"I'm back," declares Olympic champion James DeGale, booked to appear as the warm-up act to Saturday's second-time-around bonanza bust-up between Carl Froch and George Groves at Wembley Stadium, where 80,000 seats will be filled for an event that has become as much a happening as a prodigious punch-up.

Normally, the boxer known as "Chunky" would have good cause to be envious of fellow west Londoner Groves, with whom an acrimonious enmity has endured since their amateur days.

The 26-year-old Groves, who beat him both as an amateur and on a disputed majority decision in a British title fight as a pro three years ago, has now twice gazumped him as a world title challenger for Froch's IBF and WBA belts.

But is he unhappy? No way. Because the gold medal that seems to have been a curse for those Britons who have acquired one in the Olympic ring finally may have become his talisman.

After shadow boxing against nondescript opposition in small halls and shopping centres, DeGale has signed with Eddie Hearn's mushrooming Matchroom stable and appears in the chief supporting bout on the bumper historic Wembley show in a final eliminator for the titles that Froch and Groves are again contesting.

Olympic gold does not always mean success in the professional boxing ring, but James DeGale could be on the cusp of defying the odds ©Getty Images



All he has to do is overcome the unbeaten American Brandon Gonzales, a pretty tough ask - but, born-again in boxing terms, "Chunky" firmly believes he is back in the big picture and set to become the first Briton to convert golden Olympic bullion into a world professional title.

And it's all down to mum Diane.

He recalls: "Six months ago I was in a dark place, depressed and on the verge of packing it all in. There I was, an Olympic and former British and European champion, fighting in PE halls and stuff like that.

"I went, 'Mum, I've got two properties, a nice car and a pension, so screw this boxing. I'll earn £1,000 ($1,681/€1,232) a week doing personal training.' She said, 'Don't be stupid.' And she was right. Potentially there's some crazy money to be made. This is going to be fun now."

Obviously mum knew best.

DeGale, 28, revealed to insidethegames that he was within days of quitting after being in limbo for 18 months, finding that the Olympic medal he won in Beijing six years ago was something of an albatross. "I really was deeply depressed about it all. Boxing has been my life since I was 11 years old and it was all I knew. I seriously wondered if it was time to walk away."

But he changed promoters for the second time and Matchroom have offered him a direct route to the world title

"Boxing is so political, and it is all about being positioned right. I am in a perfect place now."

Eddie Hearn (right) has given James DeGale's career a lift by signing him to his growing Matchroom stable ©Getty Images



There's little doubt who DeGale would rather fight for the world title. "Groves and me have issues to settle. I still can't stand him and he can't stand me. Groves is a fool, a fake. I will never let him belittle me like he's done with Froch.

"It's a 50-50 fight but the way he started last time, Groves was hitting Froch for fun. It was embarrassing.

"I've been saying for years, Froch is an easy fight, chin's up in the air, feet are all over the place, technically terrible. But he's tough, he's strong, he's fit for 12 rounds, he comes on strong the last few rounds.

"Groves is a bit more difficult because he can switch it up a bit more. But he'll hold the centre of the ring. He's not scared of Froch.

"I think it's going to be another good fight. I just hope Froch is better. He took him lightly last time. I've never seen him as bad.

"I think Groves will win the rematch because he's younger, has better footwork and is faster. I think he will do it second time around.

"Groves and I are different fighters, and we have matured. I didn't like him then and I don't like him now, but I'd love the chance of a rematch for the world title. And this time I'd show him who's the boss."

The Wembley fight is expected to gross £20 million ($33.6 million/€24.6 million) from pay-per-view and gate receipts, in the biggest in post-war British history. Rapid transformation of the national stadium will be required after England play Peru in a World Cup warm-up on Friday evening.

A crowd of 80,000 will see Carl Froch take on George Groves in a rematch that could well live up to its billing ©Getty Images



"When you get it right, boxing can be one of the biggest sports out there," says DeGale's young promoter Eddie Hearn, a view underscored by projected figures which indicate gate receipts of £6 million and Sky's Box Office sales at £16.95 ($28.51/€20.89) a shot expected to gross at least £14 million ($23.5 million/€17.2 million).

Technically, as challenger, Groves is entitled to only 17 per cent of the total purse under IBF rules, but I understand he has managed to negotiate himself close to a 50-50 split and is believed to have pocketed £500,000 ($841,000/€616,000) up front in his newly-announced deal with German promoters Sauerland.

Not bad for a lad from Hammersmith who admits he barely made it through school but is as articulate with his wordplay as he is with his fists. And his bargaining technique suggests he is also as nifty with the calculator as the Rubik's cube.

In Manchester last November he may have controversially lost the first fight with Froch, but he won the hearts of the nation.

Like DeGale, I have known "Saint George", as he now styles himself, since his amateur days.

He has always been essentially a loner, spurning the customary entourage and training camps, preferring to stay at home with his wife Sophie, a Fulham primary school teacher.

Few fighters are so single-minded. He certainly won't be fazed by roars from 80,000 throats when he embarks on his ring walk to the rousing techno hit Spitfire by Prodigy, a few minutes before 10pm on Saturday. "I have tunnel vision," he says. "All I will be focusing on is two men - Froch and the referee."

Nigel Benn and Joe Calzaghe, both distinguished former world super-middleweight champions, join DeGale in favouring Groves. Such backing from the pugilistic elite will further fuel Groves' already brimming confidence.

But boxers, like jockeys, can be notoriously fickle tipsters, and though two months shy of his 37th birthday, Froch is the sort of seasoned warrior you underestimate at your peril.

Knocked down in the first round, Carl Froch's ego was pricked as he went on to win his controversial bout with George Groves in November ©Getty Images



His clumsy start when his ego was pricked by that first round knock-down in Manchester last November suggested he was in the grip of ring rage, uptight with fury at being dissed by an upstart who had not fought anyone of his stature.

But it was his own right hand that was held aloft after the ninth, albeit a victory diminished by a somewhat hasty intervention from referee Howard Foster, administering a headlock as Groves momentarily staggered that was deemed "improper" by the IBF who, in an unprecedented judgement, upheld his well-articulated plea for a rematch.

The turn-around tsunami of popularity that subsequently engulfed Groves even astonished a sport where the bizarre is often the norm, and this time he will be cheered into a home-town ring, not booed as in Manchester.

"Carl is set in his ways and has managed to get by with what he has got," claims Groves. "Slowly, his attributes are starting to deteriorate. He is left now with a good chin and a bit of determination. Technically, he punches terribly.

"In the last fight, he was abused - physical, emotional, spiritual. How is he going to deal with that when the flashbacks come? I know I can hurt him mentally and physically."

A University graduate, Froch is no slouch himself when it comes to badinage.

Carl Froch has sought counsel from a sports psychologist, something his opponent says is a sign of weakness ©Getty Images



Tutored by Robert McCracken, coach to the GB Olympic boxing squad, with whom he trains at the English Institute of Sport in Sheffield, Froch has sought counsel from a sports psychologist, which Groves sees as a sign of weakness.

But Froch says it was as much to help him cope with the pressure of the occasion as an antidote to Groves' craftily-calculated mind games.

"I couldn't even say his name before," he admits. "I let the boy get under my skin with his arrogance, the disrespect, and it affected my performance in a very negative way. That will not be happening again."

Observers of Froch's recent workouts say he has re-discovered the Eye of the Cobra and threatens more controlled venom this time.

It is an intriguing collision of tactics and egos that could go either way. Rematches rarely live up to the original but this could be an exception.

The decade that separates them may be the telling factor.

It is a hard call but I believe Groves gained more in losing their last inconclusive entanglement than Froch did in winning. What would not surprise me is a split decision in Groves' favour, leading to even richer pickings in episode three of a titanic trilogy.

Which would leave James DeGale fidgeting in the wings, nervously fingering that Olympic medal, until their differences are finally settled.

Alan Hubbard is an award-winning sports columnist for The Independent on Sunday and a former sports editor of The Observer. He has covered a total of 16 Summer and Winter Games, 10 Commonwealth Games, several football World Cups and world title fights from Atlanta to Zaire.