BoxRec

It’s official!

CONTINUED..

The day after the fight, someone said to me that one fight does not determine a legacy. Looking back, if someone had told me at the start of my boxing career, when I was in the England squad, that I would become an Olympic Gold Medallist, British and European Champion and Two-Time World Champion, I would never have believed them, but I did it and I’d like to think I did it the clean, honest and hard way with discipline and respect to the sport I love.

I’m proud to say that I’ve made history as the first ever British Olympian boxer to turn professional and to win a World Title and I am also proud to have been a road warrior – to travel wherever I needed to be to fight and to win. There's nothing left to prove.

A majority of the greats go out on loss and for me, it’s time to hang up the gloves and to move on with my head held high.

Before I close off, let me mention a few people who have been with me through the highs and the lows:

Firstly, thank you to all of my fans and supporters – it’s been great to meet some of you along the way – thank you for your support – it’s carried me to the top!

To the media … there’s too many of you to thank personally but thanks for the coverage and for the jokes along the way. A special mention to Richard Maynard, you are a true gentleman and a pleasure to work with.

The major U.K TV networks that my fights have been televised on: Sky Sports, BT Sport, Channel 5, BBC and I’m happy that I ended on ITV. Showtime in the U.S who have a fantastic team that have featured me plenty of times.
Special thanks to:

My family and friends who have cheered me along from the start. Your loyalty and encouragement is second to none. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

To my trainer Jimsky – we did it Jim and we saw it through together – thank you for all your love, time, patience and advice. To you and all the McDonnell family – this is not goodbye - we will be friends & family for life.

Nick Palma – you came onboard more recently and I value the support you’ve given me during our sessions together – thank you.

Paulie Malignaggi – thank you for coming on board and for sharing your wealth of knowledge and experience of the sport. I always appreciate your direct honesty and support and consider you a friend for life.

Steve Newland – thank you for picking me up, brushing me and down and starting all over again and for believing in me – I wouldn’t be where I am now if it wasn’t for you.

Joseph John – my sidekick and my true friend who tells me what I need to hear rather than what I want to hear – I appreciate your friendship. Thank you.

My eternal love and gratitude goes to my Mum and Dad for being there through thick and thin from the very beginning – I couldn’t have done this without you!

To my siblings - my Sister Eloise (Smells) for being at my beck and call 24/7 – thank you! My two brothers Alex and Lewis and my cousins Jacob and Rian who stood in the background and willed me on and wanted me to succeed no matter what – thank you!
Last but not least THE MAN, THE MYTH, THE LEGEND, the family man - Alan Haymon for supporting and guiding me through the last chapter of my career! You put the boxers first! I will never forget you.

Thank you to each and everyone one of you for the part you have played in my career and in making me THE ROAD WARRIOR, THE HISTORY MAN!

Thank you for the memories - over and out.

100% the correct decision

Fair play to him, always had a positive interaction with him - winning an Olympic Gold medal is a massive achievement but backing it up by becoming world champ shows how silky this right handed southpaw was!

Not everyones cup of tea but he's had a decent career, been in some decent entertaining fights, and wasn't afraid to travel for fights. Definitely the right time to hang them up though.

I'm guessing we won't be hearing from him ever again though. It's not like he could become a good trainer given his reputation as a lazy trainer, and he sure a hell can't do any TV / analyst role with that growing speech impediment / slur.

In this day and age I always take retirement announcements with a pinch of salt as sadly far too many are tempted back into the sport.

il always admire his loyalty to jim Mcdonnell stuck with him all the way through even if it was detrimental to his career. loyalty like that his hard to find

Nice retirement speech fair play...... well done James, great amateur and world class professional. For a world champion who, as he says, did it all..... I still feel a little dissapointed, seem to have the talent to be a Great champion but between promotional issues (spent to long fighting "eliminators" in leisure centres), injuries and his own laziness in performances cost him golden opportunities more quickly. Both his world title reigns were not really the best - the Dirrel victory was razor tight and he definitely lost to Jack if you ask me.

He should have hounded Froch for one more fight after the Gonzalez win. That was him at his peak, sadly the division was no longer that attractive with Ward and then Froch gone.

Good luck for the future

It was the right time, to be fair.

If he was so spent he couldn't beat a mediocre fighter like Eubank Jr, best not risk any more fights.

Better that than risk your health.

Enjoy your retirement champ! He was a great fighter, amateur and pro. I remember those scraps he had with the late Darren Sutherland back in the day, he was another top operator.

stujones wrote: ↑28 Feb 2019, 06:55 Nice retirement speech fair play...... well done James, great amateur and world class professional. For a world champion who, as he says, did it all..... I still feel a little dissapointed, seem to have the talent to be a Great champion but between promotional issues (spent to long fighting "eliminators" in leisure centres), injuries and his own laziness in performances cost him golden opportunities more quickly. Both his world title reigns were not really the best - the Dirrel victory was razor tight and he definitely lost to Jack if you ask me.

He should have hounded Froch for one more fight after the Gonzalez win. That was him at his peak, sadly the division was no longer that attractive with Ward and then Froch gone.

Firstly i'm a fan of Degale and enjoyed watching him back in the day when he actually threw combinations.

Degale looked so dangeous around the time of the Groves fight. He then went on to have real trouble with a polish boxer. I realized then that he wasn't what I thought. He had some very dull performances right up until the Gonzales fight where he did look devastating but Gonzales had done nothing up to that point and retired after the fight. The Dirrell fight was razor tight, Degale had ingrained the bad habits of surviving on the ropes throwing one punch at a time instead of throwing combinations like he had in the past. Those leisure center fights that went the distance were terrible for him and he picke dup bad habits. The Bute fight was very tough and that was pretty telling considering Froch starched Bute. Then we had the Jack fight which he was very lucky to hear the final bell in and the Truax and Eubank fights.

I think Degale was very overrated and overachieved in his career.

Never KO’d.


Would he have outboxed Froch in his prime I always wonder.

SAPFO wrote: ↑28 Feb 2019, 13:51 Never KO’d.


Would he have outboxed Froch in his prime I always wonder.

He would have. For how long though...

SAPFO wrote: ↑28 Feb 2019, 13:51 Never KO’d.


Would he have outboxed Froch in his prime I always wonder.

Interesting question. While prime DeGale (before Jack) is probably a better (slicker) boxer than prime Froch, I think Froch would have beat him down over 12 and got the decision. Degale when under sustained attack always turtled up. Froch had the engine and power to sustain an attack that would have edged a decision, perhaps a KD as well.

Good luck in retirement & congratulations on a great career. Looked absolutely dynamite at times when he was on the way up.

His career was solid and he retired right in time. Fair play.

had a very solid career

No surprise here. Thanks for the great career!

reading that tweet made me think though, 2 time is puffed up like its better then 1 time, but if hed just beaten truax the first time he would probably 'only' have been a 1 time champ

jamamb wrote: ↑28 Feb 2019, 14:51 reading that tweet made me think though, 2 time is puffed up like its better then 1 time, but if hed just beaten truax the first time he would probably 'only' have been a 1 time champ

Interesting thought.

jamamb wrote: ↑28 Feb 2019, 14:51 reading that tweet made me think though, 2 time is puffed up like its better then 1 time, but if hed just beaten truax the first time he would probably 'only' have been a 1 time champ

Yeh it’s true. He wasn’t supposed to even lost to Truax the first time. Good he regained the belt.. just about. Never unified.

All in all, as a pro, he’s underachieved IMO.

SAPFO wrote: ↑28 Feb 2019, 13:51 Never KO’d.


Would he have outboxed Froch in his prime I always wonder.

Froch says he'd have "smashed him to bits"

https://talksport.com/sport/boxing/5029 ... es-degale/

banjo wrote: ↑28 Feb 2019, 16:32

SAPFO wrote: ↑28 Feb 2019, 13:51 Never KO’d.


Would he have outboxed Froch in his prime I always wonder.

Froch says he'd have "smashed him to bits"

https://talksport.com/sport/boxing/5029 ... es-degale/

He's right

samwbr wrote: ↑28 Feb 2019, 16:48

banjo wrote: ↑28 Feb 2019, 16:32

SAPFO wrote: ↑28 Feb 2019, 13:51 Never KO’d.


Would he have outboxed Froch in his prime I always wonder.

Froch says he'd have "smashed him to bits"

https://talksport.com/sport/boxing/5029 ... es-degale/

He's right

agree, dont know about any type of quick demolition job thingy, but froch would win and by the end it would be very rough for james. degale much too stationary,, froch would thrive against his style after some early issues