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WBC orders Badou Jack-James DeGale eliminator

Fighters Network
21
Jan

Mayweather Promotions CEO Leonard Ellerbe believes that super middleweight Badou Jack  will become one of many fighters in Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s stable to win a title belt soon after meeting 2008 Olympic gold medalist James DeGale of Great Britain in a WBC-ordered eliminator.

Jack (16-0-1, 11 knockouts), a Las Vegas-based former 2008 Olympian from Gambia, and DeGale (17-1, 11 KOs) have been directed to meet for the right to face titleholder Sakio Bika, who is coming off  December's draw with Anthony Dirrell.

In his last fight in December, Jack, 30, scored three knockdowns in the final round of a sixth-round technical knockout over Rogelio Medina. Two months earlier in September, Jack battled to a majority draw with Marco Antonio Periban.

DeGale was last in the ring for November's unanimous decision over Dyah Davis, representing his seventh consecutive win during a run that includes three knockouts since falling by majority decision to countryman George Groves in May of 2011.



"This is a wonderful opportunity for [Jack] to step up and show the world who he is, and he's looking forward to being a world champion," said Ellerbe, whose organization's first titleholder, Ishe Smith, lost his IBF 154-pound belt to Carlos Molina by split-decision in September.

"I have every bit of confidence in [Jack] that when the fight takes place, that he will be able to beat DeGale and position himself to fight for the WBC title. He's young, and he'll be the first of our many young guys to step and win a world title."

According to reports, Ellerbe and DeGale's promoter, Mick Hennessy, have been given until Feb. 14 to make a deal before a purse bid is ordered for that date. Hennessy would like the bout to happen on March 1 in England.

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