DeGale: Eubank Jr. too arrogant to learn from new trainer

It’s fight week, leading into a domestic showdown between bitter rivals James DeGale and Chris Eubank Jr. And looking ahead to this weekend’s action, former super middleweight titleholder DeGale says he’s not concerned about what version of Eubank Jr. shows up to the fight, dismissing his chances even with a formal trainer in place.

“I expect him to be better than he was against Groves, but his coach won’t help him because he’s too arrogant to listen to anybody,” DeGale told ESPN. “When things go down after six rounds, he will revert to type and go back to doing what he always does. He’s not going to suddenly change into a different fighter.”

After DeGale dismisses Eubank Jr.’s story about getting worked over in a sparring session that took place years ago, DeGale continued by saying that he considers this bout to be one of his legacy fights, another which might’ve come against George Groves had he not opted to retire from boxing.

“It could have been a big fight with Groves, but he’s won his world title, he had been looking to retire, he fulfilled his dream and it must be the right time for him,” DeGale said. “Going by my recent performances people are saying I’m in decline, which I get, but I’m in great shape and I’ve still got a couple of years left and I still have big fights left here.”

If DeGale really does have anything left in the tank, this should be the fight to prove it. He has all the incentive, personal and financial, to bring his A-game to the table, and if he does we could be in for a good scrap.