George Groves vs. Martin Murray: A Breakdown Ahead of Their Fight on June 25

The term must-win fight is used far too often in boxing. However, when George Groves and Martin Murray meet in the ring at the O2 Arena in London on June 25, both will be putting their careers on the line.

Between them, the two Englishmen have failed in seven (yes, seven) attempts to win world titles.

Their super middleweight bout was announced on Monday as the chief support to IBF heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua's title defence against American Dominic Breazeale.

The winner of the co-feature will be a step closer to another shot at a major belt. The loser, in contrast, will be left to wonder where exactly they turn next.

Here, Bleacher Report breaks down a domestic clash that has more than just Groves' WBA International title on the line.

Groves (23-3, 18 KOs) has been British, Commonwealth and European champion at 168 pounds. He has a win over rival James DeGale on his record, too.

However, a world title—boxing's Holy Grail—has so far eluded Saint George.

The 28-year-old gained plenty of praise but no belts in his two fights with IBF and WBA champion Carl Froch.

He dropped his rival in their first meeting in Manchester, England, in 2013 but ended up losing in controversial circumstances.

Sensing Groves was hurt, referee Howard Foster Jr. stopped the contest in Round 9. However, the beaten fighter protested at the decision, leading to him being made the IBF's mandatory challenger.

The rematch—staged in front of 80,000 at Wembley Stadium—saw Froch prevail again by TKO, although there was absolutely no doubt about the stoppage second time around.

Groves hoped it would be third time lucky when he took on WBC champion Badou Jack in September 2015.

He didn't get off to a great start in Las Vegas, suffering a knockdown in Round 1, and ended up fading badly down the stretch.

After being on the wrong end of a split decision, Groves parted ways with trainer Paddy Fitzpatrick and teamed up with Shane McGuigan.

Since teaming up with McGuigan, Groves has recorded comfortable wins over Andrea Di Luisa and David Brophy in 2016.

In knocking out Scotsman Brophy on April 9, he picked up the vacant WBA International belt.

Per David Anderson of the Mirror, Groves said after the win: "Everyone likes to talk about me like I'm a fading fighter, but I'm only getting better. Now with Shane, you are going to see the very best of me."

Neither Di Luisa nor Brophy was able to cope with Groves' accuracy and power, proving there is still plenty left in the tank. However, Murray will be a considerable step up in quality.

Will the real George Groves please stand up?

At different stages in his career, the Londoner has shown himself to be a top-level fighter. His problem has been putting it all together at the same time.

Against Froch in their first meeting, he was outstanding. The right hand that knocked the Cobra down in Round 1 didn't just stun his opponent, but also all those watching on.

It was about more than just one punch, though. Groves was aggressive in his style and quicker to the punch.

Can he produce that kind of performance again? Former foe Froch has his doubts, as he revealed in his blog for SkySports.com:

There is one big issue that I can't avoid and that is: I am not sure he is going to do well again. I haven't seen enough to suggest he will get back to anything like that first fight against me in Manchester.

He used to stalk his opponent, back them up with that low guard and had that wide stance and fired that right hand, accurately, straight down the barrel. He hits hard, very hard, believe me.

Groves has appeared to be refreshed by his working relationship with trainer McGuigan. His jab—a wonderful weapon that sets up his right hand—snapped out with authority against Brophy.

Fitness will also be key. He lost his way in the closing rounds against Jack last year, with a weak finish costing him the chance of claiming the WBC title.

Murray (32-3-1, 15 KOs) must be fed up of being a boxing bridesmaid. The 33-year-old has tried four times to win a world title, on each occasion going on the road to get his opportunity.

The closest he came to glory was in 2011, as he fought out a draw against WBA middleweight champion Felix Sturm in Germany.

Murray lost despite landing 258 punches in the bout compared to his opponent's tally of 182, per BoxRec.

His next attempt came in Argentina two years later. He travelled to Buenos Aires to face home favourite Sergio Martinez, the holder of the WBC belt.

Murray was knocked down in Round 8 but made it through to the final bell. However, once again he failed to do enough to convince the judges, losing by unanimous decision.

There was no debating Murray's third and final attempt to become a champion at 160 pounds.

While the Englishman can lay claim to pushing Gennady Golovkin further than anyone else, he had to show tremendous bravery just to make it into Round 11.

After losing to WBA king Golovkin, Murray moved up to super middleweight.

He had three easy wins before heading back to Germany to face WBO holder Arthur Abraham. The bout was close, with King Arthur continuing his reign thanks to a split-decision points win.

Murray had to go through a difficult history lesson when facing Arthur Abraham in Hannover, Germany, in November 2015.

Once again, a trip to Germany failed to result in him returning home to St Helens, England, with a world title.

Murray—who had a point deducted in Round 11 for holding—did enough to get the nod from one judge, who scored it 115-112 in the challenger's favour.

However, the other two officials had it 115-112 and 116-111 to Abraham, who picked the right moments to impress after overcoming a trademark slow start.

Per Sky Sports, the loser was disappointed at the decision: "What can you do? It's what you are up against over here and I knew that beforehand and took the gamble. This was the hardest of the lot of them [world-title fights] to take because I thought I had done it and this was my time."

Murray is one tough competitor who has never backed down from a challenge.

While Groves carries power, Murray has the benefit of sharing a ring with some heavy-handed punchers.

Golovkin put him down three times before finally securing a TKO victory in Round 11, while neither Abraham nor Martinez could shift Murray inside the distance.

But to suggest Murray is all about heart is to overlook his boxing abilities.

The one area of concern could be his lack of power. He's registered just 15 stoppage victories in his career, giving him a knockout ratio of just 42 per cent, per BoxRec.

However, Murray is working hard so he can hit harder, and he told World Boxing News: "I've been doing a lot of strength work and working on power shots with [trainer] Oliver [Harrison] so feeling really strong. Everything we've been working on has been working in sparring, so I'm in a great place physically and mentally."

Murray confirmed on Twitter he will have a tune-up fight in Manchester, England, on May 7 prior to facing Groves.

Groves against Murray is a good fight no matter what the circumstances. However, there is so much on the line for both men on June 25.

As Murray told George Gigney of Boxing News: "It’s big not just because of it being a domestic fight but also because of what’s on the line, the winner goes on to bigger and better things, another world title shot. The loser doesn’t, they have to work their way up again, if they ever get that chance again."

Groves has the better pedigree at super middleweight. He has also seemed revitalised under McGuigan.

The Saint told Sky Sports News HQ (h/t Isaac Robinson of SkySports.com): "Working with Shane now, I'm back to my very best and I'm ready to take on anyone."

Murray has a high work rate and a sturdy chin, but he lacks enough power to keep his domestic rival at bay.

Groves, in contrast, hits hard. He will find a way to win the fight, but don't be surprised if it goes the distance.

Who do you think wins the bout between Groves and Murray? Have your say via the comments section.