James DeGale demands hero’s welcome at home after gilding gold with title
DeGale beat Andre Dirrell on points to win IBF super-middleweight title
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Tears of joy flowed as James DeGale and his trainer, Jim McDonnell, hugged in the changing room after completing their quest to create history on Saturday night, the magnitude of the situation simply overwhelming them.
Becoming the first man to follow up winning Olympic gold for Great Britain by gaining a world title was a wonderful achievement in itself. Yet to be crowned the IBF super-middleweight champion was the pinnacle not only for the 29-year-old but for McDonnell, the 56-year-old Londoner who tried yet failed to reach the heights his beloved protégé scaled here.
“It got emotional in the changing room,” revealed promoter Eddie Hearn. “Jim is so close to James, he is obsessed with him. Jim said in front of everyone how he never won a world title as a fighter himself but he feels like he’s won one now through James. Everyone was choked up.”
An intriguing, at times dramatic fight ended in a unanimous decision in favour of the 2008 Beijing Olympic champion over Andre Dirrell, but how Canada’s Alan Davis decided DeGale had triumphed 117-109 will remain a puzzle for the rest of eternity. It was much closer. Indeed, the other two scores of 114-112 were far more accurate
Dirrell was rocked in the second round by a thumping left hook and then a flurry of punches from the Briton, who continued to attack with menace. Yet, as the bout wore on, his advantage was diminished thanks to a combination of the American’s pure boxing skills and a desperation from DeGale not to lose.
The stats showed that the Londoner managed to outpunch Dirrell 18-15 in the final two rounds, though there was very little in it. His positivity in the first half of the fight ultimately sealed the finest night of his life.
So what next? Naturally, DeGale was talking exuberantly in the aftermath. Carl Froch’s name cropped up, as did that of his bitter rival George Groves, who dealt him the only defeat of his career in 2011. The imperious-looking Kazakh Gennady Golovkin was also mentioned.
As the Londoner returned from a hospital visit to alleviate a cut under his right eye, he was mobbed by fans and family who were desperate to show their appreciation, making it easy to forget this is a fighter who, despite striking gold in Beijing, was booed in his second professional bout and has been unable to win over everyone since. This triumph, however, may have turned the tables for good.
“I was a little bit worried. I was looking at Jim and he had the same face he did after I boxed Groves and I thought ‘not again’, but when they announced it, it was the best feeling in the world,” admitted DeGale.
“I just didn’t want to take too many chances, because he was sharp and such a good fighter. He’s very hard to hit. Everyone was underestimating Andre Dirrell, he’s a hell of a fighter.
“People won’t accept how good I am until I retire, when I have achieved what I have and unified the titles.”
Dirrell’s only previous loss had been to Froch in a similarly close contest back in 2009. The man whose IBF belt will be paraded before the FA Cup final featuring DeGale’s beloved Arsenal next weekend is unlikely to end a year out with attempting to wrest his title back.
DeGale added: “If Froch thinks he is that good, then why doesn’t he fight me? I would be the perfect fight for him to come back. If I was Froch, I’d stay well away from me. I’m looking at Froch and he had his chance, he gave up his belt for me to fight for it. I want the big fights, the bigger the better.
“Mikkel Kessler, George Groves, Golovkin. They can come to me. I’d love to fight at Wembley again and this time headline the show instead of chief support, that would be a dream. I’m looking forward to my homecoming fight. I want a big stadium in London.”
But with Groves fighting Badou Jack for the WBA belt in September, DeGale will have to look elsewhere for a first title defence. Yet his camp are unflustered. They are just enjoying the moment.
“One of the most pleasing things is he’s getting a lot of support now,” Hearn said. “He’s a nice kid. In the Groves build-up in 2009, I didn’t know him then, I was thinking ‘what an idiot’. I told him that and, unfortunately, that all stayed with him for years and years.
“In the last year people have seen another side to him and he has grown up. Maybe it was a blessing in disguise that he won in America, the support he has had on social media has been quite emphatic. Now he can come home as a hero.”
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