Chris Eubank Jnr has claimed James DeGale needs surgery to give him heart after his rival went under the knife to correct an injured right shoulder.

The 27-year-old is to fight Germany’s former world champion Arthur Abraham at Wembley Arena on July 15 after injury ruled DeGale out from a proposed date of July 1.

Matchroom, who promote DeGale, and Eubank Jnr’s promoters Poxon Sports, each made seven-figure counter offers to stage what would be a significant fight between the two. Eubank Jnr, however, insists that DeGale is running scared.

He said that the IBF super-middleweight champion had been reluctant to engage with him after being confronted when ringside as Tony Bellew defeated David Haye. He may also eventually face further disappointment with DeGale expected to instead fight George Groves when he has recovered.

The 31-year-old DeGale hopes to return before the year’s end after his operation on Wednesday, but Eubank Jnr said: “He’s talking about shoulder surgery but it’s more like heart surgery. He’s got no heart.

“We offered them serious money for the fight and they turned it down. Matchroom badly want that fight

“Matchroom were keen on it but DeGale didn’t want it. I received the contract; I was ready to sign but he has refused to fight me.

“He’s got a world title, whether he keeps it or not now he’s injured, that’s up for debate. I don’t know the rules.

“Even if he has to relinquish it then I can fight for the vacant belt, I would still want to fight DeGale, with or without the belt. I want that fight.

“DeGale doesn’t want to fight. I approached him at ringside at the David Haye fight and spoke to him man-to-man.

“I said ‘Listen, you’re a businessman, you’re in this game to make money: you won’t get a bigger fight than me’.

“He was just timid and shocked that I went up to him. He didn’t want to know. He was just trying to get away from the confrontation as quickly as possible.

“I could tell he doesn’t want to fight me. I looked in his eyes and could just tell he wasn’t comfortable engaging with me.

“He was stumbling, mumbling and stuttering, saying ‘Let’s see what happens’.

“For a world champion it was embarrassing: I thought I would get a bit of heat from him but it was the complete opposite.

“I frightened him; he was afraid to engage me. If someone came up to me and told me they want to fight me I would put them in their place. He didn’t do that at all: he just scurried off.”