James DeGale left Frank Warren Promotions to join Hennessy Sports in September 2012 after being informed that they would give him a path to try to earn a shot at competing for a world title.
Despite the British super-middleweight growing frustrated with the quality of his six bouts under the Hennessy name, Mick Hennessy, the man in charge of the stable, has contributed to DeGale moving into a mandatory position for the WBC strap while helping agree a deal to fight in a final eliminator for the IBF belt.
However, in terminating his contract with Hennessy to link up with Eddie Hearn's Matchroom Sport, has DeGale made the right choice in switching promoter for the third time in his 19-fight career?
Hennessy have never claimed to hold the same financial muscle as some of the leading promoters in the world, leaving them to broadcast their bouts on Channel Five in arenas unable to meet the attendances achieved by its bigger-spending rivals.
However, Hennessy's stable is far from an unknown quantity on the global scene, with Tyson Fury taking the role as their headline act, and the company have offered loyalty and backing to their top fighters while giving them the platform to top the bill at their shows.
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The growth of the group has always been hindered by Hearn's relentless approach to acquiring the biggest names in the country, something which can be applauded or criticised, but can Hearn match the money that he is prepared to put on the table with the loyalty that a fighter deserves?
Hearn has done wonders for the sport in this country and Matchroom are achieving fantastic numbers in the ticket office. Anyone outside the company - whether that be promoters or fighters - will no doubt cast a glance in Hearn's direction with envious eyes as he continues to grow his stable to a point where him becoming the sole big-time promoter in Great Britain becomes a growing possibility.
But it will get to a stage, if it hasn't done so already, where Hearn will be promoting boxers in bouts who he doesn't believe are going to succeed. Take Nathan Cleverly, for example. The Welshman has been acquired to secure a domestic rematch with Tony Bellew at cruiserweight, but does Hearn think Cleverly will win that match? No, he doesn't. His loyalties are with Bellew.
DeGale has thrown himself into a similar situation with Carl Froch and George Groves. While the money that has been offered to him is arguably too good to turn down, and the chance to compete at Wembley is a once-in-a-life-time opportunity, Hearn does not believe that DeGale can beat either Froch or Groves. He will speak about DeGale being a live contender in either match, but does he believe that DeGale can overcome either of the men that are seven weeks away from headlining the biggest night of boxing that Great Britain has ever seen? His heart will tell him no.
The movement of DeGale from Hennessy to Matchroom has moved at such a pace that the Londoner has potentially seen the pound signs and is throwing all of his eggs into one basket in an attempt to justify his undeterred stance that he could beat either Froch or Groves.
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But what becomes of DeGale if he fails to beat Brandon Gonzales in seven weeks' time, or if he slumps to a convincing loss to either Froch or DeGale at the end of the year? What will Hearn have up his sleeve to reignite his career if it suffers a second setback before he has claimed a world belt?
The reality is that if DeGale can't beat both Gonzales and one of Froch or Groves, he leaves himself open to becoming expendable. The same can be said of Cleverly. If he doesn't beat Bellew, then Hearn doesn't lose out. Bellew progresses on to bigger and better things and Cleverly is left on the scrapheap with Hearn having to decide whether he spends a further 12 months in trying to improve his stock in the division.
It can be argued that DeGale and Cleverly are simply business purchases by Hearn to ensure that the domestic fights that he is desperate to put together go ahead at the right time. He doesn't need to get involved with negotiating television deals with rival broadcasters or fight terms with rival promoters. Talks can now go smoothly to make the matches that he wants to on his broadcaster, Sky Sports.
Hearn cannot be criticised for that. In fact, from a business perspective, it's the clever route to take, but it leaves fighters like DeGale at risk of having to make a U-turn on their previous decisions to leave either Frank Warren Promotions or Hennessy Sports.
DeGale's destiny remains in his own hands. If he is successful, he will reap the rewards that he deserves, but one setback could have a stinging effect on his career and his ability to gain a long-standing promoter in this country.
Darren Plant
