Fast Results From London: Eubank Jr Punishes DeGale

Tonight’s fight in London between James DeGale and Chris Eubank Jr. was a near-pick’em affair. That seemingly portended a very close fight, but Eubank took command early and won going away.

One of the main arguments in favor of DeGale was that he possessed a higher ring IQ. Eubank looked amateurish in his last important fight when he was taken to school by George Groves who won a unanimous decision. But the son of the British boxing legend of the same name was the stronger man, and DeGale, who turned 33 earlier this month, didn’t have the guile to hold him off.

Eubank, the younger man by 43 months, knocked DeGale against the ropes in round two. In the estimation of the ref, the ropes held DeGale up so he was given a count. DeGale did better in the middle rounds, but he was fighting off his back foot and couldn’t match Eubank’s workrate.

Round 10 was Eubank’s best round. A vicious combination preceded by a thudding left hook sent DeGale to the canvas near the end of the round. The bell saved him from further punishment. Round 11 was also a strong round for Eubank, or would have been had he not had a point deducted for throwing DeGale to the mat. The only question now was whether DeGale would still be standing when the final bell sounded.

He made it to the finish, but the outcome wasn’t in doubt. The judges returned scores of 117-109, 115-112, and 114-112.

In hindsight, DeGale, whose career has been plagued by injuries, looked older than his 33 years. He had talked of retiring before the fight and hinted at it in a post-fight interview. “I’ve left my mark in boxing,” he said, “if I call it a day.”

Indeed he has. The first British fighter to win an Olympic gold medal and a world title as a professional, the two-time IBF super middleweight champion would leave the sport with a 25-3-1 record. Chris Eubank Jr, who likely has a rematch with Billy Joe Saunders in his future, improved to 28-2.

Other Bouts

In two other bouts of note, Joe Joyce stopped Bermane Stiverne in the sixth round and Lee Selby, in his first go as a lightweight, dug deep to turn away Omar Douglas.

Joyce vs. Stiverne was an old-fashioned slugfest, but the 40-year-old Stiverne, who came in at a flabby 273 pounds, couldn’t keep up the pace. He was knocked into the ropes in the third frame – it was properly ruled a knockdown – and buzzed on multiple occasions until the referee decided that he had seen enough.

Joyce advanced to 8-0 with his eighth straight knockout, but showed that while he has a sturdy chin, he needs to tighten up his defense. After the fight, Stiverne was taken to a hospital as a precaution.

Selby, a former IBF featherweight champion, overcame bad cuts over both eyes to win a unanimous decision. The scores were 115-114 and 116-112 twice.

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