Bitter rivals James DeGale and Chris Eubank Jr. will finally get the chance to trade blows this weekend at London’s O2 Arena.
While the winner will go on to challenge for world honors and contend in more lucrative bouts, it’s hard to see how the loser gets another shot at the big time.
Ahead of the domestic dust-up, boxing host Josh Denzel becomes the latest to predict who’ll come out on top and end the long-running feud.
The social content creator exclusively told World Boxing News: “I’ve known them both for a while now. They’ve both had their ups and downs.
“I think with DeGale, he fights at the level in front of him, and if there’s a fighter who he thinks is dangerous, someone who has the ability to beat him, then he raises his game and will fight at his best.
“But when he fights someone he doesn’t rate as highly or in the last couple of years the opponents he thought he could walk through, it just hasn’t happened.
“While Eubank Jr is up for every single fight and there’s no question about his heart or chin, there’s questions about whether his foot work is good enough to actually deal with a skilled boxer.
“He’s a scrapper but can he beat a boxer with a decent jab?”
Denzel, who’s just returned from the States after working at the NBA, will be present to witness the eagerly-awaited battle between the foes.
MARGINS
The reality TV star analyzed the fine margins between the fighters and gave a stern warning to two-time IBF world champion DeGale.
“Skill-wise, I think DeGale is a better boxer but unless he is on form up to this fight and boxes to his full potential, it’ll be a tough, tough night.
“It could go down to the point where you see DeGale getting into a war for no reason or he switches off mid-round and thinks ‘s*** I’ve got to win this round’. Then he scraps it out and has maybe given away too many rounds and tries to go for a KO.
“If that happens for Eubank Jr., then it plays right into his hands,” he added.
Joe Hewlett is lead writer for World Boxing News. Follow Joe on Twitter @Hewlett95
