Established 1961 13 Sports Monday, February 19, 2018 Georges Groves defends WBA super-middleweight title ‘Groves suffered a shoulder injury in the last round’ MANCHESTER: George Groves’ place in the World you can train very quickly again-if it’s a case of it just Boxing Super Series (WBSS) final is in doubt after his popping out. No one knows until it has been scanned.” unanimous points win over Chris Eubank Jr on Sauerland said that despite losing to Groves, Eubank Saturday. Groves earned scores of 117-112, 116-112 and could find himself in the WBSS final if Groves is ruled 115-113 over his English rival at the Manchester Arena, out through injury. but went straight from the ring to hospital after suffer- “He will definitely be on the list,” said Sauerland. ing a suspected dislocated left shoulder in the last “It’s a decision that’s taken by the (WBSS) board. I will round. make my recommendations.” Victory over Eubank in a second defence of his World Boxing Association (WBA) super-middleweight LOADING UP title also secured Groves a place in the final of the Eubank Jr, 28, said he was hampered by a cut above eight-man tournament. The WBSS final had been set to his right eye suffered in the third round. “This is the take place at the O2 first time I’ve been cut in Arena in London on June my career,” he told 2, but Groves’ trainer reporters. “I couldn’t see Shane McGuigan said out of my right eye for there are now concerns pretty much most of the over whether the cham- Eubank could fight and that affected pion will be fit by then. find himself in my style. I had to resort “He suffered a shoul- to loading up. Every der injury in the last the WBSS final time he moved to my round, we don’t know right, I couldn’t see him. what that it is at the “In the later rounds I moment but hopefully he was hurting him with a can box again soon,” lot of shots. I thought I McGuigan told a press did enough in the later conference. “After a performance like that he’s the best rounds to nick it, but George had a good game plan.” super-middleweight on the planet. We fulfilled the Groves smothered Eubank when he tried to get close George Groves’ (right) punches Chris Eubank Jr in WBSS final match. game plan to the T and executed it perfectly. We beat to him and was more accurate with his jab. them on many different levels. Eubank, who could not land enough clean shots or “It’s a massive concern for the tournament. George put the champion under sustained pressure, said he felt was world middleweight and super-middleweight power, but that’s okay, he will live and learn. Groves’ health is paramount.” Kalle Sauerland, pro- Groves should have been penalised for what was champion in the 1990s, admitted Groves deserved the “George fought the right fight, staying off, feinting, moter and co-founder of the WBSS, said the tourna- judged an accidental clash of heads in the third round. decision. and when he came in, he held. It was perfect tactics.” ment’s duration is finite. “We have scope of when the “George headbutted me a lot in that fight and I “He [Junior] didn’t perform,” said Eubank Sr. “He’s a England’s Callum Smith and Germany’s Juergen tournament must be completed,” he said. didn’t know how he didn’t have a point taken away lot better than what you saw because he was loading Braehmer meet on February 24 in the other WBSS “We will wait until today. With those sort of injuries from him,” said Eubank. Eubank’s father Chris Sr, who up. He didn’t close him down. No combinations, just semi-final. — AFP Rio de Janeiro champion in world boxing, said he Games legacy Benavidez had sought to exploit Gavril’s aggres- sive tactics. “I knew he was going to incomplete: IOC come in aggressive-like I said before crushes Gavril he’s a one-trick pony, he don’t know anything else but pressure,” PYEONGCHANG: Some venues for the Rio to retain Benavidez said. de Janeiro 2016 Olympic are decaying as “So I used that to my advantage- Brazil has so far fallen short of its own legacy WBC crown jabbed, boxed him all day and when I plans for sports facilities, the International saw an opening I took it. I didn’t knock Olympic Committee (IOC) said yesterday. him out but he’s a tough son of a gun.” In a surprisingly frank comment, the LOS ANGELES: David Benavidez Benavidez said he was unfazed by the Olympic Games Executive Director outclassed Ronald Gavril to easily bad blood that had simmered between Christophe Dubi admitted plans for the post- retain his WBC super-middleweight the two fighters before the bout. Games use for several venues, including the crown with a unanimous points victo- “I don’t really care,” he said. “I had aquatics centre in the Olympic park, had ry on Saturday. The 21-year-old the better of him. Look at his face and largely remained on paper. champion from Phoenix dominated look at mine,” he added. Benavidez’s “A very well planned legacy that did not materialise in full,” Dubi told reporters. He Romania’s Gavril to claim a deserved best moment came in the fourth One of the venue of the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympic. — File photo win at the Mandalay Bay Events round, when he rocked Gavril with said while the city had benefitted from the Center in Las Vegas. with an uppercut followed by a left post-Games use of what he said was an cal uncertainty. Crime has also spiked with bid to host the Games. Nuzman, who faces Benavidez had beaten Gavril, 31, hook that sent the Romanian reeling improved transportation and telecommuni- deadly violence in Rio up in recent years, racketeering and money laundering charges last September by a split decision to into the ropes. cation systems, some sports venues were with an eight percent increase in killings last among other, has denied wrongdoing. claim the vacant crown in one of the Gavril managed to dig himself out standing idle. year over 2016 and a 26 percent jump since Police raided his home and seized gold best fights of 2017. An ill-tempered of that hole however, clinching suc- “Dismantle the venues,” Dubi said of tem- 2015, according to statistics from the Rio bars, computers as well as a Russian passport build-up to the rematch had seen cessfully until the bell to survive. It porary structures that were supposed to be state government. among other items. The iconic Maracana Gavril vowing to right a wrong, claim- was only a fleeting respite though as moved away from the park in Barra de Tijuca “The legacy is still not perfect,” Dubi said. football stadium has been looted after the ing he had robbed of victory in the Benavidez continued to pick him off at after the 16-day competition in 2016. “It has “They (venues) need to be dismantled. These Games, with seats ripped out, while the entire first fight. will with a superb exhibition of preci- not happened because of the political land- are not venues designed and built to last. I Olympic park remains shut for much of the 18 But on Saturday there was only one sion punching. scape, because of the social and economic hope the city and government will do the months since the Games. The velodrome has winner, with Benavidez using his Benavidez would not be drawn on situation.” right thing and dismantle those venues that been damaged by two fires, the most recent stinging jab and superior movement to possible future opponents, declining to Brazil was experiencing near double-digit were not built to last.” one in November last year. toy with Gavril on his way to a say whether he fancied a possible bout annual growth when it was awarded the first To add to Rio’s woes, Games chief Carlos In August 2017 IOC President Thomas resounding victory. One judge scored against Britain’s George Groves, who Olympics in South America back in 2009. Nuzman, a long-time former IOC member, is Bach had urged to give Brazil more time to it 119-109 while the two other cards won a bruising fight with Chris Eubank But when the Games came round in 2016 the to stand trial for his role in a corruption case implement legacy plans due to the country’s had it 120-108 in favour of Benavidez, Jr in Manchester earlier Saturday. country was in its worst recession in involving alleged bribery in Rio’s successful political and economic woes. — Reuters who improved to 20-0 with 17 knock- “I want to be the best, so whoever decades and locked in a maelstrom of politi- outs after the win. they put in front of me, that’s what I’m Benavidez, the youngest active going to do,” Benavidez said. —AFP national meet.” World outdoor champi- Houston stuns onships silver medallist Coleman cruised through qualifying in the 60 metres in S Korea’s Ko Kendricks 6.46 seconds despite slowing as he Audsley after relentless USA pressure advanced to today’s semi-finals and leads to win US rout Chile but the Eagles 10-0 up in the 21st minute. finals. The top two finishers in each Chile reduced the deficit to seven points for US pole event qualify for the March 1-4 world when fullback Tomas Ianiszewski stroked indoor championships in Birmingham, Australian Open to maintain over a penalty on 28 minutes and it England, provided they have the qualify- remained 10-3 at half-time.