degale (4) By Scott Gilfoid: After a close controversial decision over the aging 35-year-old veteran Lucian Bute (32-3, 25 KOs) last Saturday night in a fight that many boxing fans felt that Bute deserved at least a draw, IBF super middleweight champion James DeGale (22-1, 14 KOs) is moving on and is targeting WBC 168lb champion Badou Jack in a unification fight in 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

That fight won’t likely be next for DeGale, however. He’s talking about wanting to get back into the ring in April against an opponent still to be determined. It’ll likely be another voluntary defense for DeGale against another fringe level contender.

DeGale barely beat the fringe contender Bute, who clearly wasn’t the fighter that he once was. Before the fight last Saturday, Bute had only fought only three times in the last three years since 2012. It’s unclear why Bute was selected for DeGale to fight rather than a relevant contender that had been staying busy, but it was very, very sad that DeGale couldn’t even prove that he was better than him. I scored the DeGale-Bute fight a draw due to the total collapse of DeGale’s game in the last four rounds of the fight.

I couldn’t get DeGale any of the last four rounds from rounds 9 through 12. I thought Bute fought well enough to win 2 out of the first 8 rounds of the contest. As such, Bute deserved a draw and found himself on the receiving end of a controversial decision loss by the scores of 117-111, 117-111 and 116-111.

“I am peaking now,” said DeGale. “I don’t want to waste any time, so in the next three and four years I want the big fights. I would like to be back out in April.”
I don’t see DeGale being able to stay on top for the next three or four years. Heck, he’s not even able to dominate old fighters like DeGale, and he still unfinished business with Andre Dirrell from their close fight earlier this year.

I see DeGale basically as an eight round fighter at best. He ran out of gas against Dirrell after the 4th round and looked spent until taking charge in the 12th, when Dirrell ran out of gas. If Dirrell didn’t tire, I think he would have easily won the fight.

Last Saturday, DeGale gassed out after eight rounds, and had nothing left in the last four rounds. The thing is this isn’t new for DeGale for him to gas out like this. I mean, DeGale has had stamina problems since he turned pro, and he’s not improved at all in this area. At 29, I doubt that DeGale’s stamina will suddenly improve. Heck, he’s about to turn 30, and it’s downhill from there, believe me.

Personally, I think it would be a huge mistake for DeGale to take on Badou Jack, because this is a fighter who tends to get better with each round. Jack is a pressure fighter who never stops coming forward.

If DeGale thought he had problems last Saturday night from the pressure that the 35-year-old Bute was putting on him, and then just picture what a young guy like Badou Jack would do against DeGale. I could see things quickly getting out of hand for DeGale after six rounds.

The wheels would come off his game, and he would likely wilt from the unrelenting pressure that Badou puts on him in the last six rounds. DeGale wouldn’t be able to win rounds by hopping around the ring, throwing weak punches like we saw last Saturday. The judges will score the rounds in favor of Badou due to him landing the harder shots.

“I think the US networks like me and want me back in the US,” DeGale said. “The Brits are flying right now. I’ve beaten two elite fighters in my last two fights, and I’ve gone overseas to do it, and I want to do it all again by going to Las Vegas and unifying titles against Badou Jack.”

DeGale went on to mention British heavyweight Tyson Fury’s win over IBF/IBO/WBA/WBO heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko last Saturday night as something that motivated him for his fight against Bute. However, Fury’s performance was less than an impressive one.

If you look at DeGale and Fury’s wins last Saturday night, they were fights that were very, very close. Fury could have easily lost if Wladimir was a little younger and a little braver. As I mentioned, the DeGale-Bute fight was a draw in my view. As such, there’s not much for DeGale to be crowing about after his and Fury’s wins last Saturday night. I could understand it if DeGale and Fury whipped their opposition but that’s not what happened. Those were both close fights, and DeGale and Fury did not look particularly good in them in my view.