George Groves-Jamie Cox set for October 14 at Wembley Arena
WBA super middleweight champion George Groves (26-3, 19 KOs) will meet unbeaten contender Jamie Cox (23-0, 13 KOs) on October 14 at Wembley Arena, for their quarter-final fight in the World Boxing Super Series.
When the competitors in the eight-man 168lbs tournament attended the draft on July 8 in Monte Carlo, the top four seeds picked their opponents from the unseeded boxers.Top seeded Groves opted to fight fellow Brit Cox.
Groves, 29, will also defend his WBA belt, which he claimed with a sixth round stoppage win over Fedor Chudinov in May, against his countryman.
''I'm really looking forward to getting started and it's great to have a date set so early to give you something to strive for," said Groves.
"I'm already in the gym plugging away and I've got plenty of time to prepare. The SSE Arena, Wembley Arena has always been a happy hunting ground for me. I've had many good nights there, and I'm looking forward to fighting there again.
''I'm happy with my choice of opponent. I know there are no easy fights in this tournament and there are no easy fights at world level, but Jamie is the guy I know the most about.
"I know about his background, I know how he trains, I know who he trains with, but most importantly, I know the things you need in this tournament, such as composure and experience at the highest level, he's lacking. I've got them in abundance, but he's brand new, he's a total novice.
"I don't think he's even headlined his own show yet and he's getting flung in the deep end with me. This is a big pressure fight for him and I think he'll struggle to cope.''
Cox, a 30-year-old southpaw, will be taking a huge step up in competition but is excited to be part of the tournament and ready to cause an upset.
"I'm glad George picked me, I was prepared for anyone but I was hoping for a UK fight so I can't wait," said Cox.
"George is a tough opponent. He has some good attributes but I'm prepared to shock everyone. This is what I've been working towards all my career, and to be a part of something this big is amazing.
"Now I'm here, I'm ready to capitalise on it and win my first World title and progress to the semi-finals."
The first super middleweight quarterfinal is scheduled for September 16 at the Echo Arena in Liverpool, where hometown fighter Callum Smith (22-0, 17 KOs) will face Sweden's Erik Skoglund (26-0, 12 KOs).
The other two quarter-finals - Chris Eubank Jr (24-1, 19 KOs) vs Avni Yildirim (16-0, 10 KOs) and Juergen Braehmer (48-3, 35 KOs) vs Rob Brant (22-0, 15 KOs), still need to be scheduled.