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Hayemaker win Groves and DeGale purse bid

James DeGale now must sit down and discuss fight arrangements with George Groves and Hayemaker Productions © Getty Images

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Hayemaker Promotions, owned by WBA heavyweight champion David Haye, have won the right to stage the forthcoming fight between James DeGale and their client George Groves.

The British Boxing Board of Control has revealed that Dave Coldwell, Hayemaker's Head of Boxing, won the bidding to stage the bout with an offer of £400,000 - a record bid that dwarfed the one from DeGale's promoter, Frank Warren.

Warren and DeGale will now have to sit down and discuss arrangements for the 25-year-old to make his first British super-middleweight title defence. Coldwell has two weeks to get both sides to come to an agreeement.

The date and venue for the fight have yet to be determined, although it must take place before April 11 - ruling out any prospect of it being on the undercard of David Haye's likely world title defence on May 21.

Indeed, the purse bid is by no means a guarantee that the bout will go ahead, although DeGale will have to vacate his title if he is to opt out - an option that has been tipped in some quarters.

The two fighters have a long history together, having progressed through the ranks at Dale Youth ABC at the same time, and there is no love lost between the pair.

They actually fought back in 2006 as amateurs, with Groves emerging victorious on that occasion. DeGale has repeatedly said he wants revenge.

"I hope the ugly kid George Groves does take the fight," DeGale said recently. "He's got heart and a bit of bottle so hopefully it'll come about in the early part of next year. But I would take him to pieces and it wouldn't last four rounds. Deep in his heart he knows that as well.

"He's the mandatory challenger so it's me and him next. You keep running your mouth off saying you want to British title so let's do it."

Groves has previously warned if either fighter pulls out of a bout now they will look 'ridiculous'.

"If one of us backs out of this fight now it's going to look ridiculous and all the hype and all the verbal that's gone on beforehand will be for nothing," he said.

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