Former world title challenger George Groves will take on Eduard Gutknecht on November 18th in London, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.
“I’m extremely happy to announce this fight and am excited to be headlining on Channel 5,” Groves said. “I have been fortunate in my boxing career so far to experience almost everything the sport has to offer but to be fighting live on terrestrial TV is something that has always been very high up on my bucket list.
“It goes without saying that I am now determined to challenge again, and this time succeed, in becoming a world champion. I feel that working alongside Cyclone Promotions for this fight, as well as with my promoters Team Sauerland, with the opportunity to be back headlining in front of a home crowd close to West London, is the perfect move for me — especially with the chance to showcase myself to a larger audience.”
Said Shane McGuigan, Groves’ trainer: “This is a must-win fight for George. We’ve worked extremely hard this year, and Nov. 18 is a chance for George to make another important step towards becoming a world champion. Eduard Gutknecht is a proven operator who we cannot afford to take lightly. Eddy has a high-punch output and is extremely durable, so we are preparing for 12 hard rounds.”
Gutknecht (30-4-1, 13 KOs), a 34-year-old Kazakhstan native living in Germany, lost a decision to Robert Stieglitz in a 2010 world title bout and another decision to Juergen Braehmer in a world title fight in March. He bounced back from that loss with a third-round knockout win against Artem Redko on June 18.
He said he will be fighting Groves in his hometown.
“I will come to London on Nov. 18 full of energy and conquer,” he said. “I only want to fight winners and make them lose. George Groves is a winner and a world-class fighter, but so am I. The fans in London are in for a hell of a fight.”
