BoxRec

Do they make the groves fight next or build that up for later on?

Magee, then maybe the Groves fight for the Euro as well.

alexpaterson wrote:Magee, then maybe the Groves fight for the Euro as well.

Good shout!

I'd personally make the Groves fight now if it's possible, nip that one in the bud and tht answer and finish most questions at domestic level before moving onto the euro scene.

alexpaterson wrote:Magee, then maybe the Groves fight for the Euro as well.

Magee is fighting for a WBA title. I don't think he is going to be DeGale's next opponent.

I don't see the point in the Groves fight yet. On the evidence of last night's performance it would be a mis-match imo. Beating Smith so comfortably may be a double edged sword. Decent smw's may not fancy it now, especially those that are ranked. Plus, the likes of Quigly, Dodson et al are all a backward step from Smith. Magee would be the obvious fight, but with his WBA shot coming up probably won't be interested.

Just looked at the Boxrec rankings, there's some good fighters above Degale. Maybe he could fight the guy that beat Jeff Lacey last night, Dhafir?

BTW way,why is Anthoney mundine, who just lost in the light middleweight divsion a new entry in the top 20 of the super middle division?

after watching both fights groves and degale i think groves should pathe a different path to a world title and leave degale alone cause degale is miles ahead of groves and imo he isnt to far behind froch,skill wise i think there is only ward who is as skillful as degale

Newport Daz wrote:Just looked at the Boxrec rankings, there's some good fighters above Degale. Maybe he could fight the guy that beat Jeff Lacey last night, Dhafir?

Why not fight Lacy instead?

Lacy would be a good fight for him

Pain me though it does to say it, on the back of their respective last fights, Degale should hunt down a Groves fight next - as someone said above, that leaves clear water between him and the domestic scene for the forseeable future.

There will be opportunities in the coming 12-18 months to pick up on the fallout from the Super 6 - a comebacking Kessler, Arthur Abraham and Glen Johnson... who is to say that if his next fights go - Groves, mid-rounds stoppage, Sakio Bika, UD over 12, that he wouldn't be ready for one of the previously mentioned three? He's clearly got the talent, and to be honest I don't buy all this 'don't rush him' stuff, not when he looks so ready, he fights like a mexican who's been pro since he was 16, no fluster to him at all.

alexpaterson wrote:Lacy would be a good fight for him

Counterproductive IMO... Lacy is clearly on the wane, and would not pose any problems for Degale IMO. Better to look at someone like Bika, a known quantity who always comes to fight. He won't pose a diminishing problem, he will have to be watched the whole twelve.

Horse wrote:

Newport Daz wrote:Just looked at the Boxrec rankings, there's some good fighters above Degale. Maybe he could fight the guy that beat Jeff Lacey last night, Dhafir?

Why not fight Lacy instead?

1. Lacy is shot, Degale gets no credit for beating a guy who has badly lost 3 of his last 4 fights.
2. Probably expensive to bring over despite the above.

Bika would be good. A known fighter that isn't shot and will pose all sorts of problems.

Bika would be a massive step up I think he should go for Euro level next Bika is a world class fighter and is so akward! I don't know how he would deal with Bika butting, fouling etc, I think it may throw him off

Someone like Balzsay or Gever would be about the right level, perhaps.

I think he could beat someone like Sartisan but let him get into double figures first. Mendy maybe but he's relatively unproven (the French dude)

Matching him against no hopers from Eastern Europe is beyond pointless.

alexpaterson wrote:Bika would be a massive step up I think he should go for Euro level next Bika is a world class fighter and is so akward! I don't know how he would deal with Bika butting, fouling etc, I think it may throw him off

Or be the making of him... I don't think Bika is world class, although he is only beaten by top-level fighters, I guess you'd call him a high-class gatekeeper...

Degale - Bika would go like Khan - StClair IMO, every round competitive, but every round for Degale - IF he boxes to order and doesn't lose the initiative. Another day in the bullring.

Edison Miranda. Would be a decent name to have on his record.

MatthewS wrote:

alexpaterson wrote:Bika would be a massive step up I think he should go for Euro level next Bika is a world class fighter and is so akward! I don't know how he would deal with Bika butting, fouling etc, I think it may throw him off

Or be the making of him... I don't think Bika is world class, although he is only beaten by top-level fighters, I guess you'd call him a high-class gatekeeper...

Degale - Bika would go like Khan - StClair IMO, every round competitive, but every round for Degale - IF he boxes to order and doesn't lose the initiative. Another day in the bullring.

Bika would be a crazy fight for him to take. He's a horrible fighter to face, isn't a big name and it will be a horrible fight to watch. It would be a good fight for him in a year but way too soon IMO.
I'd much rather see him fight Quigley or Dodson, a solid first defence. He's still learning and there's no need to rush him to world level. Quigley/Dodson in spring, Groves in the summer and then a Euro shot if he wins in the winter

MatthewS wrote:

alexpaterson wrote:Bika would be a massive step up I think he should go for Euro level next Bika is a world class fighter and is so akward! I don't know how he would deal with Bika butting, fouling etc, I think it may throw him off

Or be the making of him... I don't think Bika is world class, although he is only beaten by top-level fighters, I guess you'd call him a high-class gatekeeper...

Degale - Bika would go like Khan - StClair IMO, every round competitive, but every round for Degale - IF he boxes to order and doesn't lose the initiative. Another day in the bullring.

You sure think highly of Degale. Not even Ward, Bute, or Calzaghe could take every round off of him, and Bika made things tough for each of them. He is much better than Paul Smith--whose one-sided loss last night seems to have gotten people a little too excited, imo.

Pumped up middleweight with average power or title challenger in decline.

BTW way,why is Anthoney mundine, who just lost in the light middleweight divsion a new entry in the top 20 of the super middle division?[/quote]

He lost to a Super Middleweight Garth Wood in the Super Middleweight division, who's now ranked #10 by Boxrec @ Super Middleweight.

crusader wrote:

MatthewS wrote:

alexpaterson wrote:Bika would be a massive step up I think he should go for Euro level next Bika is a world class fighter and is so akward! I don't know how he would deal with Bika butting, fouling etc, I think it may throw him off

Or be the making of him... I don't think Bika is world class, although he is only beaten by top-level fighters, I guess you'd call him a high-class gatekeeper...

Degale - Bika would go like Khan - StClair IMO, every round competitive, but every round for Degale - IF he boxes to order and doesn't lose the initiative. Another day in the bullring.

You sure think highly of Degale. Not even Ward, Bute, or Calzaghe could take every round off of him, and Bika made things tough for each of them. He is much better than Paul Smith--whose one-sided loss last night seems to have gotten people a little too excited, imo.

Calzaghe, to take one example, didnt stick to a plan against Bika, he let himself get into a row... Bika is right there to be outboxed by someone like degale, throw a combo and then use the feet. Yes its hard work but how else do we expect people like degale to be ready for the shot?

It won't be Magee or Sartison as they are likely to face each other at the end of January for WBA title

MatthewS wrote:

crusader wrote:

MatthewS wrote: Or be the making of him... I don't think Bika is world class, although he is only beaten by top-level fighters, I guess you'd call him a high-class gatekeeper...

Degale - Bika would go like Khan - StClair IMO, every round competitive, but every round for Degale - IF he boxes to order and doesn't lose the initiative. Another day in the bullring.

You sure think highly of Degale. Not even Ward, Bute, or Calzaghe could take every round off of him, and Bika made things tough for each of them. He is much better than Paul Smith--whose one-sided loss last night seems to have gotten people a little too excited, imo.

Calzaghe, to take one example, didnt stick to a plan against Bika, he let himself get into a row... Bika is right there to be outboxed by someone like degale, throw a combo and then use the feet. Yes its hard work but how else do we expect people like degale to be ready for the shot?

He was there to be outboxed in a similiar fashion by those other opponents though. Calzaghe, Bute, and Ward all have good speed and movement. Bika is very rugged and throws everyone off their gameplan--do you not think his other opponents have tried to use quick hands and feet to beat him? They have of course, but they did not look good doing so and did not shut him out. Considering Bika has made things tough for three elite supper middleweights with much more experience than Degale, I don't see him losing every single round to the nine fight novice. Degale is talented, but one step at a time. Bika is still a world class fighter who can beat anyone outside of the elite. Smith is well below Bika's level, and I think Degale needs take on EBU level guys (which Smith has never proven himself to be) before fighting someone like Bika and going on to world title territory.

Supper Middleweight... why can't I find a pun when I need one?

Andrade? Guaranteed 12 rounds - second Bute fight took something out of him.