LONDON, England — George Groves revived his career with a unanimous points win over Martin Murray in a WBA world super-middleweight title eliminator on Saturday night.

After a brilliant bout that ended with a toe-to-toe slugfest, Groves was given the decision (118-110 on all three scorecards) and will go on to challenge WBA champion Fedor Chudinov.

It was a deserved victory for 28-year-old Groves (24-3, 18 KOs) at the O2 Arena in London, but there were worrying periods for him in an entertaining encounter with his British rival who last year went 11 rounds with Gennady Glolovkin.

Between them, they had been unsuccessful in seven world title fights. Murray (33-4-1, 16 KOs) had lost two and controversially drawn one at middleweight, before losing on points to Arthur Abraham at super-middleweight last year, while Groves had twice been stopped by Carl Froch and then lost a split points decision to WBC champion Badou Jack in September.

Neither could afford to lose at this stage of their careers and they started cautiously. The fourth began better for Groves, working behind his jab, but he ended the round with a cut right eyebrow.

Murray kept burrowing forward but Groves landed the cleaner blows in the fifth round and the Londoner seemed to be edging ahead on points. Groves finished the seventh round strong, landing a big right, and Murray’s legs creaked under two big rights at the start off the eighth.

Murray’s legs were like jelly later in the eighth as Groves sustained his attack and it was the Londoner’s punches that were getting through. And the bell came just in time for Murray at the end of the ninth after his legs did a dance following a straight right.

But Murray came firing back in the tenth and rocked Groves with a big right, before shrugging off a big right hand to the head himself.

The 12th was a barnstormer, with Murray getting nailed with two rights on the ropes only for Groves to then lose his footing and stagger backwards at the crucial moment when he had his opponent in trouble.

Earlier in the night, Chris Eubank Jr. — who says he wants to fight world middleweight No 1 Golovkin — defended his British belt with a fourth round win over Welshman Tom Doran.

It was Eubank’s first fight since Nick Blackwell was left in an induced coma from head injuries suffered in their fight.

Eubank, from Hove, wobbled Doran with a right uppercut early in the first but the challenger was finding openings of his own in the second round. But Eubank was ferocious in the third and Doran bravely recovered from a knockdown.

Doran was down three times in the fourth round, the first time from a punishing body combination and the last from a right uppercut that finished the one-sided contest. At times Eubank cruelly toyed with Doran and after the fight he claimed he was targeting the world title belts.

“Anyone with a world title, I’m coming for them,” Eubank said.

Dillian Whyte (17-1, 14 KOs) returned from his first defeat — to Anthony Joshuain December — with a confidence-boosting sixth round win over Ivica Bacurin. The Brixton heavyweight stopped his Croatian opponent, who last year fought Tony Bellew, with a right to the head.

Conor Benn — son of former world champion Nigel — disposed of Lukas Radic in the first round to take his record to 3-0. Benn’s opponent was laid out for several minutes after being floored for the second time by a wicked right. Benn has fast hands and fights with ferocious intensity, just like his father did.