Groves wants the fight to be bigger and essentially make more money…
George Groves insists that facing James DeGale at the O2 would be a “regression” as he holds out for it to be a stadium fight later in the year.
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The 26-year-old was offered the opportunity to face DeGale on April 28 for the vacant IBF title, but he has made it clear that he isn’t interested in the bout at this time.
Groves will instead continue to wait for his chance to face Anthony Dirrell for the WBC title, with DeGale labelling him “an idiot” due to his demands.
As stated by promoter Eddie Hearn, due to the fact that it is a vacant title, the purse has to be split 50-50 between the two contenders, and that is understood to be one of the sticking points for Groves who believes he deserves a much bigger portion.
Instead, ‘Chunky’ will face Andre Dirrell in April while Groves has now opened the door to fighting his long-time rival again in the summer at a football stadium and on a much bigger platform.
“DeGale’s now gone down the IBF route and has got to fight Andre Dirrell, the other ranked up there by the sanctioning body, but he is a Londoner, an Olympic champion, I wish him luck,” he told Sky Sports.
“This is a big fight. If James is clever enough and thinks to himself ‘I can’t beat Groves, it’s my chance to win a few quid’ why cash out in April? Let’s do it in the summer and make some real money.
“Will we ever sell out Wembley again? I’m not sure but when they put on big shows at Upton Park, Lofus Road, these are historic events and boxing events fans can go to. They remember it, they want to be part of it and I am no different.
“I want to box at Stamford Bridge, so if James wants to fight me, why not do it at Stamford Bridge in the summer.”
Groves added he feels as though a return to the O2 to face DeGale, the venue in which he beat him back in 2011, would be a step back in his career and he wants to make history again by being involved in a huge event for British boxing.
However, he aimed a dig at his rival again by insisting both he and Hearn need him to make the fight bigger than what it is, and is happy to keep them waiting as he continues on his own path.
Given that Groves has looked far from impressive in his last two outings since being knocked out by Carl Froch at Wembley last May, he may find it difficult to warrant a big slice of the purse.
While he certainly does bring intrigue and attention, it remains to be seen whether or not he gets his wishes when it comes down to negotiating the fight in the future, especially if DeGale becomes a world champion before him.
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