James DeGale flies his barber to New York ahead of WBC Super-Middleweight bout with Badou Jack
IBF title-holder was taking no chances after making a disastrous attempt to give himself a trim before previous fight with Lucian Bute
JAMES DeGALE has avoided another hairy situation — by flying in his barber from London.
The IBF champ goes into Saturday’s super-middleweight crunch with WBC king Badou Jack safe in the knowledge his barnet will more than live up to his silky skills.
Before taking on Lucian Bute in his first title defence in November 2015, Chunky decided to get his razor out and give himself a quick trim.
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And while his attempt ended in disaster, the southpaw was a success in the ring against Bute.
Now with a packed Barclay’s Center and the world watching this weekend, 30-year-old DeGale has sent for his own cuts man from London to do the honours.
He said: “I won’t be cutting my hair this time — I’m not making that mistake again.
“Before the Bute fight I didn’t know where to go for a haircut so thought I’d give it a go.
“But I ended up doing one bit too short so it all had to come off. This time, my barber from back home will trim me up.
“He does a proper job because it needs the fade and the shape.
“Plus, I’m going bald already so I need it looking good while I’ve still got some!
“Back home he cuts my hair every week. I’ve been here in the US for ages so it will be good to have him give me a proper trim before the fight.
“I’ve got him some tickets so he will be cheering me on.”
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This is the Londoner’s fourth fight on the road after wins in Boston, Quebec and Washington DC — but nothing compares to strutting his stuff in the Big Apple.
He added: “This is the real s***. It feels like I am in a big fight. New York is a boxing city. I remember watching Prince Naseem fight Kevin Kelley at Madison Square Garden on TV.
“I was only about ten and I was thinking ‘Yeah, I want to do that’. I used to think I was Naz back in the day. Now I am doing what he did and it’s great.”