By Ian S palmer
Super middleweight contender George Groves of England will be taking on Noe Gonzalez Alcoba of Uruguay at London’s O2 Arena on Saturday May 25. This 12-round but will be for the vacant WBA Inter-Continental Championship. The unbeaten Groves carries a record of 18-0 with him with 14 Kos while the veteran Alcoba, who now fights out of Argentina, is 30-2 with 22 Kos to his name.
Both of these boxers aren’t very well known to North American fans and that’s a bit of a shame really. However, since HBO is broadcasting this bout from London they’ll get a chance to check them out. The 25-year-old Groves made a name for himself in December when he easily beat former world champion Glen ‘The Road Warrior’ Johnson of Jamaica over 12 rounds. He’s won two consecutive bouts by knockout since then.
Groves has good boxing skills as well has fine footwork, a solid defence and pretty good hand speed. He’s also got good reflexes which he often needs since he likes to carry his hands a little low. The 34-year-old Alcoba will be a tough test since his confidence should be high. Alcoba has been victorious 16 times in his past 17 bouts and should be a good opponent for the young Briton.
The only bouts Alcoba has lost came to two excellent fighters in former world champion Felix Sturm of Germany in 2007 and to Adonis Stevenson in April of 2012. He was attempting to win the WBA title in his bout against Sturm, but lost a unanimous decision and was stopped in two rounds by Stevenson of Haiti. Alcoba also has decent hand speed and good foot movement. He likes to throw a high volume of punches and prefers to work his opponents over on the inside. He’s also got good power and Groves will need to have a good game plan against him.
Alcoba hasn’t been sent to London to simply be an opponent for Groves, he’s there to win the fight and his chances aren’t too bad. The Uruguayan turned pro back in 2004, but other tan Sturm and Stevenson, it’s hard to recognize any of his other opponents. He’s about six feet tall, the same as Groves, so nobody’s going to have a height advantage here.
Any advantage is going to come from boxing skills and this is where Groves appears to have the edge. He’s got a bit more power and speed and this could be the difference. Oh, and let’s not forget, there will be another advantage since Groves will be fighting in front of his British fans. Groves is a former British and Commonwealth Champion and also has a unanimous win over prospect James DeGale, who he beat by majority decision in 2011.
Prediction
All of the intangibles look good for Groves here. He’s younger, at home, and a little bit quicker than Alcoba. However, the veteran South American should cause some anxious moments for Groves and the British crowd. Look for Groves to take the vacant title by a unanimous decision or late stoppage.
