James DeGale was surprisingly lighter than opponent Chris Eubank Jr at the official weigh-in ahead of their fight on Saturday night.
The British super-middleweight duo will compete for the vacant IBO title, live and for free on talkSPORT.
DeGale surprised many at the InterContinental London by weighing in at 166lbs
Although his nickname may be ‘Chunky’, the 2004 Olympic Gold medallist weighed in at two pounds under the 168lbs super-middleweight limit at the InterContinental London, bathed in the shadows of the 02.
For Eubank Jr, who previously competed at middleweight, it is clear he has packed on more muscle to compete against a bigger man and checked in at 167lbs.
Who is on the DeGale v Eubank Jr undercard?
Words were exchanged as they engaged in one final face-off before Saturday night, with both fighters engaging in friendly banter before DeGale gave his younger opponent a pat on the arm.
The 33-year-old chided his opponent: “Sorry mate but if you can’t box, you can’t box.”
Eubank Jr was the bigger man at 167lbs
The partisan crowd loudly booed Eubank Jr as he made his way to the stage, but cheered for DeGale – a north London native.
Perhaps buoyed by a surprise prediction from sparring partner Denis Douglin, the 27-year-old from Brighton remained relatively quiet throughout the entire exchange.
Douglin went against boxing etiquette by backing DeGale to outclass the man who housed him six weeks during training camp.
The American said: “I expect DeGale to win. Chris fell for the simple traps I set him and James is much better and slicker than I am.
“If I can trick him then DeGale will cause him big problems.”
Douglin added: “I hate to say this because I had a good time in England and we did some excellent sparring.
“But while Chris is physically strong James is much more skilled and will win.”
This story was originally published by talkSPORT
via USAHint.com
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