James DeGale loses tooth during Badou Jack fight but looks raring to go again after hospital check-up
IBF super-middleweight champion retained his title... but the same cannot be said for his smile
JAMES DeGALE put his money where his mouth was against Badou Jack on Saturday night - and ended up losing a tooth.
The IBF super-middleweight champion retained his title against WBC king Jack after 12 gruelling rounds in New York ended in a draw.
DeGale, 30, knocked the Swede to the canvas in the first but tasted the ground himself just before the final bell.
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Chunky may be able to return to London with his belt in tact - but the same cannot be said for a full set of teeth.
Pictures show Jack, 33, gave his British opponent little to smile about on the flight home as he knocked his front tooth out.
So intense was the fight that DeGale had eyes only for Jack and danced around the loose tooth beneath his feet.
Promoter Eddie Hearn posted a picture of the Brit after the fight - dressed in a hospital gown after a check-up - in which he looked raring to go for a possible rematch.
He captioned the snap: "@jamesdegale1 rocking a new gown..all checked out at Brooklyn hospital and all good."
In the battle-scarring bout nobody was safe - including the ref.
Poor American referee Arthur Mercante Jr felt the full force of Jack's left hook in round five when the Swede caught him in the face.
The Ripper caught Mercante Jr before he toppled over and temporarily stopped fighting to ensure the bruised official was OK.
The ref, slightly dazed from the near-KO, soon came back to his senses - though was left with a nasty cut on his cheek.
Neither fighter did enough to win the bout and DeGale is hoping for a rematch.
He said: "He showed he’s tough and durable. I hit the cleaner shots but let’s do it again. You can come to London."
But Jack's promoter, boxing legend Floyd Mayweather, dismissed the idea, saying: "This is another bad decision for Badou.”