• Former world super-middleweight champion calls time
• Groves was defeated twice in high-profile fights with Carl Froch
The former world super-middleweight champion
George Groves has announced his retirement from
boxing.
The 30-year-old, who became world champion at the fourth attempt when he beat Fedor Chudinov in Sheffield in 2017, has called time on his career four months after losing his belt to Callum Smith in September.
In a statement, Groves said: “After taking a little time to reflect on the recent events in my career, I have decided that it is time for me to retire as a professional fighter. In 2017, I boxed in front of a home crowd in Sheffield and became the WBA super-middleweight world champion.
“After four attempts I had finally fulfilled my childhood dream, and the experience was as great as I had always imagined it would be. It was without doubt the best moment of my career.”
Having won his first 19 professional fights, Groves enjoyed a blockbusting clash with Froch in 2013 and was on course for a surprise dethroning of the WBA and IBF champion when the referee hastily intervened in round nine. Groves won much public adulation, but lost the rematch with Froch six months later at Wembley.
He finally claimed the WBA belt in 2017 with a sixth-round stoppage of Chudinov at Bramall Lane and he defended that title twice before losing to Smith in Saudi Arabia.
Groves added: “Some of you might think it odd that I’m choosing this time to retire. I’m still young, still fit and healthy, and there are still some big fights out there for me. But it’s for these reasons that I am choosing to retire now. I have a young family at home; it’s time to spend some of my better days with them. I don’t want there to be a time where I’m ‘too old’ to box on, or where an injury retires me in or out of the ring.
“I’ve boxed at the highest level, all over the world, I’ve been a champion, and I’ll be leaving the sport [relatively!] intact. Boxing has been good to me and I believe I have been good for boxing.”
In his fight prior to the Chudinov bout he beat Eduard Gutknecht and the German suffered a serious brain injury which left him unable to fight again.
“Lastly a prayer for Eduard Gutknecht who suffered a brain aneurysm after our fight in November 2016,” said Groves. “He was put into an induced coma for three weeks and bravely fought his way back to consciousness. He lives in Germany with his wife, three children and a full-time carer. This fight brought home the realisation that boxing can have brutal consequences.”