SUPER-MIDDLEWEIGHT George Groves faces Jamie Cox in the quarter-finals of the World Boxing Super Series on October 14th.
The unbeaten Cox will prove a tough opponent for 29-year-old Groves, he has a record of 24 wins and no losses, with 13 knockouts.
WBA champion Groves has built up a string of odd-looking tattoos over his career.
Groves is a big believer in positive energy and luck, which is the reasoning behind the images on his left arm.
“The left is my lucky arm, my jabbing arm. It goes a bit quicker and it’s a bit more spiteful.
“It’s not too serious but it does have a positive meaning for me – you could never do without a bit of luck,” he said.
SunSport run through these tattoos and decipher what exactly they mean?
Buddha
Placed on his left forearm, the Buddha is the first of a line of symbols signifying lucky charms.
Buddha is the founder of the Buddhist religion, which primarily teaches lessons of peace and harmony.
The legend goes that if you rub a Buddha’s belly you will receive good luck.
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Chinese cat
Maneki-neko, directly translates to ‘beckoning cat’ and is a symbol of luck in Japan and China.
There are misconceptions over the cat’s ‘waving gesture’, but in Japan, this action resembles beckoning.
It sits on Groves’ left bicep, where he draws the power for his quick, punishing jabs.
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Gingerbread man
A smiling gingerbread man stands in a horseshoe on the top of Groves’ arm.
Horseshoes are charms used to bring good luck and protect against any form of evil – which could come in the form of Jamie Cox’s right hook.
The spiced treat could represent Groves himself, who is perched on the horseshoe for even more good fortune.
Four-leaf clover and wishbone
The chances of finding a four leaf clover is 1 in 10,000.
Luckily one seems to have appeared on the arm of George Groves.
The green clover represents hope, faith, love and luck.
Whoever breaks a wishbone is meant to receive good fortune, the fighters will be hoping nothing will break in the ring on October 14th.
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Mars, the god of war
The Spartan looking Roman God, Mars, covers Groves’ right abdomens.
When asked about this particular tattoo, he said: “You prepare like a warrior and you go to war.
“That’s part of my philosophy, you prepare for battle. You’re in there and there is no one I will let beat me, I’ll win at all costs.”
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With all these good luck charms, it’s no wonder Groves has won 26 fights and only lost three.
The Englishman will be vying to hold onto his WBA super-middleweight belt.
The match-up will be shown live on Saturday, October 14 on ITV’s box office pay-per-view channel.
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