DeGale could face old rival Groves
Date published :
03 Feb 2010 - 11:15:42
David Haye's promotional company claim they have offered £50,000 for Olympic gold medallist James DeGale to fight former amateur rival George Groves on April 3 in Manchester.
Groves' promoters Hayemaker are keen to make a fight in the professional ranks happen sooner rather than later, revealing they have offered DeGale's promoter Frank Warren a deal for the pair to square off live on Sky Box Office on the undercard of Haye's WBA heavyweight title defence against John Ruiz.
Hayemaker Boxing's Adam Booth, who trains and manages both Haye and Groves, said: "We are deadly serious about making this fight for April 3 and believe that we have made a more than fair offer for it to happen."
While it was DeGale who won middleweight gold in Beijing in 2008 and has since enjoyed a huge profile, Groves actually beat his rival in the amateurs en route to his 2006 ABA title triumph and has made quiet but significant progress since turning professional just over a year ago.
Booth added: "This is a fight George wants to take now, as he's desperate to prove a point against DeGale. George doesn't want to wait and risk the fight never happening - he wants to meet DeGale as soon as possible and he wants to do it on the biggest stage possible.
"You can't get a bigger stage than a world heavyweight championship fight. Not only will the world's media be watching, Groves and DeGale would also box in front of a sold-out crowd at the MEN Arena. There would be plenty of incentive for both men.
"We're offering DeGale the chance to gain revenge on the biggest boxing night of the year.
"Both fighters have improved dramatically since their first meeting and a rematch as pros would be a great spectacle for British boxing fans.
"This is a one-off fight offer, with no strings attached.
"We just simply want to put the best fighters in against the best fighters and let them have the chance to become stars. George is ready to do this on April 3 - we're just waiting for an answer from James DeGale."
