James DeGale

James Frederick DeGale (born 3 February 1986) is a British former professional boxer who competed from 2009 to 2019.

At the Commonwealth Games 2006 he won Bronze when he lost to Jarrod Fletcher.

DeGale has stated on numerous occasions that he is a big Arsenal fan and frequently fights with the Arsenal F.C. Club logo on his robe and shorts.

Amateur record: 79–16.

He also won silver at the 2007 and 2008 EU Championships, and bronze at the 2006 Commonwealth Games.

By later becoming IBF champion, he became the first British boxer in history to win both an Olympic gold medal and a professional world title.

Born to a black Grenadian father and a white English mother, DeGale started amateur boxing at the Trojan club at the age of 10 before moving to Dale Youth boxing club.

As a boy he soon acquired the nickname "Chunky", a name that has followed him throughout his career.

The predominantly southpaw Londoner fights as a switch hitter.

2007 (as a middleweight)

DeGale represented Great Britain at the 2008 Olympics as an amateur, winning a gold medal in the middleweight division.

DeGale represented Great Britain at the 2008 Summer Olympics in the Middleweight boxing event, winning the gold medal.

In the quarter-finals he beat a former Olympic gold medalist from Athens (Bakhtiyar Artayev) and in the semi-final once again beat the late Irishman Darren Sutherland (prior to this latest meeting the boxers had fought five times with Sutherland winning four and DeGale only one).

In the final DeGale won a scrappy and bad tempered affair against the Cuban Emilio Correa who was docked two points in the first round for biting DeGale's shoulder.

2008

On 2 December 2008, he agreed a deal with promoter Frank Warren to become professional along with Frankie Gavin and Billy Joe Saunders.

The contract agreed was rumoured to be worth around £1.5 million.

DeGale was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2009 New Year Honours.

On 28 February 2009 DeGale made his professional debut against Vepkhia Tchilaia, winning a points decision by 40–36.

DeGale received a mixed reaction from the crowd, who booed him after being taken the distance by his little-known opponent.

However, DeGale was also backed by others in attendance, as Tchilaia chose to box extremely defensively.

Five more victories followed before DeGale won his first regional championship, the WBA International super-middleweight title, stopping Sam Horton in five rounds.

On 18 September 2010, DeGale made the first defence of his title against Carl Dilks, winning by stoppage near the end of the first round.

Frank Warren revealed that DeGale would challenge Paul Smith for the British super-middleweight title on Warren's blockbuster event in Liverpool, which was set for 11 December 2010 at the Echo Arena.

The bill included fellow Olympians Frankie Gavin and Billy Joe Saunders, as well as Nathan Cleverly and Kell Brook.

DeGale went on to defeat Smith via ninth-round stoppage to become the British super-middleweight champion.

On 17 March 2011, Frank Warren announced that DeGale would defend his British title against fellow Dale Youth Boxing Club graduate and Commonwealth champion George Groves at The O2 on 21 May.

Groves had previously held a majority decision win over DeGale in the amateurs.

DeGale suffered his first professional loss Groves, in what was seen as a very close fight.

The judges scored the bout 115–115, 115–114, and 115–114; a majority decision.

Groves, who believed he proved many critics wrong, welcomed the idea of a rematch in the future, "I will fight him again. Yeah if everything is all right and it's the right way. But now I have beaten him twice."

DeGale had a look of disbelief when the decision was announced.

DeGale was scheduled to return to action in September 2011 to challenge Polish boxer Piotr Wilczewski for his European super-middleweight title.

DeGale returned on 15 October 2011 to defeat Wilczewski when one judge scored the bout 114–114, and the other two scored it 115–113 in favour of DeGale, giving him the majority decision to win the European title.

DeGale started well winning the early rounds.

He slowed down his work rate before immediately picking it back up during the sixth and seventh rounds.

In February 2012, DeGale signed a sponsorship deal with Bulk Powders sport supplements.

DeGale took six months out before fighting Italian boxer Cristian Sanavia on 21 April 2012 and successfully defending his European title in Denmark.

DeGale dropped Sanavia 3 times in round 4, forcing the referee stoppage.

He held the IBF super-middleweight title twice between 2015 and 2018, and regionally the European and British super-middleweight titles between 2010 and 2012.