LONDON: It will be Friday’s fight at the King Abdullah Sports City that will ultimately determine whether George Groves joins the pantheon of Britain’s super-middleweight greats, or whether with his considerable talent he has underachieved.
The WBA champion had long been considered one of Britain’s finest prospects, but at 30 and toward the end of an eventful career he is a fighter who in the World Boxing Super Series (WBSS) final, against his compatriot Callum Smith, should be at his peak.
It was his natural power and ability and a close association with then-WBA heavyweight champion David Haye, and Britain’s leading trainer Adam Booth, that first created such excitement surrounding his potential. His place in the 168lb division — made glamorous in the UK by the successes of Joe Calzaghe, Carl Froch and others — and a natural, long-term rival in James DeGale had given him the platform to make a big name for himself.
Groves’ progress was not always smooth but it remained swift, and included a high-profile victory over DeGale in 2011, when three years after his professional debut and as the underdog he outpointed an Olympic gold medallist.
By 2013, when he had earned the status of mandatory challenger to IBF and WBA champion Froch, Groves retained that excitement and intrigued as the confident opponent against a fighter few felt could realistically be hurt, and yet it was from then that the setbacks began.
Despite his speed, spite and aggression, a lack of punch resistance and questionable stamina meant that he would always remain vulnerable, and that very reputation undermined him on what could otherwise have proved his finest night.
Groves overcame an unexpected split from Booth to meet the proven Froch in the center of the ring, knock him down in the opening round and then, in what was widely considered the fight of the year, proceed to deliver a beating to him that no other ever had while building a convincing lead. It was in the ninth round that, while finally hurt by Froch but far from out on his feet, those perceptions of vulnerability robbed him of the chance to see out a remarkable victory as referee Howard Foster controversially intervened to rescue him from further punishment.
The challenger could later be seen crying at the injustice, but under new trainer Paddy Fitzpatrick and as a fighter free of any promotional ties they admirably challenged the British boxing establishment to force a rematch, unusually to be staged at Wembley Stadium in front of an 80,000-strong crowd.
Again he proceeded to outbox the champion until, in a life-changing, eighth-round instant, the long-term flaw of retreating to the ropes left him exposed and open to the most powerful right hand Froch ever threw, instantly knocking him out.
The remarkable mental strength those around Groves speak of would never be tested more than in the following months, but he rebuilt with conviction, and to the point of gradually earning a shot in Las Vegas at WBC champion Badou Jack.
Against a fighter who has since proved superior even to Froch, he again suffered a narrow defeat, this time on points, and partly as a consequence of the relationship with Fitzpatrick that had completely broken down.
Disillusioned and demotivated — and while IBF champion DeGale excelled — London’s Groves considered retirement. He instead appointed Shane McGuigan as his trainer, and after a lengthier period of rebuilding that including the heartache of his victory over Eduard Gutknecht that left the loser disabled, last May he finally achieved his world-title dream by stopping Russia’s Fedor Chudinov.
Timing and circumstances had previously worked against Groves, but since then they could not have been more on his side. The creation of the first, lucrative WBSS followed, and after stopping Jamie Cox in the quarterfinals, in his highest-profile fight since those against Froch he fought Chris Eubank Jr. in the final four.
Again fighting under the British public’s attention and again when widely considered the underdog, Groves outclassed his challenger to secure one of his most convincing — and his most cathartic — victories as a professional fighter.
He insists he has since fully recovered from the dislocated shoulder he suffered in the final round. Friday’s fight was postponed so that he could participate, and in a reversal of roles from that when he was the young challenger, if he can overcome the promising, imposing Smith — a far more dangerous fighter than Eubank Jr. — he will have secured his defining win.
MEET THE FIGHTERS: George Groves has chance of defining win in Jeddah
MEET THE FIGHTERS: George Groves has chance of defining win in Jeddah
- A record of 28 wins and only three defeats illustrates what a fine fighter the Briton is, but he is in search of a victory that will ensure he is remember among the greats.
- Groves heads into the bout against Smith as the favorite.
Iva Jovic hopes to channel Novak Djokovic on Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships debut
- American teen sensation looking to build on strong start to 2026 season
Things have been developing fast for American teenager Iva Jovic.
This time last year, she was ranked 167 in the world and had just lost in the opening round of a Challenger in Cancun.
Today, she is perched nicely at a career-high No. 20 in the world rankings, with a WTA title under her belt (in Guadalajara last year) and an Australian Open quarterfinal appearance last month.
At 18, the Californian became the youngest American woman to reach the last-eight stage at Melbourne Park since Venus Williams in 1998.
Having started 2026 with an impressive 11-3 win-loss record (semis in Auckland, final in Hobart, quarters at the Australian Open), Jovic withdrew from the WTA tournaments in Abu Dhabi and Doha to take some much-needed time off and is now in the UAE ready to make her debut at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships.
We caught up with Jovic on Saturday ahead of her Dubai opener against former world No. 3 Maria Sakkari.
What does it mean for you to be coming to these tournaments now that you probably were watching in the past coming to this part of the world?
I mean, it’s so special. Obviously, it’s one thing to kind of play your first WTA events and get the feel for it, but it’s a different one to be in the tournaments every week and have your ranking at a place where you can play the full calendar. So that was the goal for me, and it’s pretty incredible to have had it all as it is now and to just be here.
Obviously, I want to win every match I play. I hate to lose. But I also try to remember that just being here is an incredible accomplishment and privilege. But Dubai has been so fun. I went to the mall yesterday. I went to the top of the Burj Khalifa. So I’ve already got to do a couple of things.
The culture and everything is very cool here. It’s my first time in this part of the world, so it’s very cool to see all these new things. I feel like I’m learning a lot, so much more to come.
I know you had to pull out of the last couple of tournaments in Abu Dhabi and Doha. I’m just wondering, post-Australia, what came into that decision?
Yeah, I think I just needed a little bit more time. I think I played the most matches out of anyone in the Australian swing. It was a lot, and I’m really happy with how it went. It was a great experience, and I won a lot, right? So that’s what you want. But I also needed to rest and train a little bit to just take care of my body. And now I’m feeling good and ready to go to be here in Dubai.
With Australia, now that you’ve had a little bit of time and space since then, what was the biggest takeaways from that? And did any of it take you by surprise?
I like to think that it’s surprising but not surprising, because obviously having great results and maybe some wins weren’t expected, but I also know how hard I’ve worked, and that good things tend to come when you put in the right work. So, surprised, but also not that surprised. Again, I think it’s one thing to have a couple of those good results, but for me the most important thing is consistency. So I want to establish myself as a player who’s going deep every single week.
You’ve got Maria Sakkari in your first round. She just made the semis in Doha. How do you look ahead to that match?
That’s definitely going to be a tough one. So thank you, Alex (Eala) for giving me a tough match. She pulled my name out (during the draw), but that’s okay. I’ll forgive her. But no, that’ll be a difficult one. Maria is a fighter. I played her in doubles, first meeting in singles. I mean I’m so new on the tour, still. I haven’t played a lot of these women. But she’s a competitor. She’s been around for a while and obviously making semis last week. She’s in top form. But, you know, again, you love the battle and you want the tough matches. So hopefully I can pull through.
You got to play the world number one in a Grand Slam quarterfinal. Didn’t go your way, but I’m wondering what did you take from that experience?
Yeah, I think that obviously you want to play the best just to win, yes, but even if you don’t, to just see where you stand. I think I’ve done a good job so far of learning from every loss, and I think that’s all it is. You learn from it, and it’s just fine margins. The differences aren’t that big.
It’s just little details that you need to work on that I’ve already been working on the past couple weeks, so hopefully that can show.
I know Novak Djokovic has been sending you tips. You’ve been in contact. He’s won this tournament a bunch of times. Are you going to perhaps be like, give me some tips for this Dubai court?
Oh, my God. Well, I hope … I don’t know if I’m brave enough to do that. I’m still a little nervous when I talk to him. He’s definitely my idol, but yeah, I see him at every corner. I’m like, how many times did this guy win the tournament? I see him on every screen. But just try to be like Novak. I’m going to keep it that simple.
