Groves vs. Murray
The chief support saw three time world title challenger George Groves (WBC:2nd, WBA:4th, IBF:9th) meet domestic rival and four-time world title challenger Martin Murray (WBC:10th) in a WBA super middleweight title eliminator. [14]
Speaking in the build up Groves described Martin as "...the perfect fight for me at this stage. He's a seasoned campaigner, who's boxed at the highest level for quite some time. He is a world level opponent and I'll have to be fully focused and prepared to beat him. A win against Murray on the biggest stage will open a lot of doors and bring me a step closer to achieving my goal of becoming world champion. I'm fully expecting it to be a war; I can't wait." [15]
Murray made weight on the second attempt.
The fight
Groves hurt Murray with a right uppercut at the end of 7th, a left-right combination at the end of the 9th and a pair of big right hands in the 12th. Murray had Groves looking hurt in the 10th after hitting him with a left hook to the head. Both fighters looked tired and ragged in the 12th round. Their conditioning looked less than to be desired at that point in the fight. [16]
At the end of 12 rounds Groves defeated Murray via a 12-round unanimous decision. The three judges scored the fight at 118–110, giving Murray only two rounds.
Aftermath
Groves told Sky Sports in the aftermath, "I think I performed great, but I got caught with punches, Martin Murray is a class act and should be a world champion. It was make or break, but I had him out on his feet. That was my first step up since losing to Badou Jack. I did well but hats off to Murray. What a performer." [17]
| Preceded by | George Groves's bouts
25 June 2016 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by vs. Cedric Spera | Martin Murray's bouts
25 June 2016 | Succeeded by vs. Nuhu Lawal |
Main Event
With not much action in the opener, a clean left hook from Joshua was the highlight of the round. In the second, Joshua began putting combination punches together and throwing at will. In the final minute, a right uppercut and left hook sent the American staggering across the ring. Breazeale began round three with a swollen right eye, a round in which both fighters began trading power punches, with Joshua snapping Breazeale's head back with stiff jabs and a looping left hook in the final seconds of the round. Round four saw much of the same from Joshua, with Breazeale's punch output slowing, Joshua controlled the round with jabs and power punches. [18] Near the halfway point of round five, Joshua landed a left hook to momentarily stun Breazeale, followed by a brief moment of success by the challenger with a right hand. The sixth was a slow-paced round, with Breazeale finding the target, resulting in a bloodied nose for Joshua. The end came in the seventh, with Breazeale backing up against the ropes, Joshua unloaded a barrage of punches to send the American to the canvas. Breazeale beat the referee's count of ten, only to be backed up again with a flurry of punches, ending with a left hand to send the challenger down for the second time and prompting the referee to call a halt to the fight. [19] At the time of the stoppage, 1 minute 1 second into the round, Joshua was ahead on the scorecards, with all three judges scoring the bout 60–54.
