DeGale to spar Mayweather and Dirrell

ishy · Aug 21, 2009

James DeGale, Great Britain's Olympic champion, is flying to Las Vegas today to spar with Floyd Mayweather Jr. DeGale, who won the middleweight gold in Beijing last year, will train with Mayweather ahead of his comeback fight against Juan Manuel Marquez on September 19, and is also expected to spar with Andre Dirrell, the unbeaten Athens Olympic medal-winner who challenges Carl Froch for the WBC super-middleweight title in Nottingham on October 17.

"It's an unbelievable opportunity for me," DeGale said. "What more could a young boxer ask for than sparring with the best in the world, and one of the best of all time?

"Mayweather is one of my all time favourite fighters and the learning opportunities are almost endless. I'll be sparring with him but just to be around him and watch him train will be fantastic as well. I've sparred good domestic fighters, but this is the first time I've worked with foreign boxers and I'm looking forward to the chance to really test myself."

DeGale, 23, has won all his three bouts since turning professional. After a disappointing showing on his debut, he did an excellent job stopping his next two opponents in the first round.

The two-week stay was arranged when Mayweather came to London to promote the bout in May. DeGale was among the huge crowd that squeezed inside the Peacock Gym in Canning Town for a public workout. Mayweather, 32, the former five-weight world champion, has not boxed since beating Ricky Hatton in 2007.

"We got talking to Roger Mayweather (Floyd's uncle and trainer) and I told him I was an Olympic gold medallist," DeGale said. "He said we should go over and train, and we've been speaking since and its all been arranged.

"Roger's been great and arranged all our training routines - we're even going for runs at four in the morning."

DeGale has actually boxed in Las Vegas once before as an amateur. He appeared as a member of a combined team from Dale Youth and Finchley amateur clubs in a match against a Nevada representative team in 2003. DeGale, who was 17, won his bout against a boxer named Eric Strada. It was the first time DeGale boxed abroad in what was to become a well-travelled amateur career.

"I plan on becoming a world champion and defending my title in Las Vegas," he said. "It's the boxing capital of the world and every fighter dreams of appearing there."

http://timesonline.typepad.com/boxing/2009/08/degale-to-train-with-mayweather-in-las-vegas.html

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Good move, more of our prospects should do this. Groves also gets quality sparring. :good

kosaros · Aug 21, 2009

He will learn more from this sparring than any of his pro fights so far. Great move :good

TFFP · Aug 21, 2009

Good for the lad, nice of Roger also, he comes across as a **** usually but thats good of him.

DeGale could be the real deal, I've got a feeling.

GPater11093 · Aug 21, 2009

lucky DeGale

teessider · Aug 21, 2009

Good for him, he even seems modest in the quoted parts.

Mandanda · Aug 21, 2009

TFFP said: ↑

Good for the lad, nice of Roger also, he comes across as a **** usually but thats good of him.

DeGale could be the real deal, I've got a feeling.
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He's doing all the right things to get there. I like the lad...he's proven to me he has the hunger. I don't see him being another Audley...he may be a bit lemon at times but he seems a good lad...maybe not all there...but he's far different to Audley who thought he knew it all in and outside of ring.

NO MAS · Aug 21, 2009

To get the invite of PBF to come to Las Vegas to train says it all...PBF aint gonna waste time... Sparring with Dirrell is excellent...:yep

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DeGale to spar Mayweather and Dirrell

ishy Loyal Member Full Member

kosaros Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

TFFP The Eskimo

GPater11093 Barry Full Member

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NO MAS Boxing Junkie Full Member