By Scott Gilfoid: Former British super middleweight champion James DeGale (10-1, 8 KO’s) showed his class by keeping a stiff upper lip after losing a controversial 12 round majority decision to challenger George Groves (13-0, 10 KO’s) last weekend. DeGale has a right to be upset about the decision loss but he’s remained mature about it, knowing that the loss means zero in terms of the bigger picture.

It was simply two guys ruling that Groves was slightly better on that night. Had it been a different set of judges, those guys likely would have given it to DeGale. He did look like the much stronger fighter with the better power, better pressure and better skills.

Speaking with thesun.co.uk, DeGale said “It’s not the end for me but a minor glitch. I’m young, strong and ready to stand firm by knowing in my hear the decision was unfair…Losing is hard and losing by one point is even harder. But I’m a sportsman and take this defeat as one of those incidents where you can’t explain the unexplainable…I’ll do what I know best. I’ll come back fighting harder, stronger, wiser and hungrier, trust me.”

I believe him. That’s why if there was a rematch between DeGale and Groves in the next four or five months, DeGale would be all over Groves, unloading punch after punch to the head of Groves until he’s a bloody mess. DeGale would effectively take the judges out of the equation by either knocking Groves out or beating him so badly that the judges wouldn’t have any other choice but to give the decision to DeGale. It’s interesting though that Groves doesn’t want any part of a rematch with DeGale, even though that’s the best money fight out there for him right now. Who else is Groves going to fight right now that compares to the money he’ll get against DeGale? Carl Froch isn’t going to fight him. Groves can forget about that until 2012 or perhaps never. Can you imagine what an improved version of DeGale would do against Groves? It wouldn’t be pretty, believe me. But why wouldn’t Groves take a good money rematch with DeGale rather than taking smaller money to face someone else? I don’t get it.