• George Groves v Glen Johnson

Groves comfortable but can't find killer punch

ESPN staff
December 15, 2012
George Groves was unable to knock out Glen Johnson © Getty Images
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Super-middleweight George Groves claimed a comfortable points victory against veteran Glen Johnson to advance his world title ambitions on Saturday evening.

Groves never really looked like stopping Johnson, who has not been knocked out since 1997, but appeared even less likely to be stopped himself - giving his 43-year-old opponent a working over on the way to a wide, unanimous points decision.

Groves was eventually awarded the victory 120-107 120-107 119-109 on the judges' scorecard, a fair reflection of a bout that never really got the heartbeat racing.

Johnson was given the count late in the contest after what appeared to be a slip, but overall his highly-regarded chin held up as Groves failed to find the eye-catching knockout he had hoped for.

Nevertheless, the undefeated Englishman moved to 16-0 with this latest win, with world title fights on the horizon for 2013.

Earlier, Billy Joe Saunders claimed the British middleweight title to go with his Commonwealth strap after a unanimous points victory over Nick Blackwell.

Saunders started slowly but found his rhythm before he got into any real trouble, eventually claiming victory by way of the judges' scorecards - 117-112, 116-113 and 115-114.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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