Badou Jack wins split decision over George Groves to retain super middleweight title
Badou Jack celebrates his victory over George Groves. (Joe Camporeale, Paste BN Sports)
LAS VEGAS - George Groves came to the United States to take Badou Jack's WBC super middleweight title back to England.
Instead, he left empty-handed, losing a split decision to the underdog Jack, and will take home nothing but a lot of bruised body parts and bruised pride after a brutal fight.
As soon as the decision was announced, Groves, whose only two career losses coming in were knockouts to now retired British champion Carl Froch, bolted from the ring.
Jack, who won the title in April from Anthony Dirrell, knocked Groves down in the first round with two hard right hands and controlled the early part of the fight and the second half, when he was much more accurate with his punches. Groves won several middle rounds.
Groves threw 200 more punches than Jack, but landed 154 to Jack's 210, just 21%, half of Jack's percentage. He also doubled up Groves' total of power punches landed, 127 to 68.
"Groves is a hell of a fighter," Jack said. "I prepared to go 12 rounds."
The only judge to score the fight for Groves was the English judge John McKaie, who scored it 114-113. Guido Cavilleri and Glenn Trowbridge scored it 115-112 and 116-111, respectively, for Jack.
"It was a legit knockdown in the first round," Groves said. "He landed the right hand over the top, but I have good fitness and I thought I got back in control of that round."
Perhaps, but it was still scored a 10-8 round.
Jack, 31, the Mayweather Promotions fighter from Sweden, improved his record to 20-1-1 with 12 KOs.
"I should have got the knockout, but I didn't get it," Jack said. "I didn't go to the body enough."
Groves (22-3, 16 KOs) was disappointed with the loss, saying, "losing a world championship fight is the worst feeling in the world."
He said he would take some time to figure out what's next.
Jack wasn't looking ahead. Well, maybe a little.
"Haven't thought about my next fight yet, but there's a lot of big fights for me," he said. " I heard Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.and (Lucian) Bute want to fight me."