James DeGale wins world title with unanimous points victory over Andre Dirrell

All three judges scored in favour of James DeGale as he beat Andre Dirrell
Canada’s Alan Davis scored it 117-109 for the 29-year-old
England’s Howard Foster and Canada’s Dan Fitzgerald gave it 114-112
DeGale floored Dirrell twice in the second round as he made a fast start
Dirrell rallied but suffered his second loss to a Brit in his career

Published:
21:45 GMT, 23 May 2015

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Updated:
09:26 GMT, 24 May 2015

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James DeGale fought his way into history here even though his world title dream almost turned a second-half nightmare as Andre Dirrell came from behind to make the score too close for comfort.

DeGale made good on his vow to become Britain’s first Oympic gold medallist ever to win a professional world championship, marginally holding onto the lead he had built with an explosive start to his bid for the IBF super-middleweight title.

The two knock-downs he inflicted on Dirrell in the second round proved just enough to drag him over the finishing line of a fight which did not reach the technical peaks it had promised yet flared into spasms of more hurtful action than expected.

James DeGale is the new IBF super-middleweight champion after beating Andre Dirrell

DeGale is congratulated by his team and his dad after the result was announced

DeGale knocked Dirrell down twice in the second round to open up a commanding early lead

DeGale celebrates the first knockdown but the prospect of an early night was soon dispelled

DeGale lands a left hand on Dirrell’s face as he outpunched his American opponent

DeGale beat Dirrell by an unanimous points decision to win the IBF super-middleweight title on foreign soil

DeGale plants a kiss on his newly-won super-middleweight belt as he sits in his dressing room

It was a valiant as well as an ecstatic night for DeGale. He was cut beside the right eye in that turbulent second round but never allowed the wound to distract him from his mission.

The greater satisfaction for DeGale is wrenching his Holy Grail away from one of the superior craftsmen of the prize-ring.

The two second round deckings of Dirrell – the first with a southpaw’s classic left cross, the second by a follow up barnstorm of punches – did most to establish a lead which was narrowly too much for the American to retrieve.

Dirrell protested another wafer-thin world title defeat by an English warrior – first Carl Froch, now DeGale – remarking: ‘They said I ran from Froch and they took it away from me. DeGale ran from me and they now they’ve given it to him.’

But whether Dirrell likes it or not, the super-middleweight world is now DeGale’s Boston Bay oyster.

The man called Chunky’s delight was unconfined: ‘This feeling is unbelievable. I’ve made history. I’m world champion. It’s like the Olympics all over again. I’m so proud. Me obsessed about doing this? You’ve now idea how scared I was of losing this fight while I was waiting in the dressing room.

‘I’m now ready to take on any super-middleweight in the world. Andre Ward is top of the rankings but I’m now up there right behind him.

‘So is Dirrell as it happens. He’s a great fighter. I thought he was going early. But he came back punching really hard.’

That he did and DeGale came perilously close to letting his lifetime ambition drift away as his passivity allowed Dirrell to take control of the middle rounds.

Dirrell came on strongly in the middle rounds but could not do enough to peg back DeGale’s lead

Dirrell had DeGale backed up on the ropes several times as he took over the fight in the middle rounds

The two boxers talk to each other in the ring after their thrilling bout in Boston on Saturday

DeGale made a fast start but slowed down, allowing Dirrell to come back into the bout

The judges proved to be generous to the visitor from the UK, ridiculously so the one who saw DeGale winning 117-109. The other two officials, including England’s Howard Foster, agreed on 114-112.

On my card DeGale revived his dream by staging a 12th round rally – and his trainer Jim McDonnell clearly thought so too.

DeGale revealed: ‘Jim told me I had to win the last.’

This Premier Boxing Champions promotion refused to acknowledge the IBF title but DeGale’s father Leon was permitted to complete his son’s night by strapping the belt on to him at the end.

DeGale had spoken at length about the frustrations of that period in his career when he was consigned to fighting in tiny halls in shopping malls.

Ironically, when his first world title chance finally came it did so in the small-hall atmosphere of a university basketball arena.

The 8,000 capacity Agganis Arena looked less than half full as Chunky entered.

Had his Matchroom promoters won the purse bid his duel with Dirrell for the IBF super-middleweight belt would have filled the O2 arena with his fellow Londoners.

Instead, an extraordinary bid of more than $3million secured for Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Championship series the right to bring the fight to Boston on a bank holiday weekend when many of the citizens had left the city for the beaches.

The IBF title, for which DeGale was striving to realised his life-long dream, went almost completely unrecognised.

Dirrell prepares to swing his left hand as DeGale covers up to avoid taking a shot flush in the face

DeGale started brightly and looked to be in command before fading as the fight went on

DeGale upped the ante in the final two rounds and did enough to edge the win on the scorecards

DeGale had to box on the back foot for several rounds as Dirrell looked to claw back the early deficit

There was a further snub for Chunky when the Gaelic and United States national anthems were sung but not God Save The Queen.

Then the fighters made their entrances to largely recorded cheering while the audience, with the exception of a gathering of DeGale’s travelling support, stayed mostly quiet.

DeGale strode in purposeful, business-like fashion to the ring. Dirrell followed with what looked like a slightly nervous smile on his face.

DeGale had been encouraged to start fast so as not to allow Dirrell to settle into his own pace. He did his best to oblige and probably landed enough decent rights to edge the opener.

Dirrell had ended the first by following DeGale to his corner and heckling him. DeGale needed no encouragement to make a fight of it and began the second with a thudding right. But Direll picked up the pace and the Chunky reeled back from one flurry of punches with a cut opening under his right eye. DeGale responded explosively, dropping Dirrell with a picture perfect left hook and then sending him flying into the bottom rope with a combination to open up a wide early lead.

Behind the fireworks a clever tactical battle was being fought, Dirrell trying to ease his way back into the fight and DeGale mixing aggression with the right measure of caution. Three more hefty lefts from Chunky gave him another round.

As he was losing the war of the southpaws, Dirrell switched to an orthodox left hand lead at the start of the fourth. Then he switched back for the second half of the round, a quieter affair which the American just about won.

For the first time DeGale let the wily American take control of the centre of the ring. When he did burst into life his fans cheered some rangy left hooks but unfortunately they missed the target and Dirrell secured another toe hold on the scorecard.

DeGale backs off from an advancing Dirrell as the American fought his way back into the contest

The two men embraced after an action-packed 12 rounds in Boston on Saturday night

DeGale celebrates with the Union Jack as he became the first British Olympic champion to win a world title

The predicted tactical affair did not materialise, instead both fighters gave the crowd an enthralling fight

DeGale came strong again and shook the American with a left-right one-two. Dirrell grinned and beckoned him to come forward and DeGale needed no second invitation. He finished the round with a clubbing succession of lefts and rights which had Dirrell in trouble again.

Dirrell was out-jabbing DeGale, who needed to re-establish his right lead to recreate the earlier openings. Some of Dirrell’s quick combos were caught by DeGale on the gloves but enough of the punches got through to make the seventh a US round.

DeGale was ahead, not least by virtue of the two knock-downs second round, but he could do with banking another round. It was not to be in the eighth as Dirrell made the running and finished the round with a flourish.

There was a danger of DeGale letting his advantage drift away. Some taunting by Dirrell sparked him back into action but he was not going enough in these middle rounds. At the bell Dirrell again followed Chunky to his corner, as if ordering him to come out and fight.

Dirrrell opened the tenth with a crisp left. A mid-round salvo pinned DeGale to the ropes and he was spending too much time with his hands down and out of range. What had started looking like a runaway win for Chunky was now a close fight.

DeGale roused himself for an onslaught but was caught heavily when he tried to capitalise and Dirrell eked out the first even round.

I had them level going into the last round. Each might have sensed a need to win the 12th yet action was at a premium. One spasm of aggression in the final minute may have just been enough to edge the round and the fight for DeGale.