Smith: If I beat Groves I’m the best in the division

The WBSS super middleweight finals has been delayed a bit due to George Groves injury in the semifinals, but we’re finally here. Tomorrow Groves will take on Callum Smith in a super middleweight title unification with some believing the winner will have proved himself the best 168-pounder on the planet. Smith certainly thinks so.

From RingTV:

“If I beat George Groves, I’m The Ring Magazine champion and the best in the division. The others can call themselves world champions, but I’m No. 1 and they’ll have to beat me. Only boxing people really understand there’s being world champion and there’s being the best in the world. That’s what I want to achieve Friday night.”

Smith continues to say that by thinking about the fight he’s aware that Groves has the ability to both box and mix it up, and that he believes he can best Groves either way he decides to play it.

“George has shown that he can play the patient game or he can come out and get stuck in,” said Smith. “I believe I can do both myself, but it all depends what happens on fight night. Either way, I can come out on top.”

Smith (24-0, 17 KOs) enters this fight coming off a unanimous decision win over substitute opponent Nieky Holzken in February. And Groves, who doesn’t think highly of Smith’s path to this finals match, believes that is something he’s going to expose tomorrow in Saudi Arabia.