Will Groves confidence un-nerve Degale ???

Think about it most people in Groves position would have a few more fights look for the weakest champion and search out Degale later on for big bucks!!!! No sense in fighting now business wise!

If you're Degale you must be thinking with my record and Olympic achievements this guy would run a mile....

There is no other conceivable reason that any sensible Guy like groves takes this fight now......

Than that Groves thinks he has his number for real and is not just spouting it out for the promotion..I really believe Groves thinks he's better than him and knows something we don't..

Must be a little un-nerving for Degale who thinks he is the business and everybody should be scared...

Degale isn't the smartest man around but even he must be a little worried by the Groves camp taking what surely isn't a good career move on paper..

Will Groves confidence un-nerve Degale??? I think Degale is probably not as confident as he should be deep down!!

Doubt it. Every half decent boxer thinks they will win every fight. Won at the Olympics and beat a decent British champion in his 9th fight in front of thousands of hostile fans. Booed on his debut, he has enough confidence in himself and will win.

Not every half decent boxer has a choice of who to fight and when..

Makes no sense for this fight now....Can pick up alphabet titles and fight later...

Kid seriously thinks he has his number...not all fighters are as confident as they make out..

This guy is.

Doesnt appear unnerved to me. If anything seems to be one of those guys who might suffer from over confidence. I genuinely get the impression he thinks Groves is a class below him.

How do you know he's confident but not all are? Groves is getting £160,000, perhaps he just thinks it's a good payday and not a disaster if he loses. Smith probably though he would win, I think DeGale is strong enough mentally and with enough belief that it wont matter.

Good article, Truss. I think Groves has certainly got inside DeGale's head, no doubt. In fact, I think he's been in there for quite a while. As you say, DeGale probably isn't the sharpest knife in the drawer, but even by his standards some of his pre-fight behaviour towards Groves has suggested someone who feels he desperately needs to unsettle his opponent before the bout, rather than simply knowing that he can soundly beat him even without all the drama.

I'm yet to be convinced that DeGale has the mental strength or attitude to match his obvious talents in the ring. The fact that he was almost in tears after a few boos following his debut as well as his constant abuse of Groves makes me think he's someone who loves to be loved, and maybe thinks that by acting in such a way he can win over a few more fans by fight night with his 'comedy' and 'personality.'

I think Groves has acted perfectly in the build up; he hasn't reacted to DeGale's jibes, and I'm not going to believe anyone who says that DeGale isn't looking for such a reaction, because he clearly is. As I said, I think Groves is definitely in his head - it just remains to be seen whether or not this will have an effect on him come saturday night.

Because the kid has the World at his feet and is risking it all against a guy he can fight at any other time..Anyone else would go down the alphabet route and avoid a fight............for now...Doesn't make sense.

HE must have wanted it!!

This fight is out of left field...160,000 after tax and other considerations isn't a life changing amount of money...

TRUSSMAN66 wrote:Because the kid has the World at his feet and is risking it all against a guy he can fight at any other time..Anyone else would go down the alphabet route and avoid a fight............for now...Doesn't make sense.

HE must have wanted it!!

This fight is out of left field...160,000 after tax and other considerations isn't a life changing amount of money...

Who says he gets to a World Title unscathed? There are good champions holding the belts and DeGale is more likely to get a shot first if they don't meet.

£160k is more than he would have got for his next 5 fights otherwise.

Take the fight, even if he loses it isn't the end of the world.

The Hayemaker camp put one over of Warren when Haye beat Enzo and I think Warren is still driven by a desire to get back at Haye...especially when Haye refused to sign for Frank. We had Warren claiming Haye was running scared of Matt Skelton and other such nonsense.

Warren is geberaly very astute with his matchmaking and although the Prescott always incident springs to mind, Frank doesn't generally take chances.

All things being equal, DeGales has the skills to beat Groves but what hasn't been tested in DeGale's heart. Whether Groves can take him into the trenches is up for debate but it will be interesting to see how he copes if it happens.

My big fear is that we have a referee who leaps in as soon as a three/four punch combo lands and calls a halt to the fight.

As for DeGale, he's making a lot of noise and Groves seems to be keeping his cool. I think DeGale lacks the smarts to psych out Groves and is reliant on jibes about Halitosis and dodgy ties. Look back at the episode of Ringside when Groves stated he'd bet his purse on winning and look how quickly DeGale moved the conversation away from that. Groves genuinely believes he can win and I think DeGale is finally facing someone who hasn't been selected purely to showcase his talents to the public.

Chris..He's looked very self assured and matter of fact hasn't he..

His coolness must wind Degale up....

I pick Degale to win....however I was Tennis champion in High and I had this kid call Perrin from the year below always wanting a game with me because he didn't think I was all that......

I ended up beating him after school one day but I must admit I've never felt pressure like it..

These days Scotty you can be carefully matched to a title..Whether you win it or not is another matter..

You're not telling me taking on Degale makes good business sense.

The more I think about this fight the more I think it will be a lot closer than people think. would still back Degale but think there is something to what you say Truss. Get the impression Groves genuinely fancies this job and rightly or wrongly believes he has Degales number.

Think in the build up it will not have escaped Degale that his constant and frankly infantile attempts to rattle Groves have failed quite spectacularly. Think as Chris says Degale has a real need to be loved and this feeds his feeling of confidence in the ring, will be interested if this can get to the halfway stage with Groves still in the mix as it will be interesting to see how Degale copes with this mentally.

I think DeGale lacks the smarts to psych out Groves and is reliant on jibes about Halitosis and dodgy ties.
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In his defence that was one horrific tie.

Agreed Rowley...When someone thinks he's better than you and you know he's not talking BS....It makes anybody self-evaluate..

TRUSSMAN66 wrote:These days Scotty you can be carefully matched to a title..Whether you win it or not is another matter..

You're not telling me taking on Degale makes good business sense.

It's more money than he would get for a title shot and early in his career so he can recover from a loss. Yes, it makes good business sense. What good is a title shot nearer his prime if he gets paid less and fights in all likelihood a better and more experienced opponent? All he will have done is waste time and picked up a loss harder to defend through inexperience.

But he's a heavy underdog for this fight........Once you are a champion you get paid big money and if it's the WBO you fight dross for it...

Hence Degale is a big risk.

I think that groves took this to get back in he public eye. After Anderson, he has gone from a world beater to a euro level at best overnight. The one thing that can put him back to his old reputation is a win over chunky who is thought by many to be a future p4p fighter and is already though of as one of the top guys in the division. Not to mention he gets a huge purse for such a small bout(worldwide). This fight has really got the British public interested because of the rivalryand it's a great opportunity for both.

I no doubt however that degale is just as confident. He knows that he's ahead of groves, but thinks that te fight need to be made while interest is high and both are undefeated. Degale seems like a lewis type fighter, likes to avenge loses, and although it's an amateur fight, degale thought he should of won(and if it was pro scoring he would have) and knows he could destroy groves' career.

TRUSSMAN66 wrote:But he's a heavy underdog for this fight........Once you are a champion you get paid big money and if it's the WBO you fight dross for it...

Hence Degale is a big risk.

You think Groves gets a WBO title shot while Frank Warren is in control of his rival in the same division?

TRUSSMAN66 wrote:Because the kid has the World at his feet and is risking it all against a guy he can fight at any other time..Anyone else would go down the alphabet route and avoid a fight............for now...Doesn't make sense.

HE must have wanted it!!

This fight is out of left field...160,000 after tax and other considerations isn't a life changing amount of money...

£160,000 ! That is a life changing amount of money!

I think that Grove can't have any excuses in regards to training, as he has been over in Miami with Haye and he's been sparring with the Dirrell's aswell as Froch. I think DeGale knows this and this might be lingering in the back of his mind that Groves is going to be 100% prepared and ready and raring to go. No one who DeGale has thought has put this much effort in training before there fight.

Thats why I've got a little suspicion that Groves may win this fight.

It is not a life changing amount of money.....Especially if you are waiting 3 months for your next fight.....and when you get it you are worth less money because you lost..

Could be right about the WBO Scotty.

rowley wrote:I think DeGale lacks the smarts to psych out Groves and is reliant on jibes about Halitosis and dodgy ties.
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In his defence that was one horrific tie.

Could all be part of the plan. Get DeGale thinking about his fashion sense and move his focus away from the tactical side of things. If Groves turns up next time in a pair of Daisy Dukes and a snorkel, we might be onto something.

I think Groves is more in the mould of Adam Booth, who has always come across as very self assured and unflappable but I also believe that Groves hanging out with David Haye will only increase his confidence. To be a Champion you have to think like a Champion and the best way to get an idea of that mindset is to hang out with a Champion

It would change most peoples lives. And Groves would have never seen that amount of money in his life.

He'll take less than 100,000 of it and then will have bills to pay till his next fight maybe three months on....Pay some of the mortgage off or get a mortgage and maybe a new car.....

But hardly life changing mate..

Daisy Dukes and a snorkel....I see some fetishes are coming out on this thread...

I'm not sure I want to know what turns some people on..

My own personal preference would to a top hat, tutu and flippers but some folk on here are just weird

It's part of the fight game making your opponent question themselves. Bruno had it against Tyson (as did many others). It worked for Bernard against Trinidad (who many had stated would bulldoze the old boy).

Of course sheer arrogance and self-belief can work against you (see Lewis vs McCall/Rahman, Hamed vs Barrera). If Groves can back up his confidence with decent power and clever boxing it will be a fantastic battle. I can see Chunky losing the plot if things are not going his way.

Groves has the tools and the ability to win, and his confidence suggests he really does believe it. Will he win? I'm not so sure.

With all thats been said as a neutral I hope Groves does his best to make it a war and drag DeGale into his toughest fight to date.

DeGale hasn't really been troubled yet and I think the experience he could gain from this fight will be invaluable when he steps up to the world stage and faces fighters who arnt going to roll over for him.

To be honest, Groves' confidence and the way he's conducted himself is making me think think his camp know something we don't....

He doesn't have the look or sound like a man who's a 1/4 underdog (which seem stupidly short odds) and does appear to have Degale a bit rattled.

God i hope he nails him, really don't like Degale. Won't be betting on it as i don't like backing against fighters i like

Think people are just looking at DeGold to much. He is just the kind of guy that likes childishly mocking people, although that was a hideous tie.

Groves should be confident it's not his style to get into a war of words with DeGold.

I don't think this will have any bearing on the fight. Personally I think DeGold is just a couple of level above the Ugly kid and will prove it on Saturday.

DeGold by KO in rounds 4-6.

How that monkey faced buffoon can call anybody ugly is beyond me!

Heart wishes Groves to hammer him into next week, head says Degale by late stoppage.

C'mon St George!

i don't think either fighter will worry too much about who other people think will win the fight. so that been said it could be argued that groves has the mental edge knowing that he's won once already. all degales childish rants and raves will probably make groves think he's really got to degale.

I think Degale is a bit stronger mentally than people give him credit for. Didn't he have a losing record against most of the guys he fought at the Olympics including being 1-4 with Darren Sutherland, being able to up his game on the big stage like he did is something that not all people can do.