James DeGale expected to announce retirement this week

As is being reported by WBN, former super middleweight champion James DeGale (25-3-1, 15 KOs) is on the verge of announcing his retirement from boxing this week, following a disappointing loss to Chris Eubank Jr. last weekend.

DeGale, 33, had entered the fight coming off a string of rough fights, which had fans wondering if he had anything left to offer as a top-level fighter. DeGale mostly attributed his recent struggles to various injuries he had been dealing with, but assured everyone that he was healthy as he’d been in years for his bout against Eubank Jr. And considering his fight against Eubank Jr. was a bad blood rivalry, that should have provided him with all the motivation he needed to perform well.

But once the opening bell rang it became pretty obvious that DeGale still wasn’t the fighter he once was as he had difficulty dealing with Eubank’s aggressive and athletic style. DeGale essentially made his mind up early in the fight that he would need to muck up the action if he were to stand a chance, and he did exactly that as we saw 12 rounds filled with lots of holding and fouls. And by the time the final bell rang, DeGale had lost a unanimous decision, getting dropped twice along the way.

DeGale had dubbed the fight a “retirement fight” but didn’t immediately acknowledge in the post-fight interview that he would indeed follow through by walking away from the sport. But it seems now that he’s come to that final decision.