James DeGale

Bio

James “Chunky” DeGale is the first British boxer in history to win an Olympic gold medal and a professional world title. Beijing in 2008, then the IBF super-middleweight belt in 2015. Whatever else happens, nobody can ever take that sentence off him.

The world title was won the hard way, on the road in Boston against Andre Dirrell, with a broken hand and a broken face and a crowd that wanted him beaten. It was the best night of his career and one of the best nights any British fighter has had in America this century.

A slick, sharp southpaw with fast hands and proper ring intelligence, DeGale was never a fighter who needed a war. He defended the belt, drew with Badou Jack in a fight that took something out of both men, and then the legs started going — as they always do, first and without warning.

He retired after losing to Chris Eubank Jr in February 2019, saying he had achieved everything he wanted. He meant it. He has since boxed bare-knuckle, decided it was not for him, and at 40 he is back in gloves against Marcus Portman over six rounds in Wolverhampton on September 26.