George Groves, whose world chances arrived like London buses but ended up splashing his boots and leaving him behind, says he is in prime shape to rekindle his career, starting with what might be a tricky engagement at Wembley Arena on Friday against the 34-year-old Eduard “Energy Eddy” Gutknecht.

If, as he predicts, he beats the seasoned Kazakh – a former European light-heavyweight champion who has mixed in elite company for much of his career – Groves expects to fight for the WBA’s vacant super-middleweight title against the excellent Russian Fedor Chudinov.

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The Londoner and other super-middleweights in the WBA rankings have been gifted an unexpected opportunity as their “super” champion, Germany’s Felix Sturm, is temporarily at least out of the picture after his B sample taken for his controversial rematch win against Chudinov in February tested positive for the anabolic steroid stanozolol.

“He’s vacated the belt,” Groves said, “and I think he’s cleverly done that, thinking next year he’ll come back. It’s up to the WBA whether they want to be hard with him or not. It’s now a criminal offence in Germany.”

Clouding – or maybe enhancing – the picture is Tyron Zeuge, the German who holds the WBA’s regular title – and is managed by Groves’s London-based German promoter, Nisse Sauerland. Groves is not short of options. He does not expect an easy time of it against Gutknecht, although it would be a serious setback were he to lose, or perform poorly.

Groves is a smart operator – too smart to dismiss Gutknecht as a mere warm-up. He needs to pick up on the momentum he has clearly had since joining Shane McGuigan, and he looked as sharp as ever beating Martin Murray last time out.

“People say I’m back to the old George Groves. I understand that and I appreciate that. When I turned pro, and worked with Adam Booth, he taught me how to punch, punch clean, punch crisp. I became a counter-puncher. After the [James] DeGale fight, we were spending so much time on the back foot, that it became really comfortable.

“When that relationship broke down, I was fighting the fight [Booth] wanted, and ultimately it didn’t work out for me. I think I’ve improved, being a volume puncher, a pressure fighter. I’m best being able to adjust my fight quickly, punch hard, punch fast. What Shane has done now is not just setting up the shot with a feint, but getting me to vary punch power and punch speed. I’ve always had good punch variety, different combinations and different shots.

“I feel I notice it more and more in sparring that sparring partners are suffering, struggling with my power. And in the fights we’ve had good momentum. Each fight has been a step up in opposition, but it’s also been a step up in performance – considering a lot of people felt the Martin Murray fight was going to be 50-50.”

Beyond Gutknecht and possibly Chudinov there is the tantalising prospect of a second fight against DeGale, whom he beat five years ago in one of the great domestic grudge matches, but who has gone on to become world title holder and has a unification bout against Groves’s most recent conqueror, Badou Jack, in New York in January.

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“I’d love a fight with James DeGale,” Groves said. “So would he. And I’d love another fight with Badou Jack. If I had to choose, I’d love to fight for the vacant WBA belt, wherever that may be, then fight Jack, and I’m sure James must be super excited that he’s in a unification fight. I’m sure he’ll be confident about winning. Jack is an underrated fighter, even against me. I didn’t box at my best [losing on points after a first-round knockdown]. I didn’t box how I could have or should have against him. But I’ve learned from that.

“Certainly, if push comes to shove, if nothing else is working, I’m sure I can get a fight with James at some stage. I think that fight sells even without a world title.”

After some tough times, especially his stoppage losses to Carl Froch (who has scotched rumours of a comeback against Gennady Golovkin), Groves seems to be in a good place again.

He says DeGale v Jack is “a 12-round chess match that could go either way. If Badou Jack figures out James DeGale, which fighters can, then he will beat James. If he can’t, then he won’t. James has got a style with which some fighters just cannot get to grips. But as soon as you get the measure of him, when to work, when to not work, how to engage with him, then you beat him.

“He won’t be able to lay on the ropes for two and a-half minutes a round, like he has done previously. He has to be mentally switched on. Mental fatigue is probably what hits him before anything else. I’ve done sessions with Jim McDonnell [DeGale’s trainer] and they are sessions you have to switch your mind off for, because they can drone on.

“James has obviously made it work for him but the flip side is he does switch off mentally. I’m not discrediting anything he does, because he’s performed well with it. He’s a world champion. I don’t think [his training methods] would suit me, but it’s horses for courses.”