James DeGale happy facing Andre Dirrell in US, says Paul Smith

Paul Smith has been in with James DeGale and Andre Dirrell, and is expecting history to be made when the British super-middleweight star heads to the USA...

I have a feeling the news that James DeGale's got to go to America to fight Andre Dirrell might suit the British fighter.

All he has to do now is get there, do his business, and get out of there. He doesn't need to try and impress these Americans, he doesn't need his crew standing at the back of the room, shouting things out, trying to make the dog bark.

When I fought him back in 2010 I said it would be a travesty if he didn't win a world title.

James doesn't do that and away from home, I don't think he will have to. Dirrell will have a big entourage, he'll have his brother Anthony – and he's got an entourage as well – and they will all be there, giving it some.

James, Jim McDonnell and a few friends and family will go over there, keep their heads down, do the job, win that title and then come home. All he wants to do, as he says, is make history. He wants to be the first Olympic gold medallist from Britain to win a professional world title and trust me, even out in the States, he is more than capable.

When I fought him back in 2010 I said it would be a travesty if he didn't win a world title. I have said it time and time again and I will say it before it finally happens – James DeGale will win a world title.

Yes it is a tricky fight against a tricky opponent but, you know what, Andre Dirrell is probably the best he could face in terms of style. From our perspective, I think technically this is going to great to watch.

Both will cancel each other out but they are both very good fighters, who I have faced. Dirrell was beating Arthur Abraham before the disqualification and was well, well in the fight against Carl Froch before that controversial decision – which he has not forgotten about.

Dirrell has always been one of those fighters that moves about, much like James. I boxed him in the amateurs when I was 16 and 18 and although age does play a part, I can't see him changing – and he's by no means over the hill. In fact he's 31, not 35 or 36.

I hope James doesn't think Dirrell will be standing there inviting him in. I think both of these will take each other on, almost at each other's game, which is what makes it so intriguing. It will be fluid, it will be smooth and it will definitely be one for the purists.

He knows he will not be able to nick rounds out in America and although I don't like talking about that, at least we know it. We also know the aggressor usually gets the round so James knows that he can't just sit there and pick Dirrell off, he will have to go for it.

We've seen James improve in the last 18 months, he seems to have matured and finally has the confidence we all thought he had – before the dark times his career. 

Is getting $1.5million to go to America bad news? It's not really is it? If Eddie Hearn had won the purse bids – and it was by no means a bad bid, and was indeed a very respectable one of $2.1million – he'd have fought over here, he'd have got a $1million and had to split it with his promoter.

But to go to America to fight for a world title, to be the headline fight, on an Al Haymon show for £1million, Chunky might as well have won the Lottery. All he's got to do now is win that world title.

Paul Smith will be part of our commentary team for the Sergey Kovalev v Jean Pascal fight this weekend, from 1.45am, Sunday, Sky Sports 1.