Badou Jack earned a split decision over George Groves to successfully defend his WBC super middleweight title at the first time of asking.

The American-based Swede on Saturday had the Englishman down in the first round, before Groves battled back to take an entertaining fight the full distance.

Two judges scored it 115-112 and 116-111 to the champion, the third judge giving it to Groves, 114-113.

Groves, 27, for whom it was a damaging third defeat in 25 fights, wasted no time in exiting the ring.

Jack, who improved to 20-1-1 and was making the first defense of his belt, said: "He's a hell of a fighter.

"He was prepared to go 12 rounds and I should have got the KO, but I didn't.

"I will now take a vacation, go to Jamaica next week, and there are a lot of big fights for me now, a lot of big names."

Groves, whose only previous defeats came against bitter rival Carl Froch, got off to a nightmare start, Jack sending him crashing to the canvas with 30 seconds of the first round left after a pinpoint right to the temple.

Groves was magnanimous in defeat, but was unable to hide his disappointment with the decision.

"I thought I won the fight decisively. All credit to him though scoring the knockdown in the first round," said the Londoner.

"I thought I controlled the fight with my jab and that I was in control throughout."

Jack failed to take advantage in an even second round where Groves was again the busier but Jack the more decisive.

The third was action packed. Groves rocked Jack with a savage uppercut, and Jack struck back with a chopping overhead blow that Groves did well to withstand.

The fourth again saw the champion landing the more precise shots, with Groves too easy to hit.

But, backed by a vocal band of traveling English fans at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Groves found another wind in the fifth.

The sixth saw the challenger land two hard rights in fast succession, only for Jack to respond in kind, drawing gasps from the audience and a smile from Jack.

The title holder had the better of the seventh and eighth, and Groves was in trouble again at the end of the ninth, when Jack connected with another crashing right, and the bell came to Groves' rescue.

Groves hung in in the 11th and 12th but was unable to come up with the knockout that by now was the only way he would be able to save himself.
Source: AFP