Jack, 31, ripped the title away from Anthony Dirrell in April and was always lined up to face Groves who has been waiting in the wings for some time.
It was originally thought that the contest could be heading to the Floyd Mayweather undercard on September 12 at the MGM Grand, although after much speculation this proved not to be the case.
Groves’ promoters Sauerland even moved to warn fans about the dangers of buying tickets for the Mayweather event and expecting ‘The Saint’ to appear on the card before the WBC made their own announcement hours later.
August 22 in Las Vegas @WBCBoxing title @BadouJack Vs @StGeorgeGroves #GreenBelt #champion
— Mauricio Sulaiman (@wbcmoro) June 17, 2015
Former two-time world title challenger Groves knew he would have to travel as Sauerland lost the original purse bid to Mayweather Promotions, although the 27 year-old now has a date to focus his efforts on.
Back-to-back losses to Carl Froch meant disappointment in Groves’ last attempts to fulfill his dream and the ex-European title holder will now have to follow rival James DeGale and do it the hard way.
DeGale, who suffered his only defeat at the hands of Groves, travelled to the US earlier this year and took the IBF title home following a battle with the other Dirrell – Andre.
The Jack v Groves contest is set to be part of Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions when the pair finally collide, with an undercard set to follow in the near future.
