By Jake Donovan
James DeGale has long ago proven that he’s not your run-of-the-mill modern day titlist. The first ever Olympic Gold medalist for Great Britain to win a world title (Lennox Lewis represented Canada in the 1988 Seoul Olympics) earned it and has kept it the hard way, fighting on the road in North America for the duration of his current reign.
His next bout not only follows that trend, but will mark his stiffest test to date. The 2008 Olympic Gold medalist and reigning super middleweight titlist faces fellow divisional beltholder Badou Jack on January 14 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
“I actually prefer boxing away from home,” DeGale (23-1, 14KOs) insisted during a recent media conference call to discuss the upcoming Showtime headliner. “It takes the pressure off a bit. I'm living the American dream, coming to America and boxing here. I'm getting these opportunities from Al Haymon but this is the big one.”
The event will mark Degale’s fourth consecutive bout on the road, although he hopes to change that at some point in 2017. All but two of his career bouts prior to 2015 had taken place in England, his lone two road trips taking place in Canada and Denmark.
His last fight at home came in Nov. ’14, scoring a 3rd round knockout of former title challenger Marco Antonio Periban, who fought Jack (20-1-2, 12KOs) to a 12-round draw 17 months prior.
Since then has come a 12-round win over Andre Dirrell in their May ’15 vacant title bout in Boston, Massachusetts; a close-but-clear win over Lucian Bute on the road in Quebec City. Canada in Nov. ’15; and a hard-fought points victory over Rogelio Medina last April in Washington D.C., on the same show as Jack’s most recent title defense, in which he was held to a controversial draw with Bute, who was later revealed to have tested positive for Ostarine.
Jack joined the title fray one month prior to DeGale being crowned, also at the expense of a Dirrell as he outpointed Andre’s younger brother Anthony over 12 rounds in their April ’15 Spike TV-aired clash in Chicago, Illinois. Two defenses have followed, both against common opponents with DeGale – outpointing his opponent’s longtime rival George Groves in his adopted hometown of Las Vegas in Sept. ’15, followed the aforementioned draw with Bute that was controversial from the verdict to the drug testing outcome.
The hope was for this unification bout to have taken place last fall, which would have escalated plans for DeGale’s homecoming, with or without a world title still in tow. The dream was pushed back a few months as event handlers sorted out a number of details, but DeGale is confident not only of victory, but of his next title defense taking place at home as early as this spring.
“That's the plan to go home, to go back home. Touch wood, all goes to plan and I beat Badou Jack, I'm going home. Everyone's calling for the champ to come home, so that's the plan, hopefully to fight (in England) in May.”
Twitter: @JakeNDaBox_v2
