B Ian S Palmer
The vacant WBC Silver Super Middleweight Championship will be at stake in Hull, England on Saturday December 8 when James DeGale of London, takes on Fulgencio Zuniga of Colombia. It’s a big fight for the 26-year-old southpaw DeGale as he’s also got another bout scheduled for January 26 in England. This might be seen as disrespectful by Zuniga and it could give the 35-year-old some added incentive to pound out a win.
DeGale lost his British and Commonwealth crowns in May 2011 when George Groves beat him by a close majority decision to hand him his only pro loss since turning pro back in 2009. The 6-foot DeGale has built up a 13-0 record since then with nine Kos. He won the European title in October of last year with a majority decision over Piotr Wilczewski of Poland in one of his best performances. DeGale had a great amateur career and capped it off by winning a gold medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China.
He defended his European belt on Oct. 13 when he beat France’s Hadillah Mohoumadi by a unanimous decision. It was his first fight in a year and he had a little bit of trouble with the Frenchmen, perhaps due to ring rust. He’s facing a tough customer in Zuniga, who has a record of 25-6-1 with 22 Kos. Zuniga has a wealth of experience and his six defeats have all come at the hands of current or former world champions or title challengers.
He turned pro in 2001 and has faced some solid opposition in the likes of Daniel Santos, Kelly Pavlik, Antwun Echols, Lucian Bute, Tavoris Cloud, Alejandro Berrio, and Thomas Oosthuizen. He lost to Cloud, Bute, Pavlik, Oosthuizen, Santos and Dennis Inkin. Pavlik and Bute stopped him in the ninth and fourth rounds respectively in 2009 and 2005 while the other losses were by decisions. His last bout came just a few weeks ago when he dropped a 12-round unanimous decision to Thomas Oosthuizen in South Africa on Nov. 10.
Zuniga’s got a ton of experience and when he’s in form he’s not a bad boxer at all. He has proven he can hang in with the best of them and has good power with an average chin. However, this is another bout between an up and coming prospect in DeGale against boxer in the twilight of his career. If Zuniga was in his prime he would certainly be the favourite in this matchup. In fact, de still might be with many fans.
Like many other boxers, Zuniga seems to have a hard time when he fights elite opposition, but DeGale doesn’t fall into the elite category. This is what makes this bout a little more level even though Zuniga’s nine years older than his opponent. DeGale will have to move, box well, and make Zuniga miss. He doesn’t want to go toe-to-toe with the Colombian as that could see him deposited on the canvas. It’s doubtful he’ll be able to stop Zuniga and will need to rack up points for a decision win.
Prediction
There used to be a time when British boxers were overrated, but that’s not really the case anymore. Guys like Tyson Fury, David Price, and Kell Brook just keep on winning and DeGale hasn’t done too badly wither. He’s tall, a slick boxer, and has a great defense. He possesses quick hands and decent power. If he gets lazy though, Zuniga could punish him. If both of these guys fight to their potential DeGale should be able to eke out a decision.
