George Groves vs Andrea Di Luisa, Sergey Kovalev vs Jean Pascal - boxing on TV this weekend
'The Saint' returns to the ring on Saturday night
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Groves vs Di Luisa, Saturday night 7.30pm, Sky Sports 1
Of all the sports on this planet, boxing is perhaps the most fickle.
Putting the past to rest is key for everybody in life, but for athletes it’s an essential element for progress in their chosen sports.
A footballer can miss a sitter in one game, and score a hat-trick three days later, while a darts player can blow a crucial double in one leg, but hit a nine-darter in the very next sat.
Even a sprinter can struggle in the heats, but suddenly pull together a sensational run in the final.
Boxers do not have the luxury of time, and any mistakes or poor performances they suffer are investigated and scrutinised intensely following the event.
One loss, or even just a solitary knockdown or slightly controversial victory can define the career of a fighter, and create doubts for even the most impassive analyst.
George Groves and John Ryder embark on career-defining fights on Saturday night where victory simply isn’t enough.
Both men were highly touted prospects who gained credit and respect through their first career defeats, but they have each suffered recent disappointment which has significantly reduced the expectations once imposed upon them.
It’s hard to believe given his colourful history in the sport, but despite having already contested for - and lost - three world title opportunities, George Groves is still just 27-years-old.
Now trained by Shane McGuigan following a split with Paddy Fitzpatrick, the Londoner has lost three of his last five fights, with two defeats to Carl Froch bookended by a narrow setback last September against Badou Jack.
The lights of Vegas saw Groves dropped in the first round against Jack before fading in the closing stages, but it is London where he makes his return to the ring, desperate to keep alive his hopes of finally becoming a world champion.
Eschewing the eloquent yet slippery persona which saw him become a household name during the Froch bouts, Groves has morphed into a Bleeding Gums Murphy figure ahead of his comeback bout, a wildly talented yet seemingly fragile prodigy who perhaps blew his chance at the bigtime.
Does the flame still burn for Groves? We will know more after Saturday when he competes against 33-year-old Italian Andrea Di Luisa, who is best known for being stopped by Lucian Bute last August.
All three of Di Luisa’s career defeats have occurred before the final bell has rung, with his most worrying setback a November 2012 retired loss against light-hitting Frenchman Christopher Rebrasse.
14 of his 18 victories have come via stoppage however, so Groves will have to be wary of an early onslaught, especially as 11 of Di Luisa’s wins have come in the first four rounds.
Despite his ferocious first round knockdown of Carl Froch in their inaugural bout, the power of Groves seemed to disappear during his tenure with Fitzpatrick, but he is rumoured to be punching harder in the gym under McGuigan, and weighed in at a higher than usual weight for this fight.
A routine win will not be good enough for Groves especially with the wave of cynicism surrounding his boxing future, so expect to see a return to the cagey yet cavalier style which saw him defeat the likes of Kenny Anderson and James DeGale in his earlier bous.
The bookmakers believe he has the match already won with huge odds of 1/33 for a Groves victory, while a Di Luisa upset can be bet on at 16/1.
John Ryder also experienced the experience of victory through defeat when he found himself on the wrong end of a split decision verdict against Billy Joe Saunders in September 2013, but the 27-year-old has suffered a stagnant career since, and was stopped by Nick Blackwell last May.
At his best Ryder is a tenacious yet creative boxer who can impose his physicality on opponents, but his recent form has been patchy, and he looks a fighter short on confidence.
He will need to be at his best against Belarusian veteran Sergey Khomitsky, who has established a clinical reputation as a man who loves to defeat British fighters.
Khomitsky has defeated the likes of Adam Etches, Frank Buglioni and Jamie Moore on enemy soil, while he took Martin Murray to the wire twice and has drawn with British middleweight champion Nick Blackwell.
The 41-year-old was defeated soundly in Venezuela by Alfonso Blanco last October however, and if Ryder is fully focused and back to his old form he should have too much for the ageing Khomitsky.
Ryder is the betting favourite at 4/9, but if you fancy another Khomitsky upset you will find value at 7/4.
There are further intriguing fights feature on the undercard in London, including a light welterweight Commonwealth title scrap between John Wayne Hibbert and Tommy Martin, and a bout for former professional footballer Leon McKenzie against Kelvin Young.
Kovalev vs Pascal, Saturday night 2am, BoxNation
Boxing may be the most fickle sport on the planet, and it can also be the most baffling.
WBA, IBF and WBO light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev is one of boxing’s most powerful and dangerous fighters, and the 32-year-old undefeated slugger stopped Jean Pascal after eight one-sided rounds last March.
Despite the routine and uncontroversial beatdown of Pascal, the rematch nobody has been waiting for will happen again on Saturday night to the bemusement of many.
Yes Pascal has won since their first meeting and has a new trainer in Freddie Roach, but his victory over Yunieski Gonzalez was not a convincing one, and he hasn’t looked exceptional in the ring for a number of years.
Pascal is a fighter who can look great in 30 second bursts, but can never put it together for a full round and that is unlikely to change against Kovalev.
Freddie Roach has spoken of a new set of tactics for Pascal where he will attempt to outbox the champion rather than go toe-to-toe, but Bernard Hopkins - a man who is undefeated against Pascal in two fights - could not do that, so it’s very unlikely the languid Canadian can see through the plan successfully.
Kovalev has power, that much is for sure but his pure boxing skills are underrated and he should have too much for Pascal wherever the fight goes.
The bookmakers agree with that viewpoint, as the Russian is a 1/16 favourite, with Pascal available at an ample 10/1 price.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments