Former world champion and Olympic gold medalist James DeGale has announced his retirement from boxing.
DeGale’s decision comes 10 years to the day since making his professional debut, but he has now decided to hang up the gloves after suffering a unanimous points defeat against Chris Eubank Jr. at the weekend.
The Londoner has been plagued by serious injuries since battling out a brutal draw in a super middleweight unification contest with Badou Jack in Brooklyn two years ago.
“Today marks ten years since my professional debut fight and today is the day I am announcing my retirement from boxing,” DeGale said in a statement.
“It’s been an unbelievable journey and I’ve had an amazing decade — if I’m honest, the best years of my life — and having started boxing at the age of nine then being selected as part of the England Amateurs squad, I’ve collected many memories along the way.
“It hard to admit that I’m not the fighter I once was, but I’m human and along the way, my injuries have taken a toll — both on mind and body and these things have contributed to impact my performance in the ring.
“I lost the fight on Saturday at The O2 but I’m touched to have a good send off from the fans in my home city.
“The day after the fight, someone said to me that one fight does not determine a legacy.
“Looking back, if someone had told me at the start of my boxing career, when I was in the England squad, that I would become an Olympic gold medalist, British and European champion and two-time world champion, I would never have believed them, but I did it and I’d like to think I did it the clean, honest and hard way with discipline and respect to the sport I love.
DeGale won gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, becoming the first ever British Olympian boxer to go on to win a world title in the professional ranks — a feat since repeated by IBF-WBA-WBO heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua.
More to follow