George Groves aiming to face Callum Smith in July

George Groves has said that he will be fit to defend his WBA super-middleweight title against Callum Smith in July.

Earlier this month, Groves recorded a points win over Chris Eubank Jr in their WBSS semi-final, but the Hammersmith fighter dislocated his shoulder with two minutes left in the contest in Manchester.

Groves underwent a minor operation on Monday morning but before the surgery, the 29-year-old claimed that he would be ready for the all-British final with Smith in July.

Morning boxing fans. This morning I go in for a minor operation on my injured shoulder. The good news is I'll be fit to fight in the final in July. We will be applying to the @WBSuperSeries for a one month extension and are hopeful of securing this. #TeamSaintGG

— George Groves (@StGeorgeGroves) February 26, 2018

The clash with Smith had been pencilled in for June 2 in London, with WBSS representative Kalle Sauerland - who is also Groves's promoter - keen to avoid a delay to the conclusion of the tournament.

However, Groves's bid to push the final back until July may be aided with Smith also likely to require extra time to recover from minor issues with his hands after his victory over Nieky Holzken on Saturday night.