DeGale vs. Jack likely to be moved from Sep to Nov

By Boxing News - 06/11/2016 - Comments

Image: DeGale vs. Jack likely to be moved from Sep to Nov

By Allan Fox: The unification match between IBF super middleweight champion James DeGale (23-1, 14 KOs) and WBC 168lb champion Badou Jack (20-1-2, 12 KOs) will be pushed back from September to November, according to Dan Rafael. It’s unclear why the fight is being pushed back other than there needing to be more time to market the fight to make it bigger.

Badou and DeGale both failed to impress in their recent title defenses last April at the DC Armory in Washington, DC. Badou was held to a 12 round draw by 36-year-old former IBF 168lb champion Lucian Bute.

DeGale won a 12 round unanimous decision over Rogelio Medina in a fight where the scores handed down by the three judges didn’t match the fight that transpired in the ring that night. DeGale appeared to just barely edge the fight. Many boxing fans scored the fight a draw. I had it scored a draw because I felt Rogelio had won at least six rounds with his superior work rat and aggression. DeGale kept retreating to the ropes and letting Medina outwork him by a wide margin.

“I was told that the Badou Jack vs. James Degale unification fight probably will be pushed back from September to November. #boxing,” said Rafael on his Twitter.

It’s probably more important for Badou Jack that he not get stuck having to fight another contender while he waits for the DeGale fight to take place. If Badou has to fight #1 WBC Callum Smith or #2 WBC George Groves, he could wind up losing to both of them. Badou is not a really solid champion. He was almost beaten by Bute, as well as Groves in the past.

DeGale has a more solid hold over his IBF title, mainly because he doesn’t have any really talented contenders ranked at No.1 and No.2 like Badou has. DeGale’s top two contenders in the International Boxing Federation’s rankings right now is Jose Uzcategui at No.1 and Patrick Nielsen at No.3. The No.2 spot is not rated at this time.

When Badou and DeGale eventually do face each other, it’s going to be a really tough fight to predict. They’re both around the same in terms of talent. As I stated already, DeGale had a close call against Medina last April. DeGale also had probems in his fights against Bute and Andre Dirrell in 2015. Those were two fights for DeGale. He’s had three really hard fights in a row now after his struggle to beat Medina.

The winner of the DeGale vs. Badou fight, could wind up facing WBO super middleweight champion Gilberto Ramirez in the near future. Ramirez has already said he wants to fight that winner of the Badou vs. DeGale fight.

It’s likely that Ramirez’s promoter Bob Arum won’t stand in his way to block him from fighting the DeGale-Badou winner. It’s a win-win situation if Ramirez fights the winner of the DeGale vs. Badou fight because it will help increase his popularity in the United States win, lose or draw. Ramirez, 24, looks better than both of those fighters right now.