George Groves Wins in His Return and Eyes Fourth Title Shot

Photo by Andy Rain/EPAGeorge Groves made a triumphant return to the ring on Saturday against Italian Andrea Di Luisa, earning a fifth round stoppage win and a return to relevance in the super-middleweight reckoning.

Taking place at London's Copper Box Arena, Di Luisa proved no match for Groves' hand speed and penetrating combinations. In the fourth round, Di Luisa was forced to take a count after the referee deemed the Italian to have touched down after receiving a swift left hook from Groves.

That was a questionable call from referee Ian-John Lewis. But, it turns out that was a sign of things to come for Di Luisa.

In the fifth round Groves thundered a body shot to his adversary which crumpled the Italian to receive another ten count from the referee. Di Luisa showed heart to get back up to his feet. But, his corner was forced to throw in the towel as a Groves overhand right landed once again.

Di Luisa was an ideal opponent for Groves to help the Englishman regain some momentum following his disappointing split decision loss against Badou Jack. The Neapolitan has a solid record of 18-4, but he has been used as somewhat of a gatekeeper to help boost another fighter's record following a loss. For example, Lucian Bute faced off against Di Luisa following his decision loss against fellow Canadian Jean Pascal.

Saint George's career has been in a transitional stage since his double header against Carl Froch. The first fight ended controversially with the underdog Groves troubling Froch in the early stages. The referee gave Froch plenty of opportunities to recover from the bad spot he was in and the "Cobra" did just that. But, when Froch had Groves wobbled, the referee was very quick to call off the fight—prompting calls for the rematch.

Before the second fight against Froch, Groves joined up with a new promoter in Kalle Sauerland of Germany. Much of the fight promotion saw a heated and, to some people, a borderline-arrogant Groves berate Froch from the outset. Froch is a spiky character himself with plenty of the UK boxing fanbase loving and loathing him in equal measure. But, like seen with Ronda Rousey getting her comeuppance against Holly Holm, the devastating KO loss suffered by Groves saw him earn ridicule by the casual boxing fan over social media and beyond.

Sauerland had to get to work to repair the image of Groves and he did just that, padding out Groves' record with solid wins over competent opponents such as Christopher Rebrasse and Denis Douglin. These wins earned the Londoner the European and WBC Silver super-middleweight belts to help him get back into world title contention.

It worked. Groves' next fight was against Sweden's Money Team member Badou Jack for the world WBC supper middleweight championship. However, Groves fell short again—this time losing to a split decision.

With three defeats from five fights—all of those losses for a world title—Groves considered quitting boxing with his position in the sport up in the air. But, instead, he opted for a change in scenery and found solace in new trainer Shane McGuigan like former world champion heavyweight David Haye—a former teammate of Groves under coach Adam Booth.

While Di Luisa isn't the most stellar of victories, it was an encouraging sight to see Groves both back on the winning track and visibly hungry for more in the post-fight interview. Groves does have his in-ring limitations, but if he can at least regain the focus and belief he had prior to his first Froch fight, Saint George is a worthy super-middleweight contender.

Speaking after the fight, Groves told Sky Sports: "I feel fresh. I'm back on Sky and headlining in London. We'll look for another big date. I'm ready to crack on. I'll fight anyone, take any opportunity. We've been working on some things and I'm sure doors will open up quickly. In the meantime, we'll train more with Shane and gel more."

What's next for the Londoner? Sauerland has mentioned a potential big-money fight between Groves and Armenian-German boxer Arthur Abraham for his WBO super middleweight title at some point in 2016—providing Abraham gets past Mexican fighter Gilberto Ramirez, of course. There is also talk of Groves taking on countryman Callum Smith this year. But, Smith already has a title eliminator bout booked against Hadillah Mohoumadi which could see the Liverpudlian face Badou Jack for his WBC title.

Whoever the opponent, it will be fascinating to see if Groves can regain his status as a world title contender under the tutelage of McGuigan in 2016.