ROLLING THE DICE
Khan and Degale are facing up to the most dif cult truth of all
TWO of Britain’s most successful fighters in recent history enter 2019 facing their biggest challenges yet. Both Amir Khan and James Degale were accused of being finished last year despite neither losing a fight. In fact, they have lost only one contest each in the last six years. But there were worrying signs for the 32-year-olds.
Khan’s apparent mismatch with Samuel Vargas in September became a hellacious struggle. Degale, for the second year in a row, went 12 bloody and gruelling rounds with Caleb Truax before snatching victory and revenge. In the days leading to that rematch the Englishman promised to retire, win or lose, if the fight was as taxing as it turned out to be. Months later, he relinquished his IBF super-middleweight title to focus on Chris Eubank Jnr instead.
Khan and Degale, not so long ago bright young things with the world at their feet, are battling against time. It is a battle they will only acknowledge privately.
Once one reaches a certain age, the slightest pain or niggle can cause havoc. A stomach ache becomes a Google-induced health scare and four pints can morph into a world-ending hangover. The invincibility of youth is a distant memory for anyone lucky enough to venture towards middle age and beyond.
We joke about getting old among friends. But the boxer is different. They will tell you that any signs of deterioration are down to anything and everything but their advancing years.
Muhammad Ali blamed his pitiful showing against Larry Holmes in 1980 on a rapid and unnatural dieting regime. Towards the end of his career, Errol Christie claimed the reason for his poor results was dodgy leg muscles that he’d been afflicted with all his life. Roy Jones Jnr once implied he didn’t win his rubber match with Antonio Tarver because he didn’t want his father, back in his corner after a long absence, getting any credit for a victory.
Not once, at least from an active fighter, do we hear the real reason for their loss of form, fading reflexes and aching bones. Because to do so would forfeit their biggest strength – self-belief.
But what comes next for Khan and Degale highlights they both know all is not what it once was. Khan, in yet another nod to his enduring bargaining power and ambition, was mulling over whether to make an audacious challenge to the brilliant WBO welterweight champion Terence Crawford or settle for a moneyspinning showdown with Kell Brook that would at last provide an end to the most meandering rivalry in British boxing. At the time of writing, Crawford appeared the most likely.
Khan continues to chase that legacy-defining victory, knowing that time is running out. He will get more credit for beating Crawford than Brook. Granted, there will be less mental anguish in losing to Crawford than Brook too. But this isn’t exactly a 30-something Premiership footballer choosing a lucrative deal with a Major League Soccer team rather than staying put and fighting for his place at home; Crawford represents extreme danger, and likely for less money than he would earn against Brook.
On February 23, Degale takes on his long-term tormentor, Eubank Jnr; the same fighter he dismissed as a potential opponent a few years ago. At this juncture, with the money that is on the table, he knows it’s his best option. And like both of Khan’s options, it is a fight that could end his career. There will be no way back for Degale if Eubank Jnr defeats him. Worse than that, losing to a fighter he would have outclassed during his peak could haunt him for years. It’s a bullish move from Degale, make no mistake.
Khan and Degale are rolling the dice and gambling they can produce their best at least one last time. And they’ve proved us wrong before. Two of the biggest names in British sport, Khan and Degale can boast achievements to make most feel rather inadequate when it comes to ambitions realised. Olympic glory, world titles won, and riches earned are boxes both can tick.
Shame on anyone for belittling their accomplishments, or the fight they’re undertaking. They’re fighting for survival.