By Scott Gilfoid: Sorry George Groves, James DeGale (10-1, 8 KO’s) doesn’t see your fight as the toughest of his career. DeGale has assigned his next fight against EBU super middleweight champion Piotr Wilcewski (29-1, 10 KO’s) as the toughest of his career.

DeGale, 25, fights Wilcewski on October 15th at the Echo Arena in Liverpool, England. This is an important fight for DeGale, because it’s first since losing a controversial 12 round decision to Groves last May, and it’s a fight where boxing fans will get to see the changes – if any – that DeGale has made to correct the mistakes he made in that fight.

DeGale said this to Sky Sports News: “The Groves fight is totally out of my system and I’m totally focused on becoming European champion. It’s against a guy who will come to fight. He’s a tough guy, but technically good as well. This will be by far my toughest fight of my career.”

The Groves fight wasn’t a really tough one for DeGale because he spent most of the fight chasing after Groves, who was reluctant to mix it up with DeGale. It became a boring cat and mouse game despite all the hype that went into the lead up the fight. DeGale is prepared for anything that Wilcewski brings to the table in this fight. If Wilcewski decides to run like Groves did, then DeGale will charge him at full speed to cut off the ring, and force him to fight.

DeGale won’t go after him in the slow pedestrian manner that he did against Groves, because it will only reinforce Wilcewski’s style. The way to beat a runner is to go after them and force them in exchanges that they don’t want.

The big thing about taking the fight in October is that gives DeGale time to fight once more before the end of the year to keep pushing DeGale up the world rankings.