In August 2008 James 'Chunky' Degale set upon a journey few thought would be so long. When the middleweight draw was made sympathetic glances from the Great British team went Degale’s way. In what was already a very tough weight, Chunky was off to a terrible start before a punch had even been thrown. Within his half of the draw sat two times World Champion Matvey Korobov, Athens Welterweight Gold medallist Bakhtyar Artayev, Degale’s three time conqueror Darren Sutherland and the more then capable Shawn Estrada. It was as if someone had extracted the Londoners deepest and darkest fears and written it down in the form of a draw sheet.
Since his Olympic triumph many people within the media have stated that what’s made Degale’s achievement all the more impressive is the opponents he faced in Beijing on his way to gold. The media, it seems, have a short term memory (not that we didn’t already know that). What’s important to remember is that before James even stepped on a plane to Beijing he had the not so simple task of actually qualifying. Here we remember the rocky mountain Degale climbed to get to China.
I remember seeing Chunky at a press day held in Sheffield several days before for the Olympic team left for Beijing. With Frankie Gavin absent, all the media attention was on the two Saunders and Price. Little did they know that a future Olympic champion was standing confidently and quietly in their mist.
With odds of Gold as high as 100-1 it seemed that few people outside or inside of boxing thought the Middleweight stood any chance in what was perhaps the most competitive weight of these Olympics. Degale’s talents have never been challenged by those who know the sport; he has always had outstanding technical ability and been able to move around the ring with an inherent ease. But it was his focus that many have called into question. Time and time again, just when you thought Chunky had finally reached his full potential he would lose concentration. And in international boxing, losing concentration can mean saying goodbye to the World Championship or an Olympic medal.
After Degale won two straight ABA titles in 2004 and 2005 followed by a Commonwealth Federations Gold, the 2006 Senior ABA title was all but his. In the very first round of the competition, Degale came up against Dale Youth club mate George Groves. This was always going to be a tough test for Degale, who was all too familiar with the power and persistence of the younger Groves, though few saw this as a major hurdle. But when the bell went to start the bout the Harlesden man was unable to get into his stride and to the shock of some and the delight of others Degale lost his first domestic bout in over three years.
After this painful loss the GB selectors quite rightly maintained their faith in Degale. In gratitude he showed heart that was, up until his Olympic gold, not a quality that was regularly attributed to him. Winning 8 international fixtures in a row his next loss didn’t come until he faced old foe Darren Sutherland in the European Union Final.
Boxing six more times before the World Championship in Chicago, with his only loss coming against the Welterweight Olympic Champion Kazak Bakhtyar Artayev, Degale looked in very good shape going into the first Olympic Qualifier. But luck didn’t come his way. Drawn against the very capable Venezuelan Alfonso Blanco Degale was not able to box to his best and lost to the eventual silver medallist 28:13.
Though undeterred by his early exit and confident he could qualify in one of the following Olympic qualifiers, some where beginning to question the security of his place in the GB podium squad. Because whilst Degale had been boxing around the world, George Groves had been cleaning up at domestic level and the right people were beginning to notice or rather the right people could no longer ignore Groves screams for a chance.
Perhaps both wisely and diplomatically Groves’s chance came in the form of a Multi Nations tournament in Sheffield. Though not officially announced, it seemed clear that whoever went further in this small tournament would get their chance to qualify in the next tournament in Italy. Groves got the short end of the straw and in the semis went up against former Degale conqueror Bakhtyar Artayev of Kazakhstan, whilst Chunky faced relatively unknown Frenchmen Samy Anouche.
Groves struggled against an opponent who was just too experienced and stylish for the frustrated Londoner, whilst Degale passed his French test with ease. This left Groves in the hope that his club mate would lose to the Kazak in a more convincing manner when they met in the finals. Groves, however, did not get his wish as he
watched Degale drop Artayev with a peach of a right |
hook at the end of the first round before getting a 19:16 victory. Any slight chance of getting picked over Degale faded for Groves when he got beaten in the third place box-off against Anouche.
With his Podium place cemented Degale was able to put his head down and focus on the task ahead. With just a month to go until the second qualifiers in Italy it was important that he had the right preparation otherwise he would be facing an anxious wait for the final qualifiers in Athens
As is always the case with international tournaments, Degale arrived in Pescara, Italy yearning to hear who he would face in the draw. Fortunately Degale's first two bouts were forgiving, a Georgian and a Spaniard, neither of who were of significant international pedigree. But in a sardonic twist of fate Degale would face his old foe Darren Sutherland for the penultimate time in a bout in which the losers only hope of Olympic qualification would be at a tough tournament in Athens. This was Degale’s most important bout to date and a real test for both his heart and focus.
This was the fourth time the two large middleweights had met. Sutherland won the first contest clearly; the second two, both held at The National Stadium Dublin, saw Sutherland getting the nod on both occasions, although the two bouts were a lot closer then the first.
In their last contest there had been more than a little testosterone in the air and on a cold Pescara evening the two men entered the ring on fire. You could sense something special was going to happen.
Sutherland got off to his normal lively start going three points up early in the first but Chunky came back with meaningful gusto, winning the round 6:4. By the second Degale had moved into cruise control and looked like he was going to completely outclass his old rival. Shots from both hands continued to score for the Englishman. By the third round Sutherland was just not able to get close to Degale and was being hurt by the variety and power of southpaws, punching.
At one stage, in the third round, Degale found himself 10 points ahead of Sutherland. But in a split second what those close to Degale feared more then anything occurred, that little switch in his head flicked to off. Sutherland, a now desperate opponent read this change in Degale and took full advantage, throwing every power shot his muscles could remember. Degale’s punches now lacked authority and were not scoring on the computer and the Irishman's big shots were. Before the Londoner could regroup a huge round armed right hand caught him on the point of the chin. The rock hard Englishman's knees buckled, he was in deep trouble. After the ensuing 8 count Sutherland fired powerful straight shots at Degale. Chunky responded but wound up losing the round heavily and with only one round left he found himself just a point up against a fighter growing in confidence.
A classic final stanza was enacted in front of an enthralled crowd, no one was sitting down. Power and momentum were with the Irishman, determination, survival and his future drove the Englishman to stay in the contest.
The first minute was a real battle, with Sutherland going two before Degale clawed back two more points. But nothing, it seemed, was going to deter the Irishman as he once more went two points ahead. It seemed the gods where against Degale and all he had left to hope for was Athens, but then with a last gasp effort James showed all the heart and courage he could muster to grab two more points before catching Sutherland with a peach of a left in the final seconds. Degale had finally done it. He had conquered his Irish foe and cemented his place in the semis, in which a victory would cement his place to Beijing.
All that stood in Degale’s way now was Hungarian Istvan Szili. But Szili was not a man to be taken lightly and after his titanic battle with Mr Sutherland what was left in the Londoners tank, or perhaps more importantly, would James be able to keep his concentration for four rounds? But to the delight of the Great Britain corner Degale was back to his you try and find me and I will pick you off best. What essentially turned out to be little more than a fast spar saw the Londoner completely outmanoeuvre a quality opponent that he made look rather ordinary.
James had done it. Fulfilling a destiny his mother had set for him following her first words to her newborn ‘he looks like a boxer’, he had booked his ticket to Beijing; and the rest, they say, is history.
Article by Stefan Johnson |
