Badou Jack and James DeGale slug out a majority draw in early fight of the year contender

Sweden’s Badou Jack and Britain’s James DeGale fought out an incredible draw in an epic super-middleweight title unification bout on Saturday night in Brooklyn. The judges ruled a controversial majority draw after an action-packed 12 rounds which saw both fighters on the canvas.

DeGale put Jack down with a flash knockdown in the first round to set the tone for the early section of the fight, but the Swede finished strongly and floored DeGale in a torrid final round for the London fighter.

In between, the bout developed into an early contender for fight of the year, with both combatants walking forward and exchanging combinations to the delight of the pro-Jack New York audience.

DeGale reasserted his dominance over a tiring Jack in the final third of the bout and looked to have done enough to secure the win before Jack downed the 30-year-old with an uppercut to set up a sensational final two minutes of the fight.

One of the judges gave the decision to DeGale 114-112 while the other two saw the bout 113-113.

The Englishman became embroiled in an in-ring spat with Jack’s promoter Floyd Mayweather Jnr who declared the result “bad for boxing” after claiming his fighter had done enough to secure the win. DeGale immediately suggested a rematch in London, but a crestfallen Jack replied that he and his team now see his future in the light-heavyweight division despite the setback.