• Super-middleweight

Groves: Froch fight hasn't scarred me

George Groves insists he has not been left psychologically scarred by his brutal knockout to Carl Froch ahead of Saturday's ring return.

Groves faces his first fight since losing to WBA and IBF world super-middleweight champion Froch at Wembley Stadium in May across the road at Wembley Arena, when he challenges Frenchman Christopher Rebrasse for the European belt.

The heavy knockout in the eighth round against Froch was the second defeat in a row for Groves, who had floored Froch before being controversially stopped in the ninth round last November.

George Groves challenges Christopher Rebrasse for the European title on Saturday © Getty Images

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"My head is in a good place," Groves told ESPN. "There were concerns with that but I'm not concerned about it.

"I watched it back that night a few times and have been through again since then. I'm a realist and I'm not going to shy away from being knocked out.

"The fight itself I thought was going to our game plan and I was winning. I was going to come on strong at the end but with one punch it was over.

"That's the reality of boxing - it can be over in a flash. You can't just grit your teeth and come through it, boxing is brutal.

"It's frustration more than anything else because I put in a lot of hard work with the team but so far we have nothing to show for it.

A third successive loss would be the most damaging of Groves' career but victory will put him first in line to take on American Anthony Dirrell for the WBC version of the world title.

Groves, who sparred with world middleweight No.1 Gennady Golovkin earlier in his training camp for this fight, believes he will show he has improved since the Froch rematch.

"I know I've made improvements and I will show that against Rebrasse and get myself back into contention for a world title fight," Groves added.

"I just need to be patient and I will get the rewards.

"I know I belong at this level and this opponent is a European champion who is ranked No.3 with the WBC. I'm not looking for an easy road back, a lot of fighters do it after a loss but that wouldn't satisfy me personally. I don't get any satisfaction out of easy fights and this is a quick route back."

Groves admits he now has to win the WBC title before the possibility of facing James DeGale, who he out-pointed in 2011, or even Froch again.

The 26-year-old even believes a fight with WBC champion Dirrell can be made before the end of 2014 as long as he returns to winning ways against Rebrasse, who will be making a first defence of the European crown in what is also an eliminator for the WBC title.

"If I win this I will be back in line to challenge for a world title and that's a real motivation," Groves told ESPN.

"Anthony Dirrell has just become champion and [Julio Cesar] Chavez [Jr] has just passed up his opportunity and isn't interested. So the WBC are waiting to see who the winner of this fight is and because it's a final eliminator, provided I win this I will be looking to challenge for the belt as soon as possible.

"The reason I had this fight so early in the boxing season and so soon after the Froch fight is because I would love to challenge for the WBC belt before Christmas and start the New Year as champion.

"I think I have to win this next fight for my own sanity and for my career. Then I want to win the WBC title and it makes sense for me to sit at the negotiating table with a belt.

"Me and James DeGale did pay-per-view TV after I had only had 12 fights for the British title so when we do fight again it has to be for a world title."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd