• Boxing

DeGale struggles to make the weight

ESPN staff
September 17, 2010
James DeGale was given two hours to shift the excess weight © Getty Images
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James DeGale failed to make the weight at the first attempt for his super-middleweight clash against Carl Dilks.

DeGale was forced to return to the scales after initially weighing in an ounce over the maximum 168lbs, having stripped naked in a vain attempt to sneak in under the limit.

The undefeated Brit takes on Dilks on the undercard for Saturday's Magnificent Seven contest in Birmingham, with the fight acting as an eliminator for a tilt at the British super-middleweight crown.

Dilks was half a pound inside the limit, but DeGale tipped the scales and was given two hours to shed the excess, but returned just half-an-hour later to hit the weight with nothing to spare.

"It was one ounce over. One ounce," said DeGale. "For that, he's gonna get knocked out!"

DeGale admitted in an interview in the Guardian on Friday that having to make the weight is one of the hardest thing he faces as a fighter.

"I love my food," he said. "The worst thing is having to make weight before a fight. It's hard to cut down. Hopefully in 10 years I'll have retired and I'll be able to do what I want. I like steaks, but I love a homemade roast, a nice roast dinner."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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