George Groves in Danger of Being the Nearly Man After Defeat to Badou Jack

After losing on points to Badou Jack, George Groves is in danger of becoming the nearly man of the super middleweight division. It is hardly a title he hoped to earn in his boxing career.

The Londoner came up short on Saturday night in his bid to dethrone WBC champion Jack on the undercard to Floyd Mayweather Jr. facing Andre Berto in Las Vegas.

It was a third defeat for Groves in a world-title tilt. Losing never gets any easier to stomach, but this must have been the most painful of the lot.

While he had talked the talk and, for several rounds at least, walked the walk in two tilts with IBF and WBA champion Carl Froch, he ultimately ended up falling short on both occasions.

But there was no disgrace in losing to Froch. BoxRec ranks the Cobra third on their all-time list of fighters in the 168-pound division.

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Yet Groves’ reputation grew from his performances against his fellow Englishman.

He stunned both his opponent and the vast majority watching on when he dropped Froch to the canvas in the opening round of their first meeting in Manchester, England. It was some way to announce your presence on the world scene.

However, now things feel different in the immediate aftermath of the bout with Jack.

The American-based Swede had succeeded where Groves had failed, the underdog having upset the odds in April by beating Anthony Dirrell to win the WBC belt.

A look at Jack’s record, though, should have given Saint George added belief he could make the champion’s reign a short one.

The Ripper had never been beyond 10 rounds before getting the better of Dirrell on a majority decision. He had been knocked out inside a round 14 months earlier, while the draw on his record came against Marco Antonio Periban, a fighter that James DeGale (more on him to come) defeated inside three rounds.

Yet Jack—who had promised to make an impact with his fists, rather than his mouth—gave Groves a taste of his own medicine, dropping him with a sharp overhand right in the first round.

The challenger recovered from the early setback in a bout that ebbed and flowed throughout. While his jab impressed, Jack’s decision to work the body paid dividends as the rounds ticked by.

It was a tough one to score. The final punch stats, tweeted by ESPN.com's Brian Campbell, said Groves worked harder but Jack was more successful:

For two of the judges, Jack had done enough to retain his crown. A score of 116-111 from one of them seemed a little lopsided, but the final margins didn’t matter to Groves—he had lost again.

In the aftermath he insisted the result should have gone the other way, telling David Anderson of the Mirror, "I thought I won the fight decisively. I thought I controlled the fight with my jab and that I was in control throughout. Losing a world title fight is the worst feeling in the world."

It’s a feeling that Groves has had to become accustomed to. That doesn’t make it many any easier to deal with, though.

There could be no excuses about poor preparation—he had spent eight weeks away in a training camp at Big Bear Lake, California, using the same facilities as middleweight king Gennady Golovkin.

Even Froch felt sympathetic for his former foe's plight:

Groves admitted he now has to take stock, per Bryan Armen Graham of the Guardian: "I am going to take some time to work out what’s next."

The plan for a huge unification fight against James DeGale was torn up the moment the scores were read out at the MGM Grand.

Chunky holds the IBF belt after his triumph over Andre Dirrell in May. He has yet to announce who he will face in his first defence, but a rematch with Groves—who handed DeGale his solitary defeat in the paid ranks—would have been a profitable option.

Jeff Powell of the Daily Mail believes it is still possible the longtime rivals meet again, though that depends entirely on DeGale: 

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DeGale, having lifted Froch’s old IBF title from Andre Dirrell in Boston, was eyeing a unification Battle of Britain should Groves win the WBC belt.

This defeat has taken a good deal of the glitter off that prospect.

However, DeGale could calculate that a domestic grudge match with Groves, although no longer a Wembley Stadium proposition, would still be a bigger money-maker than another fight abroad and offer the re-match.

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The issue is that the only thing Groves brings to the table is the chance for DeGale to avenge the loss he suffered back in 2011.

If that fight doesn’t materialise, it is tough to know which path Groves will travel down next.

He will have to work out a strategy to get himself into a position for a fourth crack at a major belt. That’s going to mean taking a step or two back in a deep division.

Any of the world champions at the weight are going to think twice about offering a voluntary shot to a fighter with Groves' experience and abilities. For those holding belts, bar DeGale and his desire to exact revenge, he is a big risk for little reward.

There is also the issue of finding yourself back in a crowded pack.

While Groves rests, recovers and ponders his next move, compatriot Frank Buglioni has a shot at WBA champion Fedor Chudinov on September 26.

Rising stars Rocky Fielding and Callum Smith go head-to-head for the British crown in Liverpool, England, in November, plus Martin Murray is also now in the mix after moving up from middleweight.

It is a crowded scene domestically, and Groves is in danger of becoming yesterday’s man.

However, it is not all doom and gloom for Groves. He is just 27 years old, so there is still enough time for him to achieve his goal.

While he is still physically in his prime years, he needs to make sure the hat-trick of heartbreaking losses have not left too many mental scars. Both mind and body have to be willing to take further punishment in the pursuit of glory.

The window of opportunity is closing for Saint George—he does not want to forever be remembered as the nearly man of the super middleweights.