By Scott Gilfoid: James DeGale (20-1, 14 KOs) says he doesn’t plan on getting caught in a boxing match against American Andre Dirrell (24-1, 16 KOs) this Saturday night in their fight for the vacant IBF super middleweight title at the Agganis Arena, in Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
DeGale, 29, really wants to capture the IBF strap that previously was in the possession of Carl Froch, and he feels the best way to accomplish that goal is for him to attack Dirrell.
DeGale didn’t come right out and say it but he seems to be under the impression that he can follow Froch’s blueprint in how to beat Dirrell by applying a lot of pressure on him. However, if DeGale chooses to follow what Froch used against Dirrell, he could be going down a wrong road because it didn’t work for Froch.
Froch ended up fouling Dirrell constantly, as he was unable to connect with his shots. Dirrell would tie Froch up on the inside, and this led to Froch throwing a lot of rabbit punches while in the clinch. Froch did get away with the rabbit shots, but I think most referees would have nipped the fouling in the bud by penalizing Froch. He was fortunate that he had a referee that was just watching the action without anything to police the fouling.
If DeGale has no other answers but to throw rabbit shots or body slam Dirrell like Froch did, then I think he’s going to be out of luck on Saturday because I don’t see the referee working the fight allowing DeGale to foul Dirrell like Froch did, so DeGale is going to need a better game plan if that’s what he intends on doing.
“He thinks this is going to be a boxing match. Well, it ain’t,” DeGale said via RingTV.com. “I’m going in there and I’m taking the title. I’m ripping it away from him. Momentum is a big thing. Look at my last two performances against good, quality opponents and look his last three.”
I’m afraid that DeGale’s last three opponents – Marco Antonio Periban, Brandon Gonzales and Gevorg Khatchikian – have nothing to do with this fight and I don’t see them as something for DeGale to be bragging about. Instead of DeGale making a big deal about beating the likes Khatchikian, who I had never heard of before DeGale fought him, I think DeGale should be quiet about those fights and instead just hoping for the best.
The reality is DeGale hasn’t fought anyone in the same class as Dirrell, and his experience in his last 10 fights against fodder opponents is totally irrelevant to the fight against Dirrell. I would feel the similar way if Dirrell started bragging about how he beat Nick Brinson, Derek Edwards and Vladine Biosse in his last three fights. I mean, see Edwards as a better fighter than anyone that DeGale has ever fought before, including George Groves, but I don’t think it would mean anything if Dirrell started using them as a reason for why he’ll be defeating DeGale on Saturday. It’s totally irrelevant who Dirrell has beaten. Yeah, many people feel that he beat Froch in the past, but it doesn’t matter anymore. Dirrell has someone new in front of him on Saturday, and his past successes matter little.
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