Tuesday 6 June 2017 13:07, UK
James DeGale has revealed he will undergo shoulder surgery which will push back the next defence of his IBF super-middleweight title.
The 31-year-old Londoner injured his right shoulder a few weeks before he battled to majority draw against Badou Jack in January, but is hopeful he will return to the ring before the end of the year after an operation on Wednesday.
DeGale had still been willing to take an all-British fight with Callum Smith at The O2 this summer, but the Liverpudlian instead switched his sights to a mandatory title bout with Anthony Dirrell for the vacant WBC super-middleweight belt.
"I was very close to fighting with Callum Smith this summer," DeGale told The Mirror: We had agreed to fight on July 1 at The O2, but in the end he decided to go down the WBC route and will challenge for the vacant world title later this year.
"I'm confident I would have won the fight, even with the injury, but it would have been his best chance of beating me.
We had agreed to fight on July 1 at The O2 but in the end he decided to go down the WBC route and will challenge for the vacant world title later this year.
"The operation is for 'a scrape and tighten up', or a 'diagnostic arthroscopy and ACJ stabilisation' to give it its medical term. It is being carried out in Manchester by Professor Lennard Funk, who is the best shoulder specialist in the country and one of the best in the world.
"My arm will be in a sling for a few days and I'll be given exercises to do on my own. A few weeks later, I'll start my rehab with my physio and within eight to 10 weeks I should be able to spar. I will definitely be able to fight before the end of the year."
Long-time rival George Groves has finally claimed a world title at the fourth attempt, halting Fedor Chudinov last month to claim the WBA 'super' super-middleweight belt.
But DeGale insists he will require more than a 50:50 split for a rematch with Groves, who triumphed on a narrow points win when they fought in 2011.
"I'm not being disrespectful but he's not got the same sharpness or attitude he used to," said DeGale.
"He has however fulfilled his dream of becoming world champion and it makes our potential rematch even bigger. But I don't think he deserves a 50/50 split. Groves thinks he's bigger than he is, especially after his fights with Carl Froch.
"Negotiations will be difficult and the terms will have to be right for the fight to be made."
