by Cliff Rold

One was a fighter predicted for stardom almost from the start of his career, a Gold Medalist with personality. The other is an understated professional, the sort of fighter who learns his craft with less fanfare at the start and matures into his big chance.

Saturday night (Showtime, 9:30 PM EST/6:30 PM PST), they will square off in the most significant super middleweight clash since Carl Froch-George Groves II filled a stadium in 2014. The prize? Two title belts and recognition from TBRB and Ring Magazine as the genuine champion of the division.

It’s a fight that looked ready to happen months ago. When last we saw James DeGale and Badou Jack, they were sharing a card in April 2014. DeGale won a somewhat debatable nod against Rogelio Medina while Jack got a dubious draw against Lucian Bute most felt he deserved to win. The pieces were in place for a showdown then.

This being boxing, both men were stuck on the inactive list for the rest of 2016. Given how inconsistent a year that was, it turns out to be good news for boxing fans. The first major fight of 2017 is a chance to make this a year to remember.   

Let’s go the report card.

The Ledger 

James DeGale

Age: 30

Title: IBF super middleweight (2015-Present, 2 Defenses)

Previous Titles: None

Height: 6’0  

Weight: 166 ½ lbs.

Hails from: London, United Kingdom

Record: 23-1, 14 KO

Record in Major Title Fights: 3-0

Rankings: #1 (TBRB, Ring, ESPN, Boxing Monthly), #2 (BoxingScene), #4 (BoxRec)

Current/Former World Champions/Titlists Faced: 2 (Cristian Sanavia TKO4; Lucian Bute UD12)

Vs.

Badou Jack

Age: 33

Title: WBC super middleweight (2015-Present, 2 Defenses)

Previous Titles: None

Height: 6’1  

Weight: 167 ¼ lbs.

Hails from: Las Vegas, Nevada (Born in Sweden) 

Record: 20-1-2, 12 KO

Record in Major Title Fights: 2-0-1

Rankings: #2 (TBRB, Ring, ESPN), #3 (BoxingScene), #5 (Boxing Monthly), #8 (BoxRec)

Current/Former World Champions/Titlists Faced: 2 (Anthony Dirrell MD12; Lucian Bute D12)

Grades

Pre-Fight: Speed – DeGale B+; Jack B

Pre-Fight: Power – DeGale B; Jack B

Pre-Fight: Defense – DeGale B; Jack B+

Pre-Fight: Intangibles – DeGale B+; Jack B+

The path that both men have taken to this fight says a lot for how valuable a loss can be to a young fighter. Sure, being undefeated is great. Sometimes losing can be even better in the long run.

For DeGale, a 2011 defeat came in his eleventh fight against then-fellow unbeaten George Groves. It was a close outing, and one DeGale could argue in his favor. It didn’t go his way and that gave him breathing room to develop a little longer. While Groves rode that win towards two ill-fated showdowns with Froch in 2013 and 2014, DeGale was in position to win his first title after the dist had settled. Maybe the athletic DeGale could have won in Groves’ place; maybe not. The alternative has allowed him to better round his game.

DeGale showed clinical patience in defeating former US Olympian Andre Dirrell for a vacant belt. In his first defense, matched with a suddenly rejuvenated Lucian Bute (whose rejuvenation has been called into question since failed drug tests after his challenge of Jack), he displayed that he wasn’t afraid to get into a dogfight when forced. That willingness was on display again in his last fight, a tougher than anyone expected fight against Medina.

DeGale will battle. He’s likely to need to against a fighter whose mental toughness is both proven and well developed.

Not every fighter can bounce back from an embarrassing first round knockout. Jack was beginning to be touted as a contender when Derek Edwards planted him in 2014. Two retuning fights led to a title shot that was widely dismissed going in. In the end, Jack showed he could learn from his mistakes and improve. He upset Anthony Dirrell for his title and then dropped and defeated Groves in an excellent first defense.

Would Jack be here without a bad night? It’s hard to say but we’ve seen real technical improvement since that night. His fundamentals tightened up, he is more relaxed, and his defense has become a major asset. Jack rarely leaves his gloves far from his face. Nothing he does is flashy, but his jab is a weapon and he goes to the body hard and efficiently. Jack also has a solid left hook.

What he doesn’t have is lights out power. Neither does DeGale. Both men are capable of knockouts but they tend towards longer fights. Both have been the distance in all of their title fights. DeGale is the looser man of the two, employing more movement. He also gets hit with clean shots more often. He leaves his hands low and often relies on quality head movement. If he can move and fire in combination, the quicker DeGale could keep Jack handcuffed in spots.

If Jack establishes the jab, DeGale could find himself getting picked apart slowly. Bute made it a scrap by staying with the jab. Medina stayed with DeGale by way of a ferocious body attack. Both of those elements play to Jack’s strengths.

For the hopes of fans, that is a positive because DeGale also goes to the body. We could see some serious exchanges at close quarters. He also slides back and forth between southpaw and orthodox stances, preferring the former most of the time but capable of using the latter to throw off an opponent. In terms of eye-catching offense, DeGale is more likely to be able to steal close rounds with explosive finishes if the fight develops in a way where swing rounds multiply.   

The Pick

So who wins? It’s fair to call this a 50-50 fight with the potential for the winner to exit with everyone wondering why they thought it was going in. There is a feeling that DeGale is the superior talent whose best fight we haven’t seen yet while Jack played the role of over achiever to get here. It’s a possibility but the thinking here is this really is as close as it looks. In a real 50-50 fight, the fighter who is more fundamentally consistent is tough to beat. In this fight, that man is Jack. DeGale might get prettier work done in spots but Jack has the sort of style that can exploit the holes in his defense and Jack will be coming forward more often. The pick here is Jack by upset decision with his jab and physicality ultimately piling too many points in his favor in a good fight.  

Report Card and Staff Picks 2017: 0-0

Cliff Rold is the Managing Editor of BoxingScene, a founding member of the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board, and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America.  He can be reached at roldboxing@hotmail.com