Super middleweight contender Chris Eubank Jr. is predicting that world titleholder George Groves will defeat British countryman Jamie Cox in their World Boxing Super Series quarterfinal bout on Saturday at the SSE Arena Wembley in London.
Eubank's prediction should come as no surprise because he won his quarterfinal bout last week by third-round knockout of Avni Yildirim to advance to the semifinals, where he will take on the Groves-Cox winner. After the fight, Eubank, 28, also of England, made it clear Groves is who he wants to fight in the semifinals.
"Nothing is certain -- anything can happen in boxing -- but I want George Groves to win," Eubank said Thursday. "We have a history, and this is the fight the public has demanded for many years, so hopefully he gets through the fight and then we can get in the ring in January. I am not a betting man, but if I had to put money on one, I'd say George (will win) because of his experience. Cox is unknown; he is green. I'll give George the edge of the fight.
"If George is my opponent in the semifinal, then we can stop talking about favorites and let the hands do the talking. And my hands will be talking loudly at him."
Eubank (26-1, 20 KOs), the son of 1990s British star and former super middleweight and middleweight world titleholder Chris Eubank Sr., considers himself the favorite to win the eight-man tournament.
"After my performance against Yildirim, it's hard to see anyone as the tournament's favorite apart from me," said Chris Eubank Jr., who dropped then-undefeated Yildirim twice in the quick knockout victory in Stuttgart, Germany. "I can beat everybody in the super middleweight division. Any place, anywhere, any time."
Groves (26-3, 19 KOs), 29, will be making the first defense of the168-pound world title won by sixth-round knockout against Fedor Chudinov on May 27. Cox (24-0, 13 KOs), 31, is unbeaten but taking on a world-class opponent for the first time in his career.
The semifinals are penciled in for early 2018 with the finals on tap for May.