Tony Bellew, the former cruiserweight champion from Liverpool, has picked James DeGale as the most skillful fighter he's ever faced. The 42-year-old 'Bomber' made this surprising choice in a recent chat with DAZN, picking DeGale over big names like David Haye and Oleksandr Usyk.
Bellew and Haye had one of the most intense rivalries in British boxing. They fought twice, with Bellew winning both times. In March 2017, Bellew shocked everyone by stopping Haye in the 11th round when he was the underdog. Just over a year later, Bellew did it again, this time stopping an injured Haye in the 5th round.
Six months after his second win over Haye, Bellew went for the undisputed cruiserweight championship against Usyk. Usyk's technical brilliance proved too much, and he stopped Bellew in the 8th round.
Despite sharing the ring with these tough opponents, Bellew surprised everyone by naming James DeGale as the most skillful. In his interview with DAZN, Bellew said:
"Usyk was up there but I've got to say my old mate, James DeGale. Me and 'Chunky' were close all the way through our careers and I'd sparred him when we were both amateurs and also when I needed tough southpaw sparring. He could do it all in the ring and he was as tough as anything too."
'Chunky' DeGale had a career full of ups and downs. He won the IBF super middleweight title twice and grabbed an Olympic gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Games. Many see him as one of the most decorated British fighters in recent times.
Bellew's choice shows that sometimes, the fighters we respect most aren't always the ones we face in big fights, but those we've known and trained with throughout our careers.
