When the tournament draw was made back in July, Groves was placed as second favourite to win behind Callum Smith, despite the fact he was destined for an all-UK battle with Eubank in the last four.
Groves then blasted out Jamie Cox and Eubank knocked out Avni Yildirim in spectacular fashion, leading to a reversal of odds as Saturday’s bout draws near.
‘Saint’ George is placed as a 6/4 outsider with most bookies, whilst Eubank is a odds-on at 4-7 to book his place in the final this summer.
Addressing those fractions this week, Groves seemed stunned by the change. “On paper, this is billed as a 50-50 fight with Eubank Jr. maybe even being made the favorite. I don’t really understand that.
“I think the form, the history, the experience, the ability all lie in my favor and I’m looking forward to a big night.
“The hype behind this fight is huge. “I hope the fight justifies it.
“It’s a semi-final in a tournament I expect to win, so it’s a stepping stone, another step on the way for me.”
On Eubank’s hardened persona, Groves added: “Chris Eubank Jr. puts on a façade that he’s able to do everything himself, that’s he’s a one-man band. But it’s very difficult doing stuff on your own, so we’ll see if he starts to make changes and adapts. He’ll have to.
“Obviously, this is his first really big fight, definitely at super middleweight, and I believe that he is going to fall short in a lot of categories.”
Eubank himself said: “I’ve had many big fights, but this is probably the biggest in terms of profile, the tournament and hype. But at the end of the day, I always rise to the occasion.
“The bigger the fight, the better I perform,” he added.
The winner faces Smith should the Liverpool man overcome Juergen Braehmer, as expected next week in Germany, with most believing only the venue of the contest stands in his way of a triumph for 6ft 4ins ‘Mundo’.
Groves v Eubank is live in the United States on the WBSS Facebook page and on ITV Box Office in the UK
Phil Jay is Editor of World Boxing News. Follow on Twitter @PhilDJay
