don’t really like any of it. Come on, guys. I get it, but we really need to distinguish that this is not boxing. This is entertainment. It’s purely entertainment. I never grew up a big fan of the WWE. This is the same, it’s only there for entertainment.
Jake Paul will take the Canelo fight to get KO’d
Canelo is Everest. You climb it, but you’ve got to be good. You’ve got to prepare for it, you might do it, but if you don’t you die on the mountain. Jake Paul is more like running up Primrose Hill, a small hill In London. You don’t need to train to run up Promise Hill. That’s the difference between the two. But if there’s money there, Jake Paul takes it. I don’t think it hurts his brand to get beat by Canelo, because people move on so quickly. And if he doesn’t get knocked out, or it lasts five rounds, he probably comes out with more stock than what he went in with. So I can’t see how he would not want to do it. I’d prefer him to box a current fighter because he’s in his twenties and physically fit. Canelo is about the right size. I think the Canelo fight works, I think Jake Paul takes it and gets knocked out.
My local lad Lucas Roehrig would smash Jake Paul
I’ve got a lad who is a cruiserweight, his name is Lucas Roehrig. He hasn’t had his professional debut yet, and he would knock Jake Paul out in less than three rounds. He’s come off the GB squad, so he has pedigree that Jake Paul doesn’t, he hasn’t had his pro debut yet, but he would smash Jake Paul.
What do you make of the heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois calling out Jake Paul?
Bit of a letdown. He shouldn’t have done that, but maybe he just thought he was doing it for the sanctity of boxing. I’ll defend him in that regard.
Throughout the ages, the heavyweight world champion has done some funny fights, most recently Tyson Fury fought Francis Ngannou. Rocky took on Hulk Hogan once upon a time in Rocky III, so the DNA is there. Maybe Daniel Dubois was watching Rocky III, saw ‘Thunderlips’ come out, which is Hulk Hogan, and thought, ‘I have to get in amongst this sort of crazy chat.’ It’s a letdown from Dubois. But I’ll give him a pass.
Evander Holyfield called Tyson out, do you want to see that?
We’ve just seen how big Paul-Tyson is, that’s what they’ll be after now. I can’t see Holyfied-Tyson being that big. Holyfield’s done a bit of post-fight fighting, and it hasn’t worked out great for him. I hinted before maybe legend vs. legend league would work for retired boxers. They’ve got Masters football. Masters boxing might come out. But I wouldn’t be getting up for the trilogy.
Is Paul good or bad for boxing?
I’ve done a bit of a 180 on this in recent years. I’ve gone from thinking this is awful for the sport to thinking Jake Paul ain’t bad for the sport, culturally, because if he has the ear of young people, and even if he’s just getting them out and getting them in the gym and wanting them to do something for themselves fitness-wise, that’s a great thing, rather than sitting around being a gamer or whatnot.
What do you think of a Taylor-Serrano trilogy at three-minute rounds?
I would like to see Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano fight over three-minute rounds to be honest, not necessarily to have a conclusive winner, but to see a difference in what we see. It may be different. It’s tough, because we’re asking Katie, who has spent her career training and fighting two-minute rounds, to then fight three minutes. It’s like asking Usain Bolt to race over 400 meters. He may be spectacular, but he’s not used to it.
I would love to see it. I’m a fan of three minute rounds. I think you sacrifice a lot of skill and technique in order to land the volume of punches to win the rounds over two minutes. I don’t like that so many rounds are tight and hard to score, and therefore you end up with decisions all over the place. I think that women should move to three-minute rounds, and the vast majority I speak to agree.
What do you think about Darren Till v Tommy Fury?
Both guys have been going for it. I saw a clip of the press conference. I think this one might be really interesting. Darren Till looks out of shape, but I don’t know how quickly he can get in shape. MMA guys fluctuate with their weights. As long as they stick to the rules — Till was talking about kicking him in the head or fighting him in the street and stuff — then Tommy Fury is going to try and box him. He’s got that amateurish, bouncy style, and doesn’t know how to sit on his shots properly yet. Till might be super unorthodox, but we might end up with a great fight. I think this is a decent matchup. It’s a good fight. I’m looking forward to it.
Could be Till wins. I haven’t seen them stand next to each other to compare size. I know Till used to get down to 160 but might walk around at 180. If they’re comparable in size, it could be a real 50-50 fight. I don’t think Fury is good enough from what I’ve seen to totally outbox anyone. He might make mistakes, walk into a few shots. Till might be unorthodox, and those guys who don’t have that right rhythm are hard to pin down. Till will let his hands go with spite and venom. I think Till might stop him. That would be great.
Floyd Mayweather inserted a financial penalty into the contract to stop Conor McGregor breaking boxing rules, should Tommy Fury do the same?
Absolutely. But I don’t want Till breaking the rules. I don’t want Till hinting at it and then, after two rounds of bad boxing, trying to break Fury’s arm or strangle him. That’s not what people tune in for. It’d be great to see a boxing match, then the following week have a cage fight. That’s something new. That would be fascinating. Everyone gravitates toward boxing, but it would be cool to have a boxing match, then an MMA match, or even bare-knuckle boxing in consecutive weeks or months?
James DeGale looks to be training hard on Instagram, could he make a comeback?
Apparently James DeGale is coming back against Harley Benn. I haven’t seen him announce anything but the rumour is it’s Harley Benn, Conor Benn’s brother or half-brother. It’s in Qatar. There’s a bunch of influencer boxing on there, or that type of boxing on it. I think Amir Khan might be fighting on it. That’s what I’ve been told but they haven’t announced anything. It’s on December 14. They wanted me to go and do commentary but it’s the same night my fighter, Lucas, is boxing. I’m not sure who the promotion would be. I don’t think they’re brand new though, I think they’ve done stuff before.
I’ve seen DeGale in the gym on his Instagram and he looks like he’s putting in a lot more effort than someone ticking over trying to keep fit. I’m waiting for an announcement. DeGale hasn’t yet called Jake Paul out, so maybe his training isn’t going that well, but it would be fascinating to see James DeGale back in the picture because he was one of them fighters you felt retired because the body couldn’t take it anymore. Does that mean the body has recovered and he’s coming back fresh? Or does he just fancy a roll around? Does he need the money? I don’t know. I think he earned really well in his career and was sensible with his money. But I don’t know, maybe he just desires a bit of combat.
Are we going to see the DeGale of old, or looking old in slow motion? I think that’s what we might see. He’s still going to have silky smooth skills but it will come out at Mike Tyson pace. If we see James DeGale’s bare arse out in Qatar, it all might be worth it.
It looks like John Fury won’t be involved in Tyson Fury’s corner for the Usyk rematch, is that a positive thing?
John Fury’s been a pretty constant figure in his son’s career, certainly of late. It’s good to have familiar faces, good to have true family there. He’s a tough one to contain. A lot of the information he says is not good or something I’d agree with, but his passion is there. Sometimes, that’s what you need — someone on your side, bigging you up. But John is desperate for attention, which he gets, and sometimes it helps Tyson not have to always be the center of attention.
We’ve seen that before. Joe Calzaghe had his dad, Enzo, who was a big personality and took on a lot of the media attention. That relationship worked great. But you’ve got Chris Eubank Jr. and Chris Eubank Sr, whose relationship broke down. Now, Junior is pleading with his dad to get involved again, likely because he’s fighting Conor Benn, and the promotion leans on the Benn-Eubank legacy. I think John Fury being part of the Fury team in some capacity is good for Tyson, but I don’t think he adds value in the corner on fight night. Put him in the front row, right in the middle. He can stand up and shout, and Fury will still hear him while getting clear instructions from Sugar Hill and Andy Lee.
Is it a different fight and a different outcome this time?
I don’t think it’s a different outcome. I think Usyk beats him again. If I’m Fury, I’ve got to do something different. He needs to take the center of the ring and drive his man back, be strong in his stance, and throw big, long, hard, straight shots. I’m not a huge fan of showboating, but if he lands something significant, celebrate it. That gets a reaction from Usyk, the crowd, and the judges. But celebrate when you’ve done something meaningful—not when you’re under fire or just making him miss. Celebrate when you hit him with something.
If Fury fights like that, it becomes a much tougher challenge for Usyk, and we’ll see how Usyk adjusts. But based on the first fight, the wear and tear and mileage on both fighters, and where they are in their careers, Usyk is still the fresher fighter. Usyk nearly stopped him in the first fight. He’s not the type to think, “I almost had him last time; one big shot will finish it.” He knows it’s going to be a tough fight, as it always is for him. Usyk leaves no stone unturned, and I think it’s a clearer win for Usyk this time.
Dana White has been saying for ages that he’s going to come into boxing, what challenges does boxing present that are going to be unique?
You can’t own boxing. In MMA, he’s got the UFC, which is the place to be. The branding alone — everyone’s heard of the UFC. All the fighters want to be there, and then he can just say, “Right, you fight him, and this is how much you’re getting paid.” You can’t do that in boxing. Lots of people have tried — you can’t do it. The closest I’ve seen to something like that, where someone says, “Jump,” and you say, “How high?” is since his Excellency, Mr. Turki Al-Sheikh, got involved. He’s forced promoters to work together when they haven’t before.
I don’t think Dana White can just come in and force people to do what the fans want. That would probably be the toughest thing for him. But he’s fantastic at creating events and clearly at marketing and promoting himself as well as his fighters. If you’re a major player in that regard, you’re going to do well, as long as you’ve got the energy for it. I’d back him as much as I’d back a younger Vince McMahon, a young Don King, or even a Joe Rogan. If you’ve got people’s ears and when you say something they listen, you can always be a good boxing promoter. But I think that’ll be the toughest obstacle for him.
Should Deontay Wilder stay retired?
Wilder should stay retired. I think his best days are far gone, and he’s getting to that point now where, once you start racking up losses at the end of your record, people start to question your legacy. He was the American heavyweight champion — a huge, long run of successful defenses. He never got that Joshua fight but had three fights with Fury. Fury wants him to retire because Fury is dining out on that Deontay Wilder trilogy, more so than ever before since he’s lost to Usyk.
Wilder is now at the end of his career. If he picks up a few more losses it will affect his legacy. He was in an era where there weren’t a lot of good heavyweights, so he could only beat what was put in front of him, and that’s fine when you’re winning. But the second you start losing, people question it. He lost to Zhang, lost to Parker. It’s too late in the day for him to learn the fundamentals he’s trying to learn. He’s trying to become a better boxer when, really, he should just pick up his volume. He punches like a horse — just try and chin people. Wilder and Joshua are in the same boat. They run the risk of undoing their legacies by losing more and more. They’re not in that era of Ali or Holmes, those guys who went on and lost a lot near the end but still retained so much respect for how great they were. Maybe that respect comes in 20 years, I don’t know. But right now, for me, if you pick up seven or eight losses by the end of your career, people click on your BoxRec and say, “Oh, he lost his last four fights.” Wilder surely doesn’t want that.
Do you think Nick Ball would give Naoya Inoue a good fight, or not?
Yeah, I like Nick Ball. I think he’s a really good fighter. But I think Inoue is above and beyond. He might be pound-for-pound the best fighter in the world. It’s hard to tell with those little guys, but he just hits so hard. Those smaller weights usually don’t hit that hard or have that kind of effect, but he does. Because he predominantly fights in Japan, sometimes it’s at funny times of the week or day. I don’t think we don’t respect him, but we don’t really get into it with him. I think Nick Ball is a really good, effective fighter for his size and stature at his weight class, but I think Inoue is super special.
Would you still like to fight at Stamford Bridge?
Yes, of course. I would have loved to fight at Stamford Bridge. That was one we never really even got close to. We had a couple of discussions with the stadium, and they were like, “Na, the pitch costs too much money.”. They don’t need the money. Stamford Bridge is not built for a multi-purpose venue. So therefore, they ain’t already got that stuff built in, where you can just quickly slide something over the pitch like you might have at Tottenham or Wembley or something like that. And they were like, “It’s going to be aggro, mate.” It was for the Eubank fight, we were talking about it. Once I won the title, there were talks of signing for the Super Series. The first one was going to be Jamie Cox, and they looked at Craven Cottage, and they looked at Stamford Bridge. And then for Eubank, they looked again at Stamford Bridge. But, yeah, they said, “No, don’t mess the grass up.” And I was like, “You know what? If Chelsea lose the first game after I box at Stamford Bridge because of the grass, I’ll probably get a lot of heat for that.” So yeah, I’d rather play it safe.
What do you think of Conor Benn v Chris Eubank Jr?
It’s going to be a huge fight. It’s not as interesting in terms of “who’s going to win” and “where does the winner go” as it was, obviously, two years ago. Now it is much more of a Netflix entertainment fight. And let’s hope it entertains. I think Connor Ben can’t help but be entertaining. He wants to have a fight. He’s desperate to have a fight. He’ll be desperate to take Eubank’s head off.
The last two years wouldn’t have been kind to either guy. Can’t have been. Eubank doesn’t look the same force as he was. He looks tight at the weight. He looks older. He didn’t really box that great out on the Saudi card. Conor Benn is now cleared to box, but you haven’t seen him in a competitive fight, probably ever. But we haven’t seen him boxing for so long. I think it’s more of a Netflix, Jake Paul type of fight than anything else. It’s pure entertainment. But I’m looking forward to it. I do want to see the fight. I will follow the fight. I’ll cover the fight. It will be a big fight.
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