George Groves vs. Martin Murray: Fight Time, Date, TV Info and Preview

Super middleweights George Groves and Martin Murray go head-to-head at the O2 Arena on Saturday in a fight that will define the futures of both men.

The two Englishmen have become far too accustomed to the role of bridesmaid at world level. Between the duo, they have fallen short in seven attempts to win major belts.

Groves (23-3, 18 KOs) came out with credit when losing twice to IBF and WBA champion Carl Froch. He was, however, expected to take the WBC belt from Badou Jack last year, only to end up on the wrong end of a split decision.

As for Murray (33-3-1, 16 KOs), three of his four world-title challenges came at middleweight. He drew with Felix Sturm in 2011, lost on points to Sergio Martinez in 2013 and was stopped by Gennady Golovkin last year.

After moving up to 168 pounds, the 33-year-old suffered split-decision disappointment after going 12 rounds with Arthur Abraham in November 2015.

Now Groves defends his WBA International strap against Murray.

More importantly, while the winner could move on to get another crack at a world title, the loser has nowhere really left to go. 

When: Saturday, June 25, 9:30 p.m. BST (4:30 p.m. ET)

Where: O2 Arena, London

TV: Sky Sports Box Office (UK), Showtime (U.S.)

Expect the Unexpected

When Saint George is in action, you never quite know what to expect.

The Londoner is talented—there's no doubt about that. Just take a look at the right hand he produced to drop Froch in their first meeting, in Manchester, England, in November 2013.

His jab is good enough to be pictured and used in a boxing textbook.

But Groves has a vulnerable side to him, too. He was emphatically stopped by Froch in their rematch and also dropped to the canvas by Jack in Round 1.

After losing to Jack, the former British and Commonwealth champion decided to make a change in his corner. Out went Paddy Fitzpatrick, and in came Shane McGuigan.

The new partnership has so far recorded comfortable victories over Andrea Di Luisa and David Brophy. In both those fights, Groves looked sharper, smarter and a little more like his old self.

Working with trainer McGuigan—a man in demand after his success working with Carl Frampton—has given him a new lease of life, as he explained to David Anderson of the Mirror:

"

Things I thought were gospel when I first turned pro proved to be wrong as time went on. I’ve changed my mind half a dozen times, I don’t claim to know it all, I never really have.

But I’m in a great place now. Ultimately you’ve just got to assess from the outside how things are going and right now I feel like I’m boxing really well.

Of course, the responsibility’s got to finish with me because I’m the one who steps in the ropes to get the job done.

"

Yet the refreshed, revitalised Groves has to keep on winning.

Age isn't an issue—he is 28—but each defeat takes a toll on him. After losing to Jack, he admitted in an interview with Sky Sports that he had contemplated hanging up the gloves.

Groves was right to carry on fighting, but there are only so many times he can keep setting out on the comeback trail.

He has the talent to be a world champion, but he hasn't yet managed to clear the final hurdle.

Official Issues

Alex Livesey/Getty Images

While Groves felt aggrieved with the manner of the stoppage in his first fight with Froch, he cannot deny he was in trouble at the time referee Howard Foster stepped in during Round 9.

Murray has gripes over two of his world-title results—not because of a decision made by the official in the ring but at the scoring by the three judges outside it.

By agreeing to travel to Germany to take on home favourite Sturm in December 2011, he was always up against it.

Yet despite landing 258 punches compared to his opponent's 182, per BoxRec, only one of the cards had Murray beating the champion. Sturm escaped with a draw, meaning he kept hold of his belt.

After moving up to super middleweight in 2015, Murray again failed to do enough to impress the judges in Germany when up against Abraham.

He made a fast start before fading down the stretch, allowing King Arthur to continue his reign (although he has since lost the WBO title to Gilberto Ramirez).

Murray told Sky Sports after the split-decision loss: "What can you do? It's what you are up against over here and I knew that beforehand and took the gamble. This was the hardest of the lot of them to take because I thought I had done it and this was my time."

So, at the age of 33, the fighter from St Helens faces a make-or-break night in his career.

There are no doubts about his chin—Murray is the only man to stretch Golovkin into Round 11. The one area of concern is the weight, having only had five fights at super middleweight.

But Murray—who had four stints in prison before turning pro—is a fighter who never knows when he's beaten.

Prediction

Per Odds Shark, Murray is a 7-4 underdog for the chief support to Anthony Joshua's defence of his IBF heavyweight title.

Groves heaped extra pressure on his shoulders by saying in the buildup, per BBC Sport: "I am treating this like the last-chance saloon. If I can't beat Martin, then I don't deserve to become a world champion."

The pair had a cordial relationship when the fight was announced, but the importance of the occasion has led to some sniping in the media.

Because of his pedigree at the weight, Groves will keep his career alive with a hard-fought win on points.

Bleacher Report will be running a live blog to cover the action at the O2 Arena. Join us for updates from 8 p.m. BST (3 p.m. ET).