George Groves believes ruthless ambition set him apart from mates at Dale Youth and led to the biggest west London boxing night in 53 years.
Not since Paddington’s Terry Downes lifted the world middleweight crown at what is now the Arena next to Wembley Stadium in 1961 has our patch got close to the ultimate boxing prize.
But the Hammersmith hammer is absolutely certain he will get the better of Carl Froch in their super-middleweight rematch on Saturday in front of 80,000 live fans and a global TV audience north of 200 million.
Just six years ago the 26-year-old was doing his thing at Dale Youth’s gym in North Kensington under the Grenville Tower on the Lancaster Estate. Of those Groves left behind, only fierce foe James DeGale has come close to the same achievements.
Although he was ABA champion in 2007 and 2008, Groves admitted at a public workout in Westfield shopping centre on Tuesday that what sorted him out from the rest in Dale red was lasting desire.
He said: “I think my career couldn’t have gone any better. I faced the right tests at the right time, and I’ve been ready to step up to the world scene for a long time now.
“You either believe in yourself or you don’t. I wasn’t reaching for the ceiling because I believed the sky was the limit.
“There were an awful lot of talented people around me (at Dale), but I wanted to conquer the world, and even if I do, to a certain degree I never will be satisfied.”
