James DeGale is out to make British boxing history but who came close?

James DeGale can write his name in boxing history by becoming the first British Olympic champion to win a world title when he faces Andre Dirrell.

The 29-year-old from north west London travels to Boston to take on the American on May 23, live on Sky Sports 1, hoping to add the vacant IBF super-middleweight crown to the Olympic gold medal he won in Beijing in 2008.

Several British fighters have come close to being recognised as the best in the world as both amateurs and professionals but none have achieved that goal. Here we look at some of those DeGale is aiming to beat into the history books...

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Terence Spinks

Olympic flyweight champion 1956
British featherweight champion

Terence Spinks was born in West Ham a year before the outbreak of World War II. He had originally set out to be a jockey and reached apprentice level before switching to boxing.

The east Londoner was quickly recognised as one of the most promising young stars in the game and had over 200 amateur bouts on his way to the 1956 ABA flyweight title - earning selection for the Melbourne Olympic Games of the same year.

Thriving against a variety of styles, Spinks beat Pakistan's Samuel Harris, Argentina's Abel Laudonio, the Soviet Union's Vladimir Stolnikov and France's Renee Libeer before outgunning Romanian Mircea Dobrescu in the final to clinch gold.

Spinks turned professional the following year and the accuracy of his punching was evident as he stopped debut opponent Jim Loughrey at Harringay Arena on cuts - repeating the trick three years later when he won the British featherweight title from Bobby Neil at the Royal Albert Hall.

That was as good as it got in the professional game for Spinks, who never got his shot at a world title but did retire on a high by stopping Johnny Mantle in the eighth round in December 1962 - again at the Royal Albert Hall.

Chris Finnegan

Olympic middleweight champion 1968
British, European and Commonwealth light-heavyweight champion

Buckinghamshire fighter Chris Finnegan worked as a hod carrier during his amateur boxing career and almost quit the sport when he was overlooked for the 1966 Commonwealth Games in favour of John Turpin, who he had beaten to the ABA middleweight title.

An eye injury and personal problems threatened to derail his promising career but trainer Dick Gunn helped him out of his malaise and he stunned the world at the 1968 Mexico Olympics - emerging from obscurity to beat Aleksei Kiselyov in the final 3-2 and earn an MBE in the process.

He made his professional debut in beating Mike Fleetham at Mayfair's Hilton Hotel in December of the same year and, bar being stopped for a nasty cut against Danny Ashie at Shoreditch Town Hall, rose up the ranks before being outpointed by Tom Bogs in Denmark with the European title on the line.

Finnegan enjoyed rapid success when stepping up to light-heavyweight, and added the European belt to his British and Commonwealth crowns in February 1972 when he overcame Conny Velensek on points at Nottingham's Ice Rink (with a boxing ring in it, of course...).

His shot at becoming the first Briton to be an Olympic and world champion in the professional ranks arrived in September 1972 but he was knocked out by Bob Forster in the 14th round of 'the fight of the year' at Empire Pool in Wembley.

Finnegan went on to lose to John Conteh twice but retired as British light-heavyweight champion in 1975 having won a rematch with Johnny Frankham in his final fight at the Royal Albert Hall.

He died in 2009 at the age of 64 suffering from pneumonia.

Audley Harrison

Olympic super-heavyweight champion 2000
European heavyweight champion

Audley Harrison became ABA super-heavyweight champion in 1997, representing the Repton Boxing Club in Bethnal Green.

The Londoner retained his title the following year and with the 1998 Commonwealth Games title also in his possession, headed for the Sydney Olympics as one of the favourites for gold.

'A-Force' justified the hype with an impressive victory - beating Mukhtarkhan Dildabekov of Kazakhstan in the final before kicking off a much-hyped professional career with a view to becoming heavyweight champion of the world.

His first 19 fights in the professional ranks ended in victories - often routine - but the wheels came off in 2005 when he was on the wrong end of a split decision to domestic rival Danny Williams. Harrison followed up with a disappointing loss to Dominic Guinn early the next year.

He eventually avenged a third-round KO to Michael Sprott by beating him to the European title and then, three years further down the line, his chance came. Audley's one-time friend David Haye had won the WBA title in November 2011, and on Sky Sports Box Office they became Best of Enemies.

Harrison talked one of the best talks we'd seen for years, but he walked for less than nine minutes and it was over in the third, the Olympic hero barely throwing a punch.

He seemed to retire at least twice after that but losing to David Price and finally Deontay Wilder put an end to his pursuit of glory.

Amir Khan

Olympic lightweight silver medallist 2004
Two-time world light-welterweight champion

Amir Khan won the hearts of the British public during a valiant tilt at Olympic glory in 2004 aged just 17.

Having won the junior Olympic title the previous year, Khan fell short in the final against three-time world amateur champion Mario Kindelan - a defeat he avenged by beating the experienced Cuban in 2005 in what would be his last amateur fight.

There was to be no stopping Khan reaching the top as a professional. Although his 18-fight winning run was ended emphatically by Breidis Prescott in 2008, Khan was quickly back in form and became WBA light-welterweight champion by beating Andriy Kotelnik on points in Manchester the following year.

The Bolton fighter added the IBF belt to his collection in 2011 when he halted Zab Judah in five in Las Vegas and although he suffered back-to-back defeats to Lamont Peterson and Danny Garcia in the 12 months that followed, he is expected to be back fighting for a world title soon.

Lennox Lewis

Olympic super-heavyweight champion 1988
Undisputed world heavyweight champion

Okay, Lennox did it, but here's the catch - he was representing Canada at the Seoul Olympics.

Watch DeGale v Dirrell live on Sky Sports 1, from 8.00pm, this Saturday.