By Scott Gilfoid: #1 IBF James DeGale (20-1, 14 KOs) just got some really bad news with the word that the International Boxing Federation [IBF] is going to force the 29-year-old DeGale to face #2 IBF Andre Dirrell (24-1, 16 KOs) instead of DeGale being able to face anyone his promoter Eddie Hearn found for him to fight for the now vacant IBF super middleweight title.
Up until the IBF ordered the DeGale-Dirrell fight, DeGale and Hearn were hoping to setup a fight against fellow countryman George Groves in a stadium fight in the UK.
As most boxing fans already know, Groves has been knocked out in 2 out of his last 4 fights, and he’s not anyone of consequence since he was blasted out by Carl Froch in the 8th round last year in May.
Hearn is hoping to drag Dirrell over to the UK to get him to face DeGale there. Dirrell has been reluctant to fight in the UK since his very, very questionable loss to Froch in the Super Six tournament in 2009. That was a fight in which Dirrell appeared to get the better of Froch, but only to see the judges snatch his victory away and give it to Froch instead in what some boxing fans saw as a travesty and a hometown decision.
“He [Dirrell] hasn’t been that keen to come to the UK, but I’m confident,” Hearn said via Skysports.com. “When it’s a 50-50 split, which is what’s been ordered by the IBF, it’s a lot easier to bring the fight over.”
Dirrell has the talent to come into the UK and potentially embarrass DeGale in front of his own fans. Dirrell is at a higher level than DeGale by quite a bit in my view, and I can see this fight being really one-sided from start to finish.
It would be an early Christmas present for DeGale and Hearn if Dirrell were to choose to not take the fight against DeGale in order to save himself from a possible controversial decision loss in the UK. I’m sure that DeGale would be quite pleased at learning that he wouldn’t have to be facing Dirrell, but instead someone like the very green Callum Smith instead for the vacant IBF 168 pound title.
Earlier on Tuesday, Carl Froch vacated his IBF 168 pound title. He was supposed to defend it against his mandatory challenger DeGale, but Froch saw that fight as being less than a motivating one due to DeGale not being a huge star. At this point in Froch’s career, he only wants to face big names, which is why it’s very strange that he’s looking to face former WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr next rather than a talent like Gennady Golovkin.
Froch seems to be going for an ex-star rather than a current star. I mean, you can make an incredibly strong argument that Chavez Jr never did prove himself as being a high quality fighter even when he was the WBC belt holder. Chavez Jr was given the WBC title outside of the ring, and the best guys he beat during his 1-year reign as the WBC champion was Andy Lee and Marco Antonio Rubio. Those are not great middleweights, are they?
Once Chavez Jr faced his first real test at 160, he was soundly beaten by Sergio Martinez in 2012. As such, Froch thinks he’s fighting a star, but in reality he’s fighting an unproven fighter who was badly exposed by the only good opponent he’s ever faced.
DeGale is hoping to get a victory over Dirrell and then possibly get a fight against Froch later in 2015. I think that’s a pipe dream though. Even if DeGale did beat Dirrell by a questionable decision, I can’t see Froch wanting any part of him. I see a DeGale win over Dirrell sending Froch scurrying in another direction towards the safety of the Chavez Jr fight.
“I don’t mind if it’s Andre Dirrell, he’s a southpaw as well, and we are two of the best in the division. I will get in that ring with anyone and win,” DeGale said via Skysports.com.
DeGale is talking about not being worried now about fighting Dirrell, but once they get inside the ring together, I see it being a completely different story with DeGale worrying like crazy and unable to adapt to what Dirrell is doing.
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