By Scott Gilfoid: Promoter Eddie Hearn has a large number of fighters that he potentially can pick from to select new IBF super middleweight champion James DeGale’s next title defense. The names are endless from Lucian Bute, Callum Smith, Rocky Fielding, Paul Smith, Gennady Golovkin, Anthony Dirrell, Bernard Hopkins, and Mikkel Kessler to name just a small handful.
Hearn is not shy about saying he would like to have DeGale face Carl Froch or George Groves. However, he doesn’t see those fights happening soon if at all. The DeGale-Groves rematch could take place a year from now if Groves defeats WBC super middleweight champion Badou Jack in September, but that’s a big if. With the way that Groves has looked in his last four fights, he’ll lost to Jack by knockout.
I don’t know that Hearn is keen on matching DeGale against Jack, because there’s too much danger in that fight for DeGale without enough of a payoff.
“Because it was a vacant title, he [DeGale] can fight anybody he wants next,” Hearn said to IFL TV. “Then after that he’ll probably have to fight his mandatory in February or March next year. If Paul Smith beats Andre Ward, for sure [DeGale would fight Smith]. James wants a big fight. I love the Andre Ward fight. I love the Mikkel Kessler fight. Andre Dirrell has been on for a rematch. It’s not a fight that’s going to happen next. Anthony Dirrell wants a fight. Lucian Bute probably wants a fight as well. He’s [DeGale] in a great position, and some Brits obviously, and not just now, but Callum Smith, Rocky Fielding. George Groves hopefully. George Groves, of course, would be massive. If Groves can win the WBC in September, Wembley next year [against DeGale]. It’s bigger than Froch-Groves 2, I know. You know the market,” Hearn said.
The real list that Hearn is choosing from for DeGale’s next fight is the likes of Kessler and Bute. Those are a couple of old timers that the hardcore and casual boxing fans are familiar with in the UK, and depending on how shot they are, they present little threat to beating DeGale. If Kessler has 70 percent left of his original abilities, then I see him beating DeGale without any problems. He’s simply a better fighter than him in every department. But if Kessler has dropped to 40-50 percent of what he once was, then DeGale will of course beat him. I don’t see Bute as being a worthy opponent because he’s looked so awful since his loss to Froch in 2012. Bute has only fought two times since then in losing to Jean Pascal and beating Denis Grachev. I think Bute is not a good opponent for DeGale due to his inactivity and his poor efforts. It would be bad for the boxing public to pay to see a mismatch between DeGale and an inactive fighter like Bute.
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