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George Groves went to 0-3 in world title fights this past Saturday night, when he lost a split decision against Badou Jackon the Mayweather-Berto undercard, which saw Jack retain his WBC super middleweight title, a bit of an upset given that Groves was the betting favorite going into the bout.
Groves (21-3, 16 KO) says he's going to take some time off and figure out where he wants to go next, which his promoters at Sauerland Event support.
"Ultimately it doesn't matter how you lose a world title fight, the feeling is much the same. ... I came very close to achieving a lifelong goal but it wasn't to be. I'm now going to spend some time with my family and decide upon my future."
Groves, 27, is now 2-3 in his last five fights, though the losses have all been more than respectable. A pair of well-fought stoppage defeats against Carl Froch are nothing to be ashamed of, and the loss to Jack was a valiant effort, especially considering Groves got dropped in the very first round. But it does beg the question of whether or not Groves can get over the hump. Jack was seen going in as a fairly soft world titleholder, and you have to wonder if the losses have taken their toll on Groves at a young age, too.
One option apparently still open is a rematch with IBF titleholder James DeGale, an old rival of Groves' going back to their days as youth amateurs. Groves beat DeGale by a razor thin margin in 2011, but they're both different, more mature fighters now. Well, it's still an option if Groves wants to give DeGale more than just the lion's share, anyway.
"As I said, I'm in boxing for the big fights and if the British public want it and demand it, let's do it. But we'll have to negotiate the purse. Maybe 90 [per cent for me]... 10 per cent to him. We'll see."
DeGale (21-1, 14 KO) beat Andre Dirrell to win the vacant IBF belt on May 23, after Carl Froch vacated and later retired from the sport. DeGale had been Froch's mandatory challenger. He's gone 11-0 since his loss to Groves.