2/23 PBC on ITV/SHO: James Degale vs Chris Eubank Jr. / Joe Joyce vs Bermane Stiverne

[patscorpio]

NEW YORK — SHOWTIME Sports will present the highly anticipated super middleweight matchup between fierce British rivals James DeGale and Chris Eubank Jr. Saturday, February 23 live on SHOWTIME from London’s The O2. In the co-featured bout, fast rising prospect Joe Joyce battles former world champion Bermane Stiverne in a 12-round heavyweight clash. The event will air live on air and via the networks’ streaming service at a start time to be announced.

The SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING® event is presented by Premier Boxing Champions on ITV in the U.K. and promoted by Poxon Sports. The co-feature bout is promoted in association with Ringstar Sports and Don King Productions.

DeGale (25-2-1, 15 KOs) and Eubank (27-2, 21 KOs) will finally settle their long-running score when the two outspoken rivals finally go toe-to-toe in front of the excitable hometown London crowd in the all-British affair.

The 33-year-old DeGale was the first British boxer to win a Gold Medal in the Olympics and a world championship as a professional. He won his world title with a unanimous decision over Andre Dirrell in 2015 and made two successful defenses before fighting to a draw against Badou Jack in 2017. DeGale avenged his December 2017 loss to Caleb Truax to reclaim his IBF Super Middleweight belt in April 2018 on SHOWTIME. After voluntarily vacating the belt, DeGale stopped veteran Fidel Munoz his last time out.

The 29-year-old Eubank Jr., the son of former two-division world champion Chris Eubank, is highly motivated to challenge for more world titles after he lost a unanimous decision to George Groves for the WBA Super Middleweight belt one year ago. The rivalry between DeGale and Eubank has been brewing for several years after a series of run-ins. The duo has sparred each other in the gym and have traded several verbal jabs on social media. Eubank, who has been training in Las Vegas at the Mayweather Boxing Club, has won nine out of his last ten fights and has registered knockouts in eight of those wins.

The 6-foot-6 Joyce, of London, England, has started his professional career with a 100 percent KO rate after turning professional in 2017 at the age of 32. An accomplished amateur, Joyce claimed the super heavyweight silver medal for Great Britain at the 2016 Olympic Games. Joyce, who trains in Big Bear, Calif. under renowned trainer Abel Sanchez, knocked out Joe Hanks at 2:25 of round one in his last fight on the Deontay Wilder vs. Tyson Fury undercard.

Stiverne (25-3-1, 21 KOs), who was the first ever Haiti-born boxer to own a piece of the heavyweight crown, won the WBC title with a convincing sixth-round TKO over Chris Arreola in 2014.Stiverne then lost the belt in his next fight against Deontay Wilder, despite becoming the first fighter to take the current American champion the distance. The 40-year-old has not fought since his loss in the 2017 rematch against Wilder but is anxious to bounce back with a statement win over the highly regarded Joyce.

 

[The Ruler 09]

Don't know who's gonna win this but hoping for Chris. What do people think?

 

[The Ruler 09]

Think Joyce will beat Stiverne though.

 

[patscorpio]

Don't know who's gonna win this but hoping for Chris. What do people think?

its 50-50...degale can box but he's near done..those caleb truax fights showed me the end is near....on the other than eubank jr's hype went up in smoke against groves with some of the worst boxing ive seen a hyped prospect display..considering who his father is it makes no sense..but he is young and strong and athletic so ill give him the nod


stiverne is done..joe joyce will prolly finish him by mid rounds

 

[The Ruler 09]

its 50-50...degale can box but he's near done..those caleb truax fights showed me the end is near....on the other than eubank jr's hype went up in smoke against groves with some of the worst boxing ive seen a hyped prospect display..considering who his father is it makes no sense..but he is young and strong and athletic so ill give him the nod


stiverne is done..joe joyce will prolly finish him by mid rounds

I still am a big fan of Chris, think he's got potential. Just watched the Eubank vs Groves fight and had it differently/closer than a lot of people. Yeah Joy Joyce can hit, may be a knockout potentially.

 

[aceboon]

 

[reservoirdogs]

If Eubank won't tore his ass apart I'm gonna be disappointed.
Degale still as arrogant as ever but he is there for the taking, he lost to Truax once and even in the rematch it's not like he got that win easy, Truax was still walking him down, pressing him to the ropes and shyt...
Now despite his disappointing performance against Groves I still rate Eubank higher than Truax, and I read he worked a lot with his new trainer (new = he finally has a trainer) on cutting off the ring and stuff like that.

 

[MikhailSaeed]

eubank jr's hype went up in smoke against groves with some of the worst boxing ive seen a hyped prospect display..considering who his father is it makes no sense..but he is young and strong and athletic so ill give him the nod

I still am a big fan of Chris, think he's got potential.

The funny thing is, Eubank ain't really that young. I thought he was young too for some reason but he's actually only a year younger than Groves. I don't think we can say he's a prospect or has potential any more; he's basically the same age as a guy that just retired. I think he's just never going to be that good

 

[The Ruler 09]

The funny thing is, Eubank ain't really that young. I thought he was young too for some reason but he's actually only a year younger than Groves. I don't think we can say he's a prospect or has potential any more; he's basically the same age as a guy that just retired. I think he's just never going to be that good

I respect his heart when he fights, hoping that his technical proficiency can be helped with the new trainer, he's a good fighter but as a boxer he has some room for improvement still.

 

[malbaker86]

I don't know what the fukk to think of this fight other than I feel this is going to be a train wreck of fukkery on the exciting side

 

[The Ruler 09]

The fight is going to be very interesting because of the high stakes and personal issues, huge bragging rights here not to mention the winner advancing to some potentially huge fights and the loser going backwards hugely in the eyes of the general public.

 

[Bigblackted4]

Picked the fresher fighter, Degale looked like shyt against Truax twice and upon further review Eubanks wasn’t that bad against Grooves especially late in that fight. If he just gets some things better about him he’ll be fine.

Also I’m sadly intrigued about Joyce vs Stiverne and expect to be disappointed

 

[patscorpio]

 

[patscorpio]

 

[Bigblackted4]

Joyce weighs 265 doesn’t he usually come in much lighter