LONDON: British boxer George Groves said he cannot wait to get to Jeddah and in the ring with compatriot Callum Smith after it was announced the pair’s World Boxing Super Series (WBSS) final would take place at the King Abdullah Sports City in the Saudi Arabian city on Sept. 28.
In what will represent Groves’ third WBA title defense and Smith’s first fight for a world title, both will also fight to get their hands on the Muhammad Ali trophy.
As Arab News reported yesterday, venues in Manchester, the Midlands and London were considered for the most significant British fight outside of the heavyweight division in 2018, but Jeddah has since been selected having previously secured the rights to stage a WBSS final.
The cruiserweight competition that concluded with victory for Oleksandr Usyk over Murat Gassiev in Moscow on Saturday was scheduled to be staged in Jeddah in May and had been billed as “The Road to Jeddah” until an elbow injury suffered by Usyk forced the fight’s postponement and contributed to its relocation to Moscow.
Groves-Smith is perhaps a fight that has superior mainstream appeal — the champion has previously fought for a world title in Las Vegas, in front of a then-record 78,000-strong crowd against Carl Froch at Wembley Stadium in 2014, and also attracted widespread interest in defeating Jamie Cox and then Chris Eubank Jr. to reach September’s final.
His participation had been in doubt until May, when he was finally passed fit having in February against Eubank Jr. dislocated his shoulder. Eubank Jr., incidentally, is understood to be remaining on standby to replace either finallist should they suffer an injury that forces their withdrawal before then.
While Groves’ injury had contributed to the previous uncertainty surrounding a date and location, he had made little secret of the increasing frustration he felt while awaiting confirmation, but the 30-year-old said: “It’s fantastic news that we now have a confirmed date and location for the final.
“I’m incredibly excited that the fight has been formally confirmed to take place in Jeddah. I’m excited and sure this final will eclipse every WBSS fight to date for excitement and drama.
“I have been in camp for a while already but am now looking forward to stepping the training up now that the date’s been set.”
Liverpool’s promising Smith, 28, is one of four brothers who box, and he hopes to become the second, after Liam, to win a world title. He defeated Erik Skoglund and Nieky Holzken to secure his place in Jeddah, and he said: “It has been a long time since my semifinal win over Holzken.
“But the most important thing to me is that my opponent is George Groves. It means that by the end of September I have the chance to be the WBA champion and the No. 1 super middleweight in the world. I believe I will do it.
“I am excited to be part of such a big night of boxing. It began with the red carpet treatment (at the competition’s draw) in Monaco and will end with more of the same in Jeddah.”
WBSS promoter Kalle Sauerland, who is also Groves’ long-term promoter, had previously compared the prospect of a high-profile world title fight being staged in Jeddah with the Rumble in the Jungle, the world heavyweight tile fight in 1974 between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman in Zaire.
The General Sports Authority of Saudi Arabia has been investing to bring further sports events, including WWE and the Italian Super Cup, to the region, and Sauerland explained: “The super-middleweight final in Saudi Arabia, where the Muhammad Ali name and legacy is so revered, has all the ingredients to capture the world on a stage not normally associated with boxing.
“Groves versus Smith is an incredible match-up between two proven gladiators, two rivals; it’s certainly a final not to be missed.”
George Groves excited as Callum Smith fight confirmed for Jeddah in September
George Groves excited as Callum Smith fight confirmed for Jeddah in September
- Groves to do battle with promising Smith for the Muhammad Ali trophy.
- Super-middleweight champion looking forward to the fight in Jeddah, all set for Sept. 28.
Salama smashes course record with sensational 60 at Madinaty
- Spaniard cards 10-under-par round with 9 birdies and a chip-in eagle to lead by four in Egypt
CAIRO: Spain’s Juan Salama fired a sensational 10-under-par course record of 60 to take a four-shot lead after the opening round of the Egypt Golf Series.
Salama’s stunning round at Madinaty Golf Club bettered the previous record of 63 and included nine birdies and a chip-in eagle on the par-five ninth — his final hole of the day after the field started on the 10th.
The Spaniard, who finished runner-up to Jack Davidson in last week’s play-off at Address Marassi, dropped his only shot of the day on the eighth hole, meaning a par there would have given him the magical 59.
“It was definitely an early start today — I was up at 3:45 a.m. stretching, breakfast at 4:30, and we arrived at the course around 5:30, so I was warming up in the dark, which was pretty crazy,” said Salama.
“But it actually went really well. I love being first out because the greens are perfect with no footprints and the ball rolls beautifully. The conditions here at Madinaty Golf Club have been fantastic all week.
“I made nine birdies with just one dropped shot, and on the last hole I really fancied the chip-in for eagle. My personal best round is nine under, so I went for it and it paid off. I feel like my game has been in a really good place the last couple of weeks. I’ve been working hard, my family has been a huge support, and my wife keeps me very disciplined, so it’s nice to see that work paying off.”
Last week’s winner Jack Davidson is the closest pursuer after a six-under 64 that included seven birdies and just one dropped shot at the par-five 13th — his fourth hole of the day.
“It was a similar situation to last week, chasing Juan Salama again, but I’m really happy with six under,” said Davidson. “The wind made it tough at times, but I managed to hole a few nice putts and keep the momentum going after last week’s play-off win.
“The up-and-down on eight was a big moment. It’s one of the hardest holes on the course, so saving par there and going on to make birdie at the last was huge. With an early tee time tomorrow, hopefully we get slightly better conditions and fresher greens.”
Four players currently share third place at five under par: Argentina’s Gaston Bertinotti, Wales’ Owen Edwards, Germany’s Tim Tillmanns and Italy’s Ludovico Addabbo, who sits second in the MENA Golf Tour Rankings.
“It was a great round, to be honest. I played really solid,” said Bertinotti. “The course was playing pretty tough — really firm and fast, especially on the downhill shots — and the wind picked up after the fourth hole, which made things even more challenging.
“The wind makes the course a lot more challenging. There are holes where you can be hitting three clubs less than normal from the rough because the ball just doesn’t stop downwind. Both nines are tough in different ways. On the front you hit more drivers, and on the back there are a lot of demanding iron shots, especially with the par threes and the water in play.”
Rankings leader Chris Wood is absent this week as he competes in the Qatar Masters on the DP World Tour, and with Addabbo well placed heading into round two, there is an opportunity to close the gap at the top of the standings.
The Egyptian contingent found the windy conditions challenging but took plenty of positives from the experience of competing against the international field.
“Conditions are pretty tough with the wind,” said Ahmed Morgan, who carded an 81. “When I played this course on the Asian Tour without wind it was much easier, but with these conditions there are some really demanding holes. The greens are very fast, so it’s difficult to hold them, which makes knocking it close to the pin the key this week.”
Amateur Abdelrahman El-Defrawy echoed those sentiments after his opening 78.
“It was pretty tough out there with the wind, but the course itself is in great condition,” he said.
“The wind was probably the biggest challenge, especially with judging yardages between clubs. But that’s all part of the experience — playing under this kind of pressure is something I’ll take a lot from going forward.”
