Dean Mouhtaropoulos - Getty Images
James DeGale has decided to leave promoter Frank Warren, which may have been brewing since Warren signed George Groves (right) last summer. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)
European super middleweight champion and former Olympic gold medalist James DeGale has decide to split from promoter Frank Warren, telling The Guardian that he feels it's "time for both of us to move on."
The DeGale-Warren relationship, looking back, has seemed a bit icy ever since Warren signed DeGale's arch-nemesis George Groves in August. Since that time, DeGale has fought just once, and while Warren did get him a crack at the European title with that fight (which he won against Piotr Wilczewski in October), DeGale has bailed on three fights since then, including his scheduled fight with Italy's Cristian Sanavia, which was to air on the March 16 card headlined by Groves' rematch against Kenny Anderson.
With fights falling apart and little action in DeGale's career for the last eight months, since he lost a tight decision to Groves in May, this is sudden but not a major shock.
Where DeGale goes from here is anyone's guess, but you have to expect that Eddie Hearn's Matchroom Boxing will make a play for the talented former Olympian, who turns 26 in a week. Hearn has snapped up the likes of Carl Froch, Darren Barker, Carl Frampton, Kell Brook, Paul McCloskey, Gavin Rees, and Lee Purdy, and DeGale would be a good pickup, too. With Brook and Frampton, DeGale would give Hearn and Matchroom a solid base for the future to balance out the veterans on their roster.
Hennessy Sports could also be a possibility, as they have a deal with Channel 5 in the UK, which has given Tyson Fury terrestrial TV exposure in the country and made him a bigger star, but Hearn would have to be considered the favorite of the other UK promoters out there, if DeGale does stay based in the United Kingdom.
0 recs | 12 comments
Something I didn’t want to go into in the post since I wanted to get it up quickly, but this is a pretty big blow to BoxNation.
Scott Christ - January 27, 2012
I honestly can't see BoxNation or Warren lasting much longer
Frankie Gavin’s last fight was called off because he wouldn’t fight for 25% of what was in his contract (he’s fighting a lesser (and cheaper) opponent now)), Tony Bellew’s next fight won’t be shown on BoxNation since another promoter won the purse bids. DeGale’s gone and Groves still has a Golden Boy deal so he’ll be leaving if he progresses much further.
Rumours about the promoter allegedly not paying his fighters too, and why would anybody sign with a promoter where your fights are going to be seen by such a small audience. Matchroom aren’t perfect but they are doing a much better job at the moment, while Frank serves up shit like Cleverly vs Karpency.
Bajingo - January 27, 2012
The news of Frank Warren's demise is greatly overstated
He’s waxed and waned for 30 years now. And since I’ve been following boxing, the only promoter who really disappeared is Mogens Palle. Everyone else lingers forever. Even Don King, Universum, Main Events and Russell Peltz are still hanging in there despite making long series of horrible business decisions.
Brickhaus - January 27, 2012
Warren isn’t going anywhere, and I for one am glad. He’s got many faults but he’s done some great things for British boxing as well.
Dave Oakes - January 27, 2012
As Sophocles wrote, “one short day inclines the balance of all human things to sink and rise again.” Or the idea, also from the rather morbid Greeks, that “don’t count a man lucky in life until he is dead.”
Just a fancy-pants ancient Greek way of saying if you don’t like the weather, just wait a minute.
Let’s wait a while before predicting Warren’s demise.
DrRck - January 27, 2012
Yeah, I really want to get behind the Boxnation idea, but didn’t really want to pay £10 a month during a pretty dead period of January through March. Losing DeGale is a big blow. The only major Boxnation names are Groves, Cleverly and Burns. The DeGale v Groves rematch was probably the biggest match he could make.
Matchroom, Hatton and Frank Maloney seem to be enjoying the extra attention on Sky too. Plus with Macklin, Barker, Martin Murray, David Price, Kell Brook, Carl Froch and Amir Khan on board their star power is a lot bigger than anything on BoxNation. But even if BoxNation goes under, Frank Warren will be fine and just try something else. He is Frank Warren.
Eoin_not_ian - January 27, 2012
I am sure he will go crawling back to Sky
And they would be fools not to take him back
Sweet science - January 27, 2012
Apparently Frank Warren is denying this saying that he is still under contract
Nonpariel Barry Punchbag - January 27, 2012
With how hated DeGale is in the UK
I wouldn’t be surprised at all if he tries to sign with a US promotional firm, where he’s more likely to get a fresh start and build up a fan base.
Brickhaus - January 27, 2012
Matchroom look to be the hot favourites to sign him at the minute, although he was attracting a lot of interest from the U.S before he signed with Warren, especially from Golden Boy.
Dave Oakes - January 27, 2012
If I was Hatton
I would be sniffing around too.
Sweet science - January 27, 2012
Warren’s fault for grossly overpaying him for easy fights. It was always going to end in a bad split.
Shitali Klitschko - January 29, 2012 via mobile
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