James DeGale admits he’s ‘pretty sure that’s it’ after a heavy defeat to rival Chris Eubank Jr
Saturday night’s eagerly anticipated grudge match between former Olympic Gold medallist James DeGale and Chris Eubank Jr ended far more convincingly than most imagined, with Eubank Jr dominating right through the early proceedings until the end to take a convincing victory on points in what was dubbed a ‘retirement fight’.
He was at times, however, extremely close to becoming the first person to stop DeGale, a former two-time world champion. Eubank Jr forced a count in only the second round with a vicious left hook and did so again in the tenth with another as DeGale boxed tentatively throughout and hardly threatened the 29-year-old, who is now IBO supper-middleweight champion for the second time in his career.
The cards read 114-112 115-112 117-109 in Eubank Jr’s favour.
Speaking after the fight, DeGale acknowledged that this could well be the end of his career after vowing he would retire if he lost: “I’ve done everything: Olympic gold, two world titles. He was tough, strong. I didn’t do enough. I’ll have to go back and watch it, talk to my team, talk to my family, but I’m pretty sure that’s it. I’ve left my mark in boxing.”
Eubank Jr, meanwhile, believed he ‘dominated pretty much every round’.
“I’ve been working on my jabs, he is a very slick southpaw but the game plan worked, smart pressure, not getting too ahead of myself, picking my shots and choosing my time to attack,” the Brighton fighter explained.
“I dominated pretty much every round. He is a hell of a skilled fighter but my heart and tenacity got me there. A lot of people said I was going to get my head jabbed off and not stand with a proven boxer. It was the most important fight of my career and I’ve made the statement. It is belt season, it is collection season.”
