George Groves vs Chris Eubank Jr: War of words begins as Groves mocks opponent

The pair are due to fight in the Muhammad Ali Trophy semi-final, with a date still to be confirmed for early next year.

Number one seed Groves booked his place in the last four with a fourth-round knockout against Swindon-born boxer Jamie Cox on Saturday night.

Eubank, a former sparring partner of Groves, was at Wembley Arena to watch the southpaw fighter secure victory with a brutal body blow.

The 29-year-old defended his WBA super-middleweight belt in the process, and he feels his performance would have struck fear into his next opponent.

“I felt I boxed very well, he could quite possibly be a bit nervous about it,” explained Groves.

“It doesn’t matter as, at the end of the day, the very best Chris Eubank won’t beat me.

“What I like about Eubank is that he will punch from his ankles from the get go but that’s because he doesn’t have the boxing brain.

“He is stepping up big time against me. He’s not good enough.”

Groves also revealed a private conversation that he had with Eubank Snr.

“His dad has always had a lot of respect for me,” Groves added. “He’s been quite kind to me.

“His dad spoke to me at the Monaco draw when he came out five minutes before we went to the draw.

“He had the bow tie on, the shoes, the Louis Vuitton case under his arm and he said, ‘Oh George, you better not beat my son’ and I thought, ‘He’s conforming already! He knows.’”