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Boxing Comment The promoter is the only winner in this fight

James DeGale and Chris Eubank Jr's fight has the distinct whiff of two fighters looking to cash in before they retire or slip away into irrelevancy

IT CAN only be one of two things; either a testament to the rude health of British boxing, or an indictment of the disrespect afforded its fans by the moneymen responsible for making a non-title domestic bout between two fighters on the downslide pay per view.

While tonight’s clash at the O2 between former IBF world champion James DeGale and Chris Eubank Jr — broadcast on ITV Box Office — has more than a few ingredients to commend it, the distinct whiff of two fighters cashing in as their respective careers wind down — in DeGale’s case to retirement, in Eubank’s to irrelevancy — is hard to overlook.

DeGale, whom it now seems extraordinary to recall bagged a gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, has certainly been making noises to that effect, while Eubank has undeniably lost his lustre since going down to a heavy defeat at the hands of George Groves a year ago at the Manchester Arena.

Of the two, DeGale has experienced more ups and downs than a shopping mall escalator. In his decade as a pro, the 33-year-old former IBF super middleweight champion has been dogged with injuries and fought enough wars to have a regiment named after him.

Thus he’s come to the point where his driving motivation is money rather than titles or legacy. This is dangerous territory for any fighter, wherein the ethos of calculation supersedes the will to win. 

No criticism is implied. DeGale has merely arrived at the stage in his long career every fighter arrives at eventually. Success for him now lies in making sure that he retires with his bank account and marbles intact.

Though the Harlesden southpaw known as “Chunky” looks to be in top physical condition coming into what will be his 29th fight, the key will be how he is mentally.

If his Plan A of keeping Eubank at the end of his jab, as Groves did, goes awry and he finds himself forced to trade with a fighter who, despite serious technical flaws, brings intensity and volume, the question will be how far into the trenches is he willing to go to eke out a win? 

The decision to relinquish his IBF title last summer rather than face mandatory challenger Venezuelan Jose Uzcategui earned him the opprobrium of the sport’s purist wing.

It was a move motivated by financial calculation (that word again) on the part of a fighter who despite laudable achievements has, for whatever reason, never been fully embraced by a fickle British boxing public.

Though if anyone dare voice it within his proximity volcanic denial would ensue, it is hard to gainsay the fact that despite having won, defended, lost and won back a world title, James DeGale has never quite managed to throw the George Groves monkey off his back.

Fellow Dale Youth amateur club mate and staunch nemesis, Groves has stalked DeGale’s career like the ghost of Christmas past, present and future, imbuing him with a bitterness that has belied the self-confidence he’s made it his business to exude in public.

The fact that Groves was meant to be part of the ITV commentary team for tonight’s fight, only for it later to be announced that he was dropped at the instigation of DeGale’s team, according to various reports, tells its own story. 

Groves defeated DeGale twice, once as an amateur and once as a pro, and it’s a source of regret that Groves’ recent retirement means there’ll be no third encounter in one of British boxing’s most bitter and enduring rivalries.

Turning to Eubank Jr, it’s astonishing to think that up to now he has more or less trained himself, despite the faithful presence of veteran trainer Ronnie Davies in his corner.

For this fight, for the first time in that career — apart, that is, from a brief flirtation with Adam Booth — the 28-year old has employed the services of a dedicated trainer. 

From and of the Mayweather Boxing Club in Las Vegas, Nate Vasquez has been tasked with ironing out Eubank’s technical flaws.

Though it may be doubtful that such a task is possible over the course of one training camp, the prospect does add more intrigue to proceedings.

It will have to be some transformation because technically Eubank Jr is murder. Poor footwork, a near non-existent jab and a tendency to cock his punches has seen him found out each time he’s stepped up — first against Billy Joe Saunders in 2014, and then, as mentioned, against Groves last year. 

Eubank Jr carries the swagger and personality to match his old man’s, which has served him well in creating public interest in his career. He also never turns up in less than fearsome condition.

The Eubanks are a fighting family defined by contradiction. A recent video interview in which Eubank Jr bemoaned the lamentable tradition of fighters spending all their money and ending up broke at the end of their careers — conducting said interview while driving through Brighton in a newly acquired two hundred grand sports car — is a case in point. 

Indeed, when he’s not in Dubai living the life (though not partaking alcohol by all accounts), Eubank Jr is throwing up videos on instagram of his big house, sports car and himself strutting around in designer swag. 

Let’s hope he learns from his father’s financial travails before him and doesn’t, like him, wind up bankrupt. 

As to a prediction of who wins tonight. On this one I’m going with the promoter.

Fury’s new ESPN/Top Rank US promotion deal

In what counts as a sharp piece of business, Tyson Fury has signed a mega US promotion and TV deal with Bob Arum’s Top Rank and ESPN, complementing his existing British match-up with Frank Warren and BT Sport. The fact nobody saw it coming injects further frisson into Fury’s non-scripted Hollywood-style comeback. 

The downside is that with Wilder signed to Showtime and Joshua with Hearn’s Matchroom in the British and DAZN in the US, things just got far more complicated when it comes to getting them in the ring together.

Indeed, where before it appeared that the Fury v Wilder rematch was a done deal, now it seems not. The combined egos of Al Haymon, Bob Arum, Eddie Hearn and Frank Warren in one room are of sufficient size to fill China. 

The lack of a boxing world governing body, like Fifa in football, continues to plague a sport that is now quite literally sick with money.

It is why at times like this the days when heavyweight boxing was dominated by Don King, a man with more moves than an octopus on speed, don’t seem so bad.

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