By Mark Vester
Unbeaten British super middleweight James DeGale is not waiting around any longer for his domestic rival George Groves. DeGale faces British champion Paul Smith on December 11. If he wins, DeGale plans to move on to bigger and better things. DeGale's promoter Frank Warren tried to make the fight a few months ago. Groves' management replied to Warren with a counter-offer, requesting a lot more money than Warren was offering.
Degale plans to leave Groves alone, and wantsto place his focus on landing a major world title shot at some point in 2011.
"Frank made it clear he was willing to pay George very good money, and then they came back with a counter-offer. But that proves he doesn't want to fight. That's a nice way of saying, 'I'm sorry, but I don't want to fight'. I'm moving on to bigger and better things and I don't need Georgie Groves, Georgie Groves needs me," DeGale told Gavin Glicksman of The Sun.
"Hopefully it will still happen one day because I want to knock him out, but I don't need him. I'm boxing for the British title and then hopefully the European or world. So if it comes, it comes, and if it doesn't, it's no big deal."
