DeGale rejects comparisons

Olympic champion brushes off Audley Harrison resemblance

Last updated: 3rd December 2008   Subscribe to RSS Feed

DeGale rejects comparisons

DeGale: Going for gold

I'm going to be the first Brit to win a gold medal and a world title.

James DeGale
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James DeGale insists he will become the first British Olympic champion to claim a professional world title.

The 22-year-old middleweight gold medallist sacrificed his place at the 2012 Olympics by signing a £1.5 million two-year deal to go pro on Tuesday.

DeGale's fellow British team-mates Frankie Gavin and Billy Joe Saunders also made the move into the professional arena on the same day.

And DeGale rejects comparisons with heavyweight Audley Harrison, who turned pro after winning gold in 2000 only to be found lacking at the top level.

"I'm different to Audley, I'm not the same," he said. "Technically Audley is the best heavyweight in the world. He's a fantastic fighter.

"But there are doubts about his heart. Does he really want it? He doesn't want to be beaten technically.

"You've got to have the heart, you've got to want it and be fit. Maybe Audley doesn't have it.

"I'm going to be the first Brit to win a gold medal and a world title."

DeGale is contracted to fight between six and eight times per year in shows that will be staged across the country, while Harrison gets his last chance to turn his career around on Saturday night when he takes on Mark Rogan in London on Saturday.