Over in Quebec, in the early hours of Sunday morning UK time, James DeGale made a successful defence of his IBF super-middleweight title.
DeGale, matched against the Romanian born Canadian, Lucian Bute, took the decision on points, with the three judges scoring the bout:
? 116-112
? 117-111
? 117-111
DeGale started the stronger of the two fighters building up a lead before the challenger came back strong in the latter rounds.
The champion saw his performance hampered by a cut eye, sustained by a clash of heads in the fifth round but had enough savvy to hang on to his title.
After the win, DeGale had this to say,
‘I said Lucian Bute is a world-class fighter. I’m young, fresh and peaking now but all credit to him. He’s a champion and, believe me, he will be back.
‘I think my defence was all right – I still have to work on things. The next three or four years, that’s when I’ll be at my best.’
After the splendid win, DeGale is now seeking a unification fight against the WBC title holder Badou Jack.
DeGale Beats Bute on Points
