James DeGale wants to prove he's great in 168-pound unification title bout vs. Badou Jack
NEW YORK - James DeGale always has a smile on his face, and it's easy to see why.
He came over to the U.S. in 2015, and since then everything has gone swimmingly. He became the first British Olympic gold medalist citizen to grab a world title after knocking down Andre Dirrell en route to a decision victory.
DeGale then twice fought on Showtime with exciting wins over Lucian Bute and Rogelio Medina. While both fights were closer than expected, DeGale actually improved his stock because of the surprising action both bouts delivered.
Saturday's super middleweight unification title fight on Showtime against Badou Jack will be a different animal altogether and could serve as the defining moment of DeGale's career. It's a summit meeting between the unquestioned top two practitioners in the 168-pound division (DeGale's numero uno) and the victor will leave Brooklyn's Barclays Center with two belts around his waist..
"I'll beat him wide on the scorecards or I'll stop him late on," DeGale (23-1, 14 KOs) boasted. " … He's a basic fighter really but he's good at everything he does. He ain't got no special effects, nothing fancy.
"Everything's just straight forward, but he's very, very good. If I'm not on my game, if I'm not 100%, I could lose."
DeGale says he wasn't at his best for his last outing, a surprising struggle against Mexican journeyman "Porky" Medina. The 30-year-old admitted he wanted to put on a show against a lesser opponent, and did so, but he didn't impress along the way.
Perhaps DeGale just fights to the level of his opposition. After all, he also was pushed to the brink by the faded Lucian Bute in his first title defense,
"Against Dirrell I raised my game," said DeGale, a charismatic athlete who went to performing arts school. "I was switched on because I was a bit scared."
And he'll have to be switched on against Jack, who is riding quite the streak since a shocking first-round KO defeat to journeyman Derek Edwards.
The Sweden native won two bounceback fights before topping Anthony Dirrell for the WBC title. He went on to successfully defend against George Groves (who owns the only victory over DeGale) and then was held to a highly controversial draw against Bute, who tested positive for a banned substance afterward.
With all DeGale has accomplished since he beat the odds as an 18-1 underdog to win an Olympic gold medal, Jack stands in his way to his big accomplishment yet. Cementing yourself as the unquestioned top fighter in a division? That's a big deal. Unifying titles along the way? Even better.
"When I'm retired I want people to go 'James DeGale, oh yeah, really good fighter. remember that fight?' That's what I want," DeGale said. "I want the biggest fights, the biggest risks, the biggest money."
(AP Photo/Kathy Willens)