After months of waiting, the World Boxing Super Series super middleweight finals has a date and venue.
The finals, which pits WBA ?super? super middleweight champion George Groves against WBC Diamond titleholder Callum Smith and end the first WBSS season, will take place on September 28 in Jeddah Saudi Arabia. The fight will take place at the King Abdullah Sports City Stadium, which also hosted WWE?s Greatest Royal Rumble event back in April.
Kalle Sauerland, Comosa?s Chief Boxing Officer, said in a press release that the fight will be one the boxing world does not want to miss.
"The Super-Middleweight Final in Saudi Arabia, where the Muhammad Ali name and legacy is so revered, has all the ingredients to capture the world on a stage not normally associated with boxing," Sauerland said. "Groves vs Smith is an incredible match-up between two proved gladiators, two rivals, it?s certainly a final not to be missed!"
If Jeddah sounds familiar to boxing fans, that is because the city was originally chosen to host the WBSS cruiserweight finals between Oleksandr Usyk and Murat Gassiev. After Gassiev suffered an injury weeks before the original May fight date, the bout was delayed and ultimately moved to Moscow, Russia, leaving Saudi Arabia without a boxing fight for the time being.
The fight ends a tournament that has taken more than a year to conclude since its opening gale. Groves vs. Smith was originally scheduled to take place earlier this year in England, but like with the cruiserweight finals, Groves was not fit to compete in time due to injuries suffered in his semifinal win over Chris Eubank Jr.
Groves, the tournament?s top seed, won his opening round fight against Jamie Cox by knockout last year and followed it up with the win over Eubank Jr. back in February. Smith punched his ticket to the finals with decision wins over Erik Skoglund and Nieky Holzken.