Comments Thread For: Warren: DeGale, Even With Jack Win, is Far Away From Calzaghe

[BIGPOPPAPUMP]

JAMES DEGALE will prove he is one of Britain's top fighters if he schools slick Swede Badou Jack in New York. But, for me, he still has a long way to go to overtake Joe Calzaghe as the best super-middleweight from these shores. Would he have beaten Carl Froch too? I don't know but he has a good chin and has an awkward style that is hard to beat even if he tends to lose concentration in the middle of fights.
[Click Here To Read More]

[1hourRun]

Calzaghe ****** and Froch ducked Degale vacating the IBF -- Chunky is too slick for those stiffs.

[Madison Boxing]

yeah as much as i like degale he'll never be as good as calzaghe. But no 168 fighter in history ever has been as good as joe.

[NEETzsche]

To overtake Joe he'd probably need to beat Golovkin or get a big win at light heavy. There are two big British fights for him at super middle in Smith and Groves but there are no beasts like Kessler was seen as when Calzaghe fought him

[alexguiness]

Badou Jack is one of the weakest SMW champs in recent times.

[Redd Foxx]

He's not going to get there with the current crop at 168. I doubt he can hang at 175. As mentioned, he'd have to beat Golovkin at 168 (which is a tall order) then take a couple decent fights at LHW. It's just not going to happen. DeGale doesn't seem particularly interested in legacy anyhow.

[deathofaclown]

I'm a big fan of Calzaghe and would pretty much pick him to almost any super middleweight head to head, but DeGale's resume even without Jack isn't a lot different to Calzaghe's. Calzaghe has 1 very impressive win at 168 against Kessler, which beats any of DeGale's wins, but apart from that i wouldn't say there's much in it. The Lacy win was good too. It's ok saying Lacy was no good in hindsight but you have to judge the fight on when it was signed and Lacy was seen as the man.

At least DeGale is fighting some of the best guys in the division even if they're not great... but that isn't his fault.

[-Kev-]

He needs to beat Jack, move up to LHW and beat Ward, Kovalev and Stevenson, or at least go 2-1 against those 3, or 2-0 (just fight 2 of them) to tie Calzaghe. If he goes 2-0 against them, then beats Barrera, Beterbiev, Smith Jr, Cleverly he surpasses Calzaghe. He needs to catch the winner of the supposed Ward-Kovalev rematch right after it because they will be worn out from going 24 rounds with each other but the easier fight to make in the meantime is Stevenson because he's a Haymon fighter. DeGale getting Ward on his resume as a win is key to tying Calzaghe.

[-Kev-]

He's not going to get there with the current crop at 168. I doubt he can hang at 175. As mentioned, he'd have to beat Golovkin at 168 (which is a tall order) then take a couple decent fights at LHW. It's just not going to happen. DeGale doesn't seem particularly interested in legacy anyhow.

He should test the waters with Cleverly at 175 before anyone else. Then make his way up in competition like Barrera, then take on Stevenson and finally the Ward-Kovalev 2 winner.

[Redd Foxx]

He should test the waters with Cleverly at 175 before anyone else. Then make his way up in competition like Barrera, then take on Stevenson and finally the Ward-Kovalev 2 winner.

I'd like to see it. His frame looks like it could hold a lot of mass if he had a solid fitness coach help him get there.

My biggest issue with him is the way he takes rounds off. I'm thinking/hoping the Jack fight will force him to get past that behavior and take his game up a level. He claims to have a fitness coach now and that he'll be a changed man. If not, I don't hold out much hope for him beating guys like Barrera or challenging titlists at 175.