DeGale's Trainer: Froch Made Wise Move, Dirrell Trickier

By Edward Chaykovsky

Jim McDonnell, trainer of Olympic gold medal winner James DeGale, admits he would have rather had his boxer face Carl Froch for the IBF super middleweight world title - and not go for a vacant belt against Andre Dirrell.

Froch recently vacated the IBF championship, and then the sanctioning body ordered DeGale to face Dirrell for the title. DeGale's promoter Eddie Hearn is trying to finalize a deal with Dirrell for April 25th in London.

"James' career has always been targeted towards a world title and opponent-wise, I will genuinely say I would have liked it to be Carl Froch," McDonnell told Toe 2 Toe. "It is a big domestic fight, and style-wise and with everything else, it would've been one where James got so much kudos. It would've been incredible."

"Obviously we've seen Carl box for years, being a British fighter, so there are no surprises really. James had to be what he is, himself, and we were very confident. But Carl is doing what he's doing and we wish him all the best, and if I were him, I think it's a wise decision. James genuinely doesn't care, whether it's Carl Froch, George Groves, or Andre Dirrell. Out of all of them, I think Dirrell is the trickiest - a bit like James, he's a switch-hitter, a multi-talented guy.

"On the downside, he's had a bit of inactivity recently, and I think getting in with a motivated DeGale at this stage, who is the best I've ever seen him, and in the shape he's in and at the pace he will fight at, I believe it's beyond anyone in the 168lbs division to stay with him.

"His belief in himself is total. One, with his development, and two, he's now injury-free. His training is completely different - it's a fact he was fighting injured, and fighting top fights. I said when he turned pro that his peak time would be late 20s, early 30s. He's just 29 now and over the next four years I see James as a dominant force - I always knew that would be the case."