James DeGale  is confident that he will  retire after defeat against Chris Eubank Jr as victor claims he’s ‘back on top’

The Olympic gold medallist and former IBF super-middleweight champion demonstrated further signs of decline as he lost for the third time as a professional, and against an opponent he would have expected to convincingly outbox at his peak.

For all that the 29-year-old Eubank Jr has improved, perhaps partly owing to recruiting the previously little-known Nate Vasquez as his trainer, DeGale again struggled to convince throughout a fight he had previously said would leave the loser with little choice but to retire.

There a few lucrative options left for him to pursue – unlike his rival, who has revived his career with his finest ever victory – and having become Britain’s first Olympic gold medallist to win a professional world title, he insisted he had “made his mark”.

After his unanimous decision defeat, via scores of 114-112, 115-112 and 117-109, the 33-year-old DeGale said: “I’ve left my mark in boxing. Olympic gold, two world titles, but Chris performed well. I just didn’t do enough but when you’re in there with wild punches.

“There was massive pressure. We were both on the edge of this cliff and someone was going to fall, and whoever falls can’t come back. I’m still here now, onwards and upwards.”