Degale underachiever or overrated?

Discussion in 'British Boxing Forum' started by ginger warrior, Apr 30, 2013.


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  1. ginger warrior

    ginger warrior Guest

    I remember watching james degale v paul smith british title fight at liverpool,degale was in the infancy of his pro carear
    That night i thought we saw the birth of a truly world class operator,great handspeed lateral movement,quick reflexes and an exciting personality

    Since then he has gone backwards mainly due to inactivity and the groves defeat,add in the uncertainty of the channel 5 deal and things arent positive for him

    Will he ever win a world title and is it just a case of him finding his level as he was never that good or is it a wasted talent
     
    ginger warrior, Apr 30, 2013
    ginger warrior, Apr 30, 2013
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  2. iceferg

    iceferg Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

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    He will become great. Groves won't!
     
    iceferg, Apr 30, 2013
    iceferg, Apr 30, 2013
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  3. Old Greg

    Old Greg Member Full Member

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    He's doing rightly after just 15 fights, I'd say him and Groves will fight for a world title within a couple of years.
     
    Old Greg, Apr 30, 2013
    Old Greg, Apr 30, 2013
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  4. dftaylor

    dftaylor Writer, fanatic Full Member

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    A distinctly unlike-able personality. Most people I knew found him obnoxious and his slappy, half-assed style to be boring.
     
    dftaylor, Apr 30, 2013
    dftaylor, Apr 30, 2013
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  5. ginger warrior

    ginger warrior Guest

    This was always my belief,groves is an exciting fighter but when on the front foot looks predictable it hasnt been an issue because of his competition
    I think if we see a rematch then degales best chance is to let george dictate the pace and counterpunch,then we should see the difference in class
    He has such talent,in his channel 5 outings he looked as good as before but sat on the ropes for large spells of both fights
    In a recent interview he mentioned an injury that apparently enforced this

    I would fancy him in with abraham who looks a shadow of his old self but is still a threat
     
    ginger warrior, Apr 30, 2013
    ginger warrior, Apr 30, 2013
    #5
  6. Bronxbull666

    Bronxbull666 The Beast From The East Full Member

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    I just think Groves has improved faster than DeGale and DeGale is not a popular lad. He's got a lot of promise, but needs to kick on now and get busy. He was European Champion and not many can say that. Underachiever, no. Overrated, no.
     
    Bronxbull666, Apr 30, 2013
    Bronxbull666, Apr 30, 2013
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  7. Robert

    Robert Boxing Addict Full Member

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    I honestly thought his career was going along nicely with FW he even managed to almost take the loss out his record by getting him a EBU title shot straight after the loss to Groves, but under Hennesey i dont know where his career is going
     
    Robert, Apr 30, 2013
    Robert, Apr 30, 2013
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  8. USA Rob

    USA Rob Boxing Addict banned

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    People on here got really ahead of themselves when it came to DeGale in 2010. Literally nobody gave Groves a change in the fight against him. I remember getting slated on here for picking Groves.

    I don't think he has underachieved, and I don't think he is over rated. If anything its been the opposite.

    Within 2 years and in his 9th fight he became British champion. He lost to Groves in a fight where nobody would have shrugged there shoulders in if he had got the nod. When a fighter is expected to win so comfortably its almost a double loss when he doesn't win. Mohamedi should have got the nod against Skekolka, who went the distance with Sakio Bika, and Zuniga is a former title holder.

    The issue with DeGale is that he has been horribly inactive. He has had 15 fights in 4 years as a pro, he should have had 15 fights in 2 years. This is due to the extorionate purses he was making under Frank, supposedly over 100k per fight and I know thats what he asked for when he met with Eddie Hearn, so I doubt its much different under Hennesey. When you have those purses and you sell literally no tickets, its a problem.

    Still he is in a good position. 14-1. Ranked in the top 6 by the WBC, IBF & WBO. What worrys me is that Hennesey says they are aiming for Andre Ward!! Mental.

    So yeh I think he is actually under rated and has achieved fine.

    He picked up the European title agaisnt a decent fighter in a tough fight, and his opponents since then have been very good. Sanavia was a former world champ who he dealt with emphatically.
     
    USA Rob, Apr 30, 2013
    USA Rob, Apr 30, 2013
    #8
  9. boxfanlut

    boxfanlut Boxing Addict Full Member

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    Desperately needs a new trainer to have half a chance if fulfilling his potential
     
    boxfanlut, Apr 30, 2013
    boxfanlut, Apr 30, 2013
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  10. Taylor2010

    Taylor2010 Arranging chromosome injections for injured boxers Full Member

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    Taylor2010, Apr 30, 2013
    Taylor2010, Apr 30, 2013
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  11. ginger warrior

    ginger warrior Guest

    Good point,groves confused him by boxing disciplined on the backfoot

    Next time would definately be different though,im not saying the result would be any different as booth is a great tactician and groves has proved he can fight to a plan
     
    ginger warrior, Apr 30, 2013
    ginger warrior, Apr 30, 2013
    #11
  12. HARDCORE HEALEY

    HARDCORE HEALEY Active Member Full Member

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    Groves is hitting seriously harder now, and i would thoroughly expect him to knock out Degale when the rematch happens
     
    HARDCORE HEALEY, Apr 30, 2013
    HARDCORE HEALEY, Apr 30, 2013
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  13. USA Rob

    USA Rob Boxing Addict banned

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    A smart fighter that can execute a plan will always beat DeGale.
     
    USA Rob, Apr 30, 2013
    USA Rob, Apr 30, 2013
    #13
  14. ginger warrior

    ginger warrior Guest


    I have seen no evidence that this result will happen next time at all,in fact id comfortably bet money on it going the distance
     
    ginger warrior, Apr 30, 2013
    ginger warrior, Apr 30, 2013
    #14
  15. theboy_racer

    theboy_racer Boxing Junkie banned

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    In your opinion

    I always find him to come across well, apart from a couple times in the build up to Groves fight, Groves grates on me far more, something very smarmy about him.

    Also thought he beat Groves despite the slow start as one judge did, his own fault though he didn't get the majority nod
     
    theboy_racer, Apr 30, 2013
    theboy_racer, Apr 30, 2013
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