EDDIE Howe revealed he had tapped into the psychology of boxing in a bid to pick Cherries off the canvas in the Premier League.

The Cherries boss took the opportunity to meet British star George Groves at the weigh-in ahead of his successful WBA super-middleweight title defence against Jamie Cox.

Howe also spoke with Bournemouth cruiserweight Chris Billam-Smith before his second professional fight, in which he stopped Aleksandar Todorovic at Wembley Arena.

A knockout blow from midfielder Christian Eriksen left Howe’s men nursing a 1-0 defeat by Tottenham at the national stadium six days ago.

But Cherries will be looking to roll with the punches when they make the trip to Stoke City in the top-flight tomorrow (3pm).

Asked by the Daily Echo about attending the weigh-in, Howe said: “I thought, just from a psychological point of view, I would go and see what the fighters did and, from a mental perspective, see if there was anything we could take into the football world.

“It was good to speak to a couple of the boxers to see how they prepare and what they do mentally.

“I spoke very quickly to George Groves to pick his brains about his preparation the day before the fight and on the day of the fight.

“I got the chance to meet his family and it was a nice moment. He did well and won his fight so I was pleased for him.

“I was just trying to find little things which could make a difference for us in a totally different sport.

“I do think there are things you can pick up from whatever sport it is and make it transferable to football.”

The meeting with World Super Series competitor Groves came just more than a week after Howe's squad had sampled boxing training.

During the international break, the players were put through their paces at Steve Bendall’s gym in Parkstone.

Howe added: “I think the lads found it really hard. They were doing a bit of sparring for a short time and I could suddenly see the sweat pouring off them.

“It was a different thing to stimulate them mentally. It was good to involve the local community and bring the lads a little closer to that, to make them feel part of the town.

“We did see Steve Fletcher go in the ring. He got a bit of a beating actually, so it does show physical strength isn’t the only thing.

“Junior Stanislas surprised me. He got really stuck in, the agility and strength was there with Junior.

“I think the players enjoyed it.”

Asked about Billam-Smith, a Cherries fan who recently revealed a dream to fight at Vitality Stadium, Howe added: “He was a really nice lad.

“He was very humble and very keen to achieve, it is a very difficult sport to progress in I imagine.

“When I heard he won his fight I was really pleased for him.”