Groves was expected to look good, not struggle so much
Monday 24 November 2014 11:31, UK
Paul Smith expected Anthony Joshua to blast Michael Sprott but he didn't think James DeGale would put on the performance of the night...
Well we always say Anthony Joshua but this time? I've got to go with James DeGale.
He looked really, really good and I don't think I was the only one who thought Marco Antonio Periban was going to be the toughest test of the night - Nathan Cleverly or Tony Bellew aside.
But James made light work of it and in fact he flipped things over because again most of us expected George Groves to look good and put on a show.
Yes, we expected Joshua to come in and blow Michael Sprott away and he did, but I know just how good DeGale is and I now know he as stepped up a level but this performance was the stand-out on Saturday night.
I couldn't have been more wrong. I thought Groves would shine against Denis Douglin, who wasn't really a super-middleweight, and I thought DeGale would have a long night's work ahead of him.
As he rightly pointed out afterwards, Periban hadn't been stopped before and I thought James was going to just punch away for 12 rounds, hurting those hands and then if he'd battered him, he'd have to settle for the points win.
Instead, he looked good, he looked flashy and he stopped him. And it was another good, clinical finish. It seems to be coming together nicely for James.
As for Groves I am sure he will admit he under-performed but Douglin was a little akward to start with and in the end he got through a tough seven rounds before the stoppage came.
I didn't expect that and I am sure not many of us expected DeGale to look so good and steal the show on busy night, but he did, there is no doubt about that.