IS CHRIS EUBANK JR TOO SMALL FOR GEORGE GROVES?

Groves and Eubank Jr meet in the ring after George beat Jamie Cox.

For weeks we have been waiting for this exciting match up to take place and after George Groves’s emphatic victory on Saturday night against Jamie Cox, questions are being asked if size does really matter? Groves who is a natural Super-middle weight came up against Jamie Cox, a middleweight fighter at best and the size difference was clear to see. Cox looked to trouble Groves early in the fight but clearly it didn’t affect Groves too much.

As the later rounds crept in, Groves sent Cox to the canvas with a savage body shot, which he never recovered from, giving Groves the victory. With the Eubank’s watching from ring side a confident Groves said:

‘They are beginning to conform to boxing.

‘They are performer’s first, fighters second. But if young Chris doesn’t make changes quickly he has no chance against me. When his father said what he did I thought: He knows. He’s always respected me.’

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‘Those losses were part of what has now made me the best boxer I have ever been,’ he says. ‘I didn’t mind that people were writing me off then. There was a bit of truth that I had lost my mojo. Against Jack I was flat. I was struggling mentally and the pressure got to me.

‘I’ve come through it. Emerged all the better for it. Look at this fight. I composed myself, controlled the rhythm, imposed myself on Jamie, made him miss and landed my shots. I knew it was only a matter of time before I got rid of him.’

Groves, who has had his fair share of scraps in boxing couldn’t resist a dig at Eubank Jr, saying:

‘It’s not easy for Chris to keep up the act. His father is still doing it. He came to Monaco in his bow tie and all that, with his Louis Vuitton brief-case under his arm, and asked me if I thought he could get a licence to get into the tournament. I told him he was too old.

‘But being out there performing 24/7 when you’re preparing for a fight is exhausting. Junior likes the prestige of being constantly on stage but it gets more difficult as the fights move to a higher level. I found it tiring when I was selling some of my previous big fights. Now you won’t see me sending out selfies of myself looking good in training on the internet.

‘After a short break with the family I will be back focusing on myself and being how I felt in this fight: Genuinely unstoppable.’

Whatever happens we do know one thing for sure, we have a cracking match up in the next few months to look forward to. One of the talking points will be about the size difference between the fighters when they get into the ring in February. Will the athletic fitness and work ability of Eubank Jr get him through this fight?

Groves don’t think so who said: ‘Jamie was too small to beat me. So is Chris.’

We all know George Groves is seasoned and has been in the ring with some of the best, but will his defeats come to haunt him, either we are in for a cracking night.