JAMES AND THE GIANT PREACH ‘I’ve always done it the hard way and I want my big day at Wembley, but first I must deal with Jack in New York’
JAMES DEGALE wants to wow Wembley after he takes a bite out of the Big Apple on Saturday. The 30- ye a r - o ld Londoner – the IBF super- middleweight champion – is up against WBC top dog Badou Jack, at B r o o k l y n’s Barclays Center in New York. And, if he can unify the titles, he fancies two allBritish battles – with a mission to sell out Wembley Stadium. DeGale said: “I used to go past Wembley during my training runs and I’ve always wanted to fight there.
“It could still happen. Against someone like George Groves, it would sell 80,000.
“But, first, I have to deal with Jack and, if I come through that, some massive fights can be made against Callum Smith and Groves, which could be another unification fight.”
Smith will be first, as mandatory challenger, if DeGale does beat Jack, 33, the US- based Swede.
If DeGale wins both fights, then the chance of a rematch with old foe Groves – whose recent victory over Eduard Gutknecht thrust him back on to the world stage – is finally on the cards.
Groves, the only man to beat DeGale in his 24 professional fights, fought Carl Froch at Wembley in May 2014, when they clashed for a second time. And if that whetted DeGale’s appetite to fight there, April’s heavyweight showdown between Anthony Joshua and Wladimir Klitschko will surely confirm that Wembley is an experience he wants to sample before he hangs up his gloves.
DeGale, who won middleweight gold in Beijing in 2008, respects the way Joshua, the London 2012 super- heavyweight gold medallist, has earned himself a world title.
But DeGale feels he has had a tougher trek to the top.
He added: “I’ve done it the hard way my whole career, even the Olympics was away from home, in China. I’ve had to go to America, I’ve had injuries and boxed in leisure centres and shopping centres.
“We’ve had different paths, me and Joshua. We’re both Olympic gold medallists and world champions, but I won mine away from home and he won both of his at home.
“Don’t get me wrong, he’s a great talent, a superstar. Everyone loves him.”
DeGale’s clash with Jack wi l l be his fourth consecutive fight in North America after beating Andre Dirrell to the vacant IBF crown in Boston.
He then defended his belt against Lucian Bute, in Quebec, Canada, and Rog e l i o Medina in Washington DC, back in April.
DeGale said: “I ’m a road warrior. This doesn’t bother me. Boxing in America, in New York, to unify the titles, this is what fighters dream about.
“I thought it would happen in September, but big unification fights take time. The most important thing is that it’s on.
“I’m a buzz fighter, 100 per cent. I like the big lights, the big crowds and the big nights.
“The bigger it is, the better I fight.”