• Boxing

DeGale next for dominant Groves, Sykes retains title

George Groves defeated Daniel Allotey with relative ease © Getty Images

Enlarge

Related Links

• News: Groves-DeGale confirmed for May 21
  
• News: DeGale to fight on Burns undercard as Groves looms
  
• News: Hayemaker win Groves and DeGale purse bid
  

George Groves clinically disposed of Daniel Allotey in a fourth round stoppage to extend his unbeaten professional record to twelve fights and set-up a near-inevitable British super middleweight showdown with Olympic champion James DeGale.

Coming into the bout with nine knockouts to his credit in 11 fights, Groves initially took his time to get to grips with the gangly southpaw, who seemed to cause some problems with his range and movement.

But the Commonwealth champion - whose belt was not on the line - soon got the measure of his opponent, knocking him down with a strong right hand early in the fourth round and, after the Ghanaian clambered back to his feet, ending the contest with his next punch as Allotey slumped to the canvas.

"Great fight. We've worked on a few things in training and we took them into the fight," Groves told Sky Sports, before being asked if Allotey was simply preparation for a fight with DeGale. "Of course, he's a southpaw because the James DeGale fight is coming up and it would be stupid not to get a southpaw in for the warmup fight."

Groves' trainer, Adam Booth, admitted that an eagerly anticipated bout with DeGale is nearing agreement.

"We're very close," Booth said. "The fight has to happen. I'm speaking to James' people on a daily basis and I think we're very close to making an announcement."

Hammersmith native Groves, who has enjoyed a long-running war of words with DeGale after the pair rose through the amateur ranks together, is confident he will add another victory to his increasingly impressive CV.

"It'll be a Groves win," he said. "Whether or not it's by knockout or decision I don't care. I've got everything I need ready for this fight already - and I don't need that much to beat James DeGale anyway."

Booth, who also trains heavyweight David Haye, acknowledged an agreement for the WBA belt holder to fight Wladimir Klitschko could be sealed next week, "touch wood".

"Again, we're very very close," Booth confirmed. "Everything seems to be going better than ever at the moment. Both fights have to happen. George is ready, and David's ready."

In the night's main event at Huddersfield Leisure Centre, British super featherweight champion Gary Sykes recovered from being dropped in the ninth round to impressively engineer a successful defence of his title against challenger Carl Johanneson.

In a bout that encouraged more than one standing ovation from the crowd, neither fighter gave any quarter in a competitive 12-round battle that was never less than unpredictable.

Johanneson looked like he might grab an impressive victory after downing Sykes with a swinging overhand right midway through the ninth stanza, but Sykes somehow weathered the storm that followed as his opponent looked to finish him off.

Having found his feet by the time the bell rang to send the brawlers back to their corner, the Dewsbury fighter's conditioning provided the edge as he emerged to dominate the final three rounds - and that ultimately proved the difference on the judges' scorecards as he won a unanimous decision 116-112 115-112 115-113.

"To beat him means the world to me," Sykes, who will now look for a European title fight, said. "Experience along the way certainly helped me. What a great champion Carl has been."

"He deserved it. I thought I had him in the ninth, but he got up," a disillusioned Johanneson added.

Elsewhere on the night, promising Polish middleweight Grzegorz Proksa extended his own unbeaten run to 24 fights with a fourth round technical knockout of Irish opponent Joe Rea.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.