'Old man' George Groves has the 'fear factor,' admits Callum Smith

He might have labelled George Groves an 'old man' but Callum Smith admits no other opponent has provided him with a fear factor quite like the WBA super-middleweight champion.

Smith challenges the Londoner for his title in the World Boxing Super Series final on Friday night at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia after months of waiting for a shot at world honours.

He was first made mandatory challenger for the WBC title way back in January 2017 but only now will Smith, the youngest of Liverpool's four famous boxing brothers, get his chance having made his way to the final of the WBSS.

First he saw off Erik Skoglund via a unanimous decision in the quarter final before another points win - this time against late stand-in Nieky Holzken in February - booked his place in the Saudi desert.

But the 28-year-old, unbeaten at 24-0 with 17 inside the distance, believes Groves represents a different challenge entirely.

He said: “I've always been a big favourite in fights but when I've been picked to lose before it's always brought a bit extra out of me, a bit of fear factor, and there's no bigger fear factor than in this fight. George is the best I've faced so far.

“If I do under-perform then the chances of me losing are massive, and I need a big performance. Good fighters perform when need be, and this is my big fight. I've worked to become a world champion my whole career.

“Two years ago I became mandatory challenger to Badou Jack. I believe I'd have beaten him at the time but he's improved a lot since but I was ready to beat him then. It didn't happen that way but I'm a better fighter now than I was then.”

Smith, at 6ft 3in, is colossal for the 12st super-middleweight limit and he looked in tremendous shape on the scales at Thursday's weigh-in. He will hold a significant height and reach advantage over Groves, who is enjoying the best form of his career since returning from his 2016 defeat to Jack.

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“He looks like an old man who has had a very hard career,” said Smith when asked for his thoughts on Groves immediately after the weigh-in.

“He's had a very good career but there's a lot of miles there. I'm the younger, fresher, better man.

“I can beat any super middleweight in the world but I don't have the right to say I'm the best yet.

“I haven't won a world title and there are four world champions who all have a good argument to say they're the best, and I don't.

“I'm a bigger threat than his previous WBSS opponents Chris Eubank Jnr and Jamie Cox, and most will agree with that. Stylistically I'm very different, and hard to prepare for, and I can punch a bit as well.

“He might downplay it but it's a tough fight for him as well as for me."

Indeed, 30-year-old Groves has suggested that Smith may not even make his top three hardest opponents to date and insists he is expecting to win comfortably inside the distance.

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And, when asked whether Groves may be underestimating his latest challenger, Smith said: “Possibly, but George has always believed he's far superior to anyone else. It's his mindset.

“He always puts it across that he's better; he talks to sound intelligent and try and put me down to feel like I'm out of my depth. But I've always had self-belief.

“It's part of his pre-fight thing; he loves mind games and will try and put me down but I know how good I am and how good he is.

“I'm a massive threat, and good enough to go in there, take him out, take his belt off him, and end his reign.”