James DeGale Reveals Next Career Move After Wild Win At BKFC 81

DeGale let his emotions out after picking up the win in front of his home fans. Clearly living in the moment, DeGale claimed that he is "just getting started," and that his BKFC journey would be the "second coming of JD."

However, the 39-year-old recanted that statement in his post-fight statement. DeGale announced that he is essentially done with bare-knuckle and wants to return to traditional boxing.

"First bare-knuckle fight [check emoji," DeGale wrote on Instagram. "Win [check emoji]. Massive respect to [BKFC] and the fighters — it's a brutal sport! Matty Floyd showed that with headbutts, low blows, and rabbit punches. Back to boxing for me."

Floyd was docked three points in the fight, giving DeGale the sweep on the scorecards. However, 'Chunky' would have won either way, as all three judges gave him at least three of the five rounds.

DeGale also lost a point in the fight, but it paled in comparison to Floyd's three deductions. Interestingly, Floyd nearly doubled his output, according to the BKFC website, but DeGale's shots clearly had a greater impact.

James DeGale's decorated boxing career

DeGale has not competed in boxing since losing an IBO super middleweight title fight to Chris Eubank Jr. in February 2019. The loss dropped him to 25-3-1 in his professional career, and he subsequently retired after the bout.

Although DeGale ended his career winning just two of his final four fights, he is one of the most decorated athletes in British boxing history. After winning a gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, DeGale went on to claim the IBF 168-pound world title, which he would defend four times and reclaim once.

By becoming a world champion, DeGale was the first British boxer to win a gold medal and a world title. That accomplishment has since been repeated by Anthony Joshua and Welsh female welterweight champion Lauren Price.

It is unclear how often DeGale trained during his six-year retirement, but the former champion appeared to still be in elite shape at BKFC 81. He took a few minutes to get going, but perhaps that would be different in his natural setting and not in the grueling world of bare-knuckle.