James DeGale v Chris Eubank Jr predictions for the IBO super-middleweight title fight on Saturday, February 23. Who will win this big domestic clash when the vacant IBO world title is up for grabs at the O2 Arena in London? Read on for all of our free predictions and betting tips.
While a bunch of British fighters continue to talk about possible big-money domestic scraps taking place this year, James DeGale and Chris Eubank Jr ensured we will get at least one by putting pen-to-paper on a contract for February 23 at the O2 Arena in London.
This is a massive fight for Eubank Jr, who flopped badly the last time he stepped up to face an elite level fighter, dropping a decision victory to George Groves after ‘Saint’ outclassed him. If the 29-year-old has his hand raised he is one step closer to fighting the absolute best in the division for one of the four recognised world titles, but if he loses his dreams of holding one of the more coveted title belts could be dashed for good.
“I will be 30 this year but I definitely don’t feel like it, I feel like I’m 22,” he said. “I feel the same as when I turned pro. I still have that energy, the hunger, the desire, I live the life, I’m responsible with the way I live so I believe my career is going to go on until I’m mid-30s minimum.
“I’m in the prime of my career right now. I have the success, the financial stability, but in terms of achievements, I haven’t achieved everything I want to achieve. There’s still a lot more that I set out to do. This fight here puts me back in a position to be able to challenge for those world titles, those big fights. There’s a long road ahead.”
While Eubank Jr is looking to set himself up for ‘bigger and better things’, DeGale has openly admitted he is pondering if this will be his last stand.
“I'm going to get this good win and after this I'll maybe knock it on the head – I don't know,” DeGale admitted. “I could go on to have another three or four fights; I'm not too sure. I'm in a good position where I'm happy and content in what I've done with my career. I've left my mark. I'm sitting nice. I've always said I'm taking every fight as it comes.
“The hunger and desire hasn't been stronger. I've been training for this fight for a long, long time. Mentally I'm ready; physically I'm ready and I'm healthy. There's a lot of questions hanging over this fight as well, but the main one is how much have I got left? Am I declining, am I shot? We'll see.”
It is always a dangerous game for a fighter to be discussing retirement ahead of a fight. Despite his claims that the “desire hasn’t been stronger”, is DeGale’s head really in this fight and has the fire inside him been put out by Groves’ decision to retire? ‘Chunky’ had been desperate to land a rematch with ‘Saint’ so he would have an opportunity to avenge the slender points decision defeat he suffered when the two men met back in 2011, and a victory here would have perhaps helped him get that chance. That incentive is now gone – so will that affect DeGale?
February 23 will provide the answer to that question and I believe the answer will be that the former world champion was ready and motivated for Eubank Jr.
Eubank Jr will want to turn this into a war in the hope that he can catch DeGale with something big and stop him in his tracks, and that is a wise move because if this comes down to boxing technique then there will be only one winner – DeGale. He is the better boxer, and as we saw in Eubank Jr’s decision defeat to Groves a year ago that he is perhaps nowhere near the level required to compete with the very best in the super-middleweight division.
DeGale’s recent record may be patchy and some gruelling battles may be catching up with him, but he does fit in that bracket. And of course, he has never been stopped in his career so if Eubank Jr cannot put him away, then this fight is DeGale’s for the taking, probably by decision.
* Odds correct at 13:02 GMT on 17/2/2019