James DeGale has insisted that he is ‘destined’ to become a world champion as he prepares to face Andre Dirrell in Boston on Saturday.
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DeGale and Dirrell will battle it out for the vacant IBF super-middleweight title this weekend, and the former is adamant that nothing will stop him from creating history.
Dirrell is 25-1 with 16 KOs, and while he also has Olympic pedigree, he has never been a world champion and infamously lost to Carl Froch on points back in 2009.
Nevertheless, DeGale will become the first British Olympic gold medallist to become a world champion in the professional ranks, provided he wins on Saturday, and he believes he has worked too hard to let this opportunity slip by him.
“It’s a chance that I can’t let slip; I’m too good. People aren’t going to give me the opportunities again because I’m too good. No one is going to fight me for a voluntary defence so I’ve got to take this chance,” he told Sky Sports.
“History is going to be made, I’m telling you. I’ve trained too hard, I’ve come too far in my career.
“You probably hear this a lot but I’m destined to be a world champion. Trust me, history is getting made on the 23rd, next Saturday.”
DeGale is currently in Miami as he continues to put the finishing touches to his training camp before travelling to Boston for the final stage of his acclimatisation and all the media obligations that he will have.
Although the Brit was initially disappointed that the fight couldn’t be held in the UK after promoter Eddie Hearn lost on purse bids, he has been handed a huge opportunity to not only win a world title, but also to put on a show for the American audience as this bout will be on a PBC card.
As a result, ‘Chunky’ will be hoping to fulfil a lifetime ambition as well as making significant money from the fight, which he will hope in turn leads to major fights in the division moving forward as he continues his ascent to the top.
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