Chris Eubank Jr. (28-2, 21 KOs) secured the biggest victory of his career as he dominated former champion James DeGale (25-3-1, 15 KOs) Saturday at the O2 Arena.
The scorecards read 114-111, 115-112 and 117-109 all in favor of Eubank Jr. who won by unanimous decision and also picked up the vacant IBO Super Middleweight title as well.
For years now, Eubank Jr. has heard the talks of not being good enough to compete with the best in the division and with good reason. He has lost every time he has stepped up in competition to both George Groves and Billy Joe Saunders. This was a win that he desperately needed and he put on a show in order to get the victory.
Early on it seemed as though Eubank Jr. was going to try to outbox his opponent. Many thought that would be the wrong game plan as DeGale was viewed as the much more superior boxer. To the surprise of many, Eubank Jr. was boxing very well in the early going. DeGale just couldn’t get comfortable to start things off.
Round 2 saw Eubank Jr. dominate. He had his man visibly hurt and sent him down to the canvas with a flurry of punches. Normally Eubank Jr. would jump all over his man and force the action.
This time however he remained patient and kept his distance. As the fight went on DeGale couldn’t find a home for any of his big shots. In fact, he barely threw any punches throughout the contest.
Every round that followed looked the same as Eubank Jr. came forward and forced the action, while DeGale tried to box on his back foot but had little success in doing so. Round 10 saw DeGale once again hit the canvas as Eubank Jr. was having a monster round.
Round 11 gave DeGale a bit of hope as Eubank Jr. was deducted a point for slamming him to the ground. In the end it just wasn’t enough as Eubank Jr. rolled to a an easy decision victory.
Talks of retirement have been swirling around DeGale for quite some time and it seems though the end is near.
“I’ve left my mark in boxing,” said DeGale after the bout when he was asked about his future.
For Eubank Jr., he picked up the biggest win of his career and has his sights set on big fights at 160 or 168 pounds.
