George Groves vs. Andrea Di Luisa: Winner, Recap and Reaction
Super middleweight George Groves' journey to what he hopes is a fourth shot at a world title got off to a strong start on Saturday night at the Copper Box Arena in London. Groves ripped apart 33-year-old Andrea Di Luisa, scoring a knockdown in the fourth and two more in the fifth round en route to a comfortable TKO victory.
Bad Left Hook noted that this was the expected result:
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Groves (22-3, 17 KOs) looked bright from the opening bell. His jabs landed straight and true with plenty of snap. He drew blood early from Di Luisa (18-4, 14 KOs), and the Italian hardly had a chance and displayed shoddy defense all the way up through the end of the bout. He was so out of it by the fifth that his corner literally threw in the white towel.
Boxing scribe Gareth A. Davies summed up the scrap:
The bout was Groves' first since a split-decision loss to WBC World champion Badou Jack in September. Saint George fought back admirably after a first-round knockdown but was unable to overcome his opponent in his third shot at a title. His previous two title scraps both came against fellow British boxer Carl Froch, who defended his belts against Groves by two TKOs six months apart.
In an attempt to revitalize his flagging career, Groves made the decision to part ways with trainer Paddy Fitzpatrick and instead work with Shane McGuigan. The partnership paid off on Saturday, as Groves did exactly what he needed to do to prove he can still make a run at a title, working the body with aplomb and draining Di Luisa of his will to fight early.
Behind the Gloves noted Groves was sharp right away:
Groves kept ratcheting up pressure throughout the match, showing the kind of aggression that served him well in the early rounds of his fights with Froch. Di Luisa looked queasy in the fourth after two hard power shots from Grove and briefly went to his knee for a first knockdown.
The body work from Groves was excellent in the fifth, as he effectively ended the bout with a hard right-handed shot to the body that sapped Di Luisa of what little strength he had left.
British lightweight boxer Luke Campbell complimented Groves on the performance:
This was a sound result for Groves, who told ESPN UK's Nick Parkinson he's ready for another title fight in 2016: "Without a shadow of doubt I can fight for a world title this year, maybe in the second half of the year. In an ideal world I would have a minimum of three fights by the summer and in the second half of the year challenge for a world title. By that time my profile will be reasonable."
Di Luisa hardly tested Groves, so he'll likely need another couple of tune-up bouts to prove he's actually worthy of another title shot. When he's back at that level, one potential opponent is Arthur Abraham, according to Groves' promoter, Kalle Sauerland.
"Some time soon we will be looking for George to fight for a world title again," said Sauerland, per Parkinson. "The thinking behind Arthur taking that fight in Las Vegas is it raises the platform."
Abraham is 35 years old and holds the WBO World super middleweight title. He's successfully defended the belt several times, which includes wins over British boxers Martin Murray and Paul Smith. Abraham has shown little signs of slowing down in his later years, coming into his bouts in great physical condition.
Groves, still just 27 years old, has more to prove before he can likely schedule a bout with Abraham, but the win on Saturday shows he is on the right path.
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