Groves vs Smith

Who won Groves vs Smith?

Callum Smith beat George Groves by knockout in the 7th round on Friday, September 28th, 2018, at King Abdullah Sports City, Jeddah.

The fight was scheduled to take place over 12 rounds in the Super Middleweight division, which meant the weight limit was 168 pounds (12 stone or 76.2 kg).

This was the final of the World Boxing Super Series.

This contest was for the unified super middleweight championship of the world, with the WBA, and The Ring belts on the line.

The undercard featured the clash of Eubank Jr vs McDonagh.

Groves vs Smith stats

Back in September 2018, George Groves stepped into the ring with a record of 28 wins, 3 losses, and 0 draws, 20 of those wins coming by way of knockout.

Callum Smith made his way to the ring with an unblemished record of 24 wins and 0 draws, with 17 of those by knockout.

The stats suggested that Groves and Smith have similar power, both with a 71% knockout percentage.

George Groves was the older man by 2 years, at 31 years old.

Smith had a height advantage of 3 inches over Groves. That also extended to a 6-inch reach advantage.

Both George Groves and Callum Smith fought out of an orthodox stance.

Groves was the more experienced professional fighter, having had 7 more fights, and made his debut in 2008, 4 years earlier than Smith, whose first professional fight was in 2012. He had fought 9 more professional rounds, totaling 168 compared to Smith's 159.

Callum Smith was ranked number 4 by the WBA, and 1 by the WBC in the 168lb division.

Groves vs Smith form

Groves had won 5 of his most recent fights, stopping 2 of them, going the distance 3 times.

In his last fight leading up to this contest, he had defeated Chris Eubank Jr on February 17, 2018, by unanimous decision in their WBA Super World Super Middleweight championship fight at Manchester Arena, Manchester, United Kingdom.

Prior to that, he had defeated Jamie Cox on October 14, 2017, by knockout in the 4th round in their WBA Super World Super Middleweight championship fight at Wembley (SSE) Arena, London.

Going into that contest, he had beaten Fedor Chudinov on May 27, 2017, by technical knockout in the 6th round in their WBA World Super Middleweight championship fight at Bramall Lane, Sheffield.

Before that, he had won against Eduard Gutknecht on November 18, 2016, by unanimous decision in their 12 round contest at Wembley (SSE) Arena, London.

He had beaten Martin Murray on June 25, 2016, by unanimous decision in their 12 round contest at The O2 Arena, London.

Smith had won 5 of his most recent fights, stopping 3 of them, going the distance twice.

In his last fight before this contest, he had defeated Nieky Holzken on February 24, 2018, by unanimous decision in their 12 round contest at Arena Nürnberger Versicherung, Bayern, Germany.

Prior to that, he had defeated Erik Skoglund on September 16, 2017, by unanimous decision in their 12 round contest at Echo Arena, Liverpool, United Kingdom.

Going into that contest, he had won against Luke Blackledge on December 10, 2016, by technical knockout in the 10th round in their BBBOC British Super Middleweight championship fight at Manchester Arena, Manchester.

Before that, he had defeated Norbert Nemesapati on September 10, 2016, by technical knockout in the 6th round at The O2 Arena, London.

He had beaten Cesar Hernan Reynoso on May 29, 2016, by technical knockout in the 6th round at Goodison Park Stadium, Liverpool.

Activity check

In terms of activity leading into the fight, George Groves had been fighting more than Callum Smith.

Going into this contest, George Groves had last fought 7 months and 11 days ago, while Callum Smith's last outing had been 7 months and 4 days ago.

Groves' last 5 fights had come over a period of 2 years, 3 months and 3 days, which means he had been fighting approximately every 5 months and 14 days. In those fights, he fought a total of 46 rounds, meaning that they had lasted 9.2 rounds on average.

Smith's last 5 fights had come over a period of 2 years, 3 months and 30 days, meaning he had been fighting on average every 5 months and 19 days. In those fights, he fought a total of 46 rounds, meaning that they had lasted 9.2 rounds on average.

What time did Groves vs Smith start?

The fighters were expected to ringwalk at around 8:00 PM UTC at King Abdullah Sports City, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, which was 4:00 PM EST or 1:00 PM PST on the West Coast of America, or 9:00 PM BST in the UK.

Who broadcast Groves vs Smith?

Groves vs Smith was broadcast on ITV Box Office in the UK, while the fight was broadcast in the United States by DAZN.

What were the odds on Groves vs Smith?

George Groves was a 17/25 (-150) favorite going into the contest, while Callum Smith made his way into the ring at 137/100 (+140) with oddsmakers.