James DeGale believes George Groves rematch is inevitable

James DeGale

JAMES DeGALE is in California. The former world champion, who vacated his IBF super-middleweight title, is boxing Fidel Monterrosa Munoz at the Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario on Sunday (September 30). This may just be an eight rounder but itโ€™s not a misstep. Itโ€™s part of the plan.

DeGale is testing his body, tuning up for a more significant contest in December. โ€œIโ€™ve got to take it extremely seriously and do a job on him. At the end of the year, somethingโ€™s coming,โ€ he tells Boxing News. โ€œTest all my injuries have healed up. You canโ€™t beat putting those little gloves on with no headgear and punching someone.โ€

โ€œI gave up my title because we had different options,โ€ he explained. โ€œMe being me, I was going to fight him [his mandatory, Jose Uzcategui]. But if Iโ€™m brutally honest with you, I was going to get a quarter of the money Iโ€™ve been earning and itโ€™s a dangerous fight. I spoke to my advisor [Al Haymon] and he said weโ€™ve got better options.

โ€œItโ€™s always hard giving up a title but I will get another chance to box for another world title before I retire.โ€

โ€œIโ€™m going to get another chance to box for a world title very, very soon,โ€ he promised. โ€œIโ€™m happy with it.โ€

Not this year but eventually he believes a rematch with old rival George Groves will be inevitable. โ€œIf we both get through our next couple of fights, for me my next couple of fights and George gets through his next one, I think weโ€™d be stupid for it not to happen. If we let egos get in the way, or the politics of boxing, weโ€™d be very, very stupid. You never know, listen George Groves is very hard to deal with so Iโ€™m not too sure if it will happen but weโ€™d be stupid if it didnโ€™t happen. I think boxing would like to see that one. It would be a great story as well, seven years on weโ€™ve both been world champions, weโ€™ve both had a couple of good wins, I think people will want to see it. But weโ€™ll see,โ€ DeGale said. โ€œAll it takes is one or two fights in boxing and youโ€™re back.โ€

He will be an interested observer of George Groves and Callum Smith as they fight for the WBA super-middleweight title in the World Boxing Super Series final in Jeddah. โ€œItโ€™s a bit weird, two Brits boxing for a world title, in a big fight, a massive fight and itโ€™s out in Saudi Arabia. Itโ€™s crazy, the boxing public obviously want to see Brits going for a world title. I canโ€™t see why itโ€™s in Saudi Arabia, because you canโ€™t have a drink theyโ€™re not going to get people to go out to Saudi Arabia. It doesnโ€™t make any sense. Obviously they must have made a deal with someone over there before it was announced,โ€ he said. โ€œThey must have been committed to it. But if Iโ€™m being honest, itโ€™s stupid.โ€

james degale

DeGale has warning from his own experience for Groves. He felt heโ€™d come back too soon from a shoulder injury when he lost his world title to Caleb Truax in 2017. (He won it back in April of this year before vacating.)

โ€œIโ€™ve been thinking about his shoulder as well. If this shoulder holds up you have to pick him [to win], obviously going by the past couple of performances.ย  Iโ€™m just worried about this shoulder. Obviously my shoulder injury and his are different but itโ€™s still a shoulder injury and he still had to have surgery. So Iโ€™m not too sure how the healing process has been with him. But with mine it took my ages, a year and a half and itโ€™s only feeling normal now,โ€ DeGale said. โ€œIs it too soon? But if his shoulder is healthy and strong, itโ€™s a real good fight but youโ€™d have to say Groves.

โ€œThis is Smithโ€™s big chance and letโ€™s see if he can do it.โ€

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