DeGale Wants £2m To Turn Pro

[lefthook82]

Winning a silver at The Worlds renders Commonwealth and ABA lack of success quite irrelevant

Whilst there are doubts about his chin, I can't see how his heart can be questionned

[Old bones Ian]

well according to reports in The Times and The Daily Mail, someone is offering close to 2M , for DeGale to turn pro.

[lefthook82]

@ Old Bones

Good luck to him if he can get it. Would love to know how they plan on buiding him up to the public, whoever it is. Its not Hayemaker so I guess it could only be SN or Hennessey unless its foreign

From BBC yesterday it didnt seem like a concrete offer. But if he has that in writing qwhy is he pissing about for

[johnswan1]

I think he is quite a likeable chap.
Silly money of course and won't get anywhere near that, but he is nowhere near as arrogant and cocky as some are making out.
He came across well during the Olympics and was genuinely honoured to bring home a Gold for Britain(almost in tears on the podium etc, not issuing ultimatums where he will represent someone else if not sent to the Games like Khan did for example)

Good luck to the lad.

This guy is not cut out for the pro game. His style is horrible. Plus the fact that he danced up to the camera and started shouting "I told you, I told you" when he won the gold medal made me want him to turn pro and get sparked in the same way Khan did. Too arrogant and not good enough and would struggle to build up a big fan base.

[oliverfennell]

Plus the fact that he danced up to the camera and started shouting "I told you, I told you" when he won the gold medal

Proof indeed that evil is a tangible quality, not just a man-made concept.

[Bard of Boxrec]

who the hell does this clown think he is disrespecting Haye like that? He's never going to achieve a quarter of what Haye has, he should "STFU".

[johnswan1]

who the hell does this clown think he is disrespecting Haye like that? He's never going to achieve a quarter of what Haye has, he should "STFU".

Nobody likes a mouthy amateur.

[Wax On]

Fair play to the kid, if Haye wants to come out and have a go at him, he's entitled to have a go back!!

I hope Degale doesn't read this forum because according to most on this thread he might as well forget turning pro because his style isn't suitable and he's not got a nice personality worth supporting

Good luck to him I say, I won't be writing him off until I've seen him have a few pro fights and I hope he gets the 2 million.

[jamesmcdonnell]

I think he is quite a likeable chap.
Silly money of course and won't get anywhere near that, but he is nowhere near as arrogant and cocky as some are making out.
He came across well during the Olympics and was genuinely honoured to bring home a Gold for Britain(almost in tears on the podium etc, not issuing ultimatums where he will represent someone else if not sent to the Games like Khan did for example)

Good luck to the lad.

This guy is not cut out for the pro game. His style is horrible. Plus the fact that he danced up to the camera and started shouting "I told you, I told you" when he won the gold medal made me want him to turn pro and get sparked in the same way Khan did. Too arrogant and not good enough and would struggle to build up a big fan base.

Christ, how Awful of him!

I mean, how dare he show off after winning a gold medal.

[johnswan1]

I think he is quite a likeable chap.
Silly money of course and won't get anywhere near that, but he is nowhere near as arrogant and cocky as some are making out.
He came across well during the Olympics and was genuinely honoured to bring home a Gold for Britain(almost in tears on the podium etc, not issuing ultimatums where he will represent someone else if not sent to the Games like Khan did for example)

Good luck to the lad.

This guy is not cut out for the pro game. His style is horrible. Plus the fact that he danced up to the camera and started shouting "I told you, I told you" when he won the gold medal made me want him to turn pro and get sparked in the same way Khan did. Too arrogant and not good enough and would struggle to build up a big fan base.

Christ, how Awful of him!

I mean, how dare he show off after winning a gold medal.

DeGale is a flash in the pan. He was arrogant and disrespectful throughout. His style is not exciting and his personality is not endearing. It's a recipe for disaster for anybody prepared to offer a £2m deal to him IMHO.

[leforge]

2M in his dream I can see him get 1m. But that still alot in todays climate.

[twenty six]

Well let's hope it's Wazza who's made the offer so he can pour some more cash down the sink !
Seriously though, I would sooner invest in Darren Sutherland, regardless of am results.
Darren worked hard at Wincobank when he was over here, and got some quality sparring and tuition - the sort that would stand him in good stead in the pro ranks.
If the offer is serious, I have no idea why the kid's hanging about. No brainer.

[johnswan1]

Well let's hope it's Wazza who's made the offer so he can pour some more cash down the sink !
Seriously though, I would sooner invest in Darren Sutherland, regardless of am results.
Darren worked hard at Wincobank when he was over here, and got some quality sparring and tuition - the sort that would stand him in good stead in the pro ranks.
If the offer is serious, I have no idea why the kid's hanging about. No brainer.

I agree. I knew Darren had spent some time in England but didn't know where so thanks for that. I think he is far more likeable, has a fan friendly style, and huge Irish support. If DeGale has any sort of offer like that he should bite their hand off to accept it. I'm surprised that promoters are still putting so much importance on an Olympic medal. The standard of the amateurs has gone down with the Yanks no longer taking it as seriously and the points system is a joke. A gold medal is no longer a stamp of the highest quality to take forward into a pro career - certainly not like it was in the past. The Audley Harrison fiasco should be a lesson to all, and DeGales style is just as boring and he sounds just as arrogant (if not worse). For anybody needing a little reminder of his Olympic performance (where admittedly Sutherland looked like a bull against a matador), does this report from the Times really sound like the sort of fighter destined for huge cross over success as a pro?

"DeGale had previously fought Sutherland five times with the Irishman winning four times, but this time DeGale worked amateur boxing's quirky points system brilliantly, covering up to absorb his opponents two-handed attacks before often scoring with a sly jab and dancing away. In the first two rounds DeGale used an open glove to keep Sutherland off balance and then attacked with a series of fast counters to move 3-1 ahead. DeGale continued to stick and move, or grab and hold. It wasn't always pretty but it was effective and an 8-2 lead at the end of the third was extended to 10-3 by the close".

[mark thompson]

2million ??? that would buy him 20 council houses

[twenty six]

Where the f**k do you live ?
Only 20 ?
You'd get at least 35 round here.

[mark thompson]

Where the f**k do you live ?
Only 20 ?
You'd get at least 35 round here.

Leicestershire... about 100k would buy you a 3 bed council house

[twenty six]

Not near Lutterworth I hope !
That TNT warehouse wants blowin up - again.

[mark thompson]

Not near Lutterworth I hope !
That TNT warehouse wants blowin up - again.

lol not near Lutterworth, my sister works there at Magna Park though if thats where your referring to ?

[twenty six]

That's it.
The biggest Industrial park in Europe.

[Autobarn]

"Ok he got a silver medal at the world amas." Not much, eh?

De Gale didn't exactly have to face anyone of Odlanier Solis' level in the Olympics, did he?

Doubt he can adapt to the pros like Haye did. He does look like a stinker, but he can certainly make some money.

[mark thompson]

That's it.
The biggest Industrial park in Europe.

why do you do some work there then 26 ?

[charlieb]

He's just playing the game. What's he supposed to do? Turn around and say "Well, yeah, Haye's right, Sutherland probably will make for a better pro than me ... now, about that 2 mil ... gizzit!".

Turnabout is fair play. Haye slagged him off, Degale has every right to return fire.

I think a lot of you are underestimating the chav demographic too, this country's up to it's tits in them and Degale's one of their own.

[Gray-Fox]

Some very unfair criticism of Degale in here. No wonder the sport's a joke at the moment, the fans don't even know when to appreciate someone good. It's a real shame, the guy won an Olympic gold medal and he still doesn't get any props.

This country used to be a lot more tolerant of confidence, but now you've just got a bunch of guys who like faux modesty.

[lefthook82]

To be honest@ gray fox

He just has a face I want to punch and he come from the Anthony Small school of arrogance, it just doesn't seem natural

I dont like his boxing style either but as he is a Londoner I would probably remove myself from the armchair and go watch him, provided he doesn't become the 'winning is all that matters' spoiler that other people with his style have become

Re: the offer. Frank Mloney in the Mail was quoted a saying 'get real'! Now that rules him out as the promoter giving it to him. What exactly is he waiting for if the offer is bona fide?

@charlieb

Fair point about demographic but would you rely on them to fill out a decently sized venue

[Lenny]

I found Degale quite likeable during the Olympics. Whilst I don't think he is going to win world titles or anything like that I think he'll be a good addition domestically and possibly Euro level.

People are all too ready to shoot people down for any reason on this board at the moment. I'll never know why so many people seem to feel a personal dislike for someone they have never met, whether that's Hatton, Khan, Calzaghe, Haye or now Degale. Supporting popular people does seem very out of fashion