George Groves Hunting for New Trainer

By Olly Campbell - 10/09/2015 - Comments

British super-middleweight contender George Groves has officially stated that he is on the lookout for a new trainer after splitting from Paddy Fitzpatrick in the wake of last month’s WBC title loss to Badou Jack.

In a bizarre twist of fate, the Sauerland promoted fighter conceded to Sky Sports that he would be receptive to the idea of working with former Carl Froch cornerman and Team GB head coach, Robert McCracken, despite the perceived history of ‘bad blood’ between the two camps.

It’s no secret that Groves previously got under the skin of Froch and was famously beaten in back to back title challenges to the veteran former world titlist in 2013/4, although now the Nottingham “Cobra” has retired, Groves says if McCracken is receptive to the idea of training him, then so is he.

“If he was working with Froch then it’s unmanageable,” Groves said to Sky Sports in his first sit-down interview since the Badou Jack disappointment. “But [McCracken] is one of the most successful trainers in the country right now, he’s GB coach and has [previously] boxed for a world title.”

“If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em! I certainly wouldn’t be opposed to the idea [of working with him.]”

Groves is insistent that rejoining former trainer Adam Booth – with whom he split shortly before the first Froch fight – is not an option, although the possibility of seeking out US based tutelage is. In the build up to the Jack fight the Brit was training at Abel Sanchez’s Summit facility in California – home of Gennady Golovkin – so Sanchez, along with the likes of Freddie Roach, Joel Diaz, or Amir Khan cornerman Virgil Hunter, would be possible candidates should any of them be keen on the idea.

“If those guys would entertain me then that’s a compliment in itself,” he said. “There are [also] some great trainers in the UK but I haven’t thought about it too much. We’ll devise a list soon but I want someone proven at the top level, someone who’s training winners. I want to be in a winning environment.”

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