By John MacDonald

IBF super middleweight champion James DeGale, 21-1 (14 KOs), looks set to make the first defence of his title in October, with some marquee names lined up as possible opponents.

DeGale, 29, made history last month when he became the first British Olympic gold medallist to win a world title as a professional with a unanimous decision victory over - another Olympic medallist – Andre Dirrell in Boston.

“Chunky” dropped Dirrell twice in the second round but the American fought back valiantly in the middle stanzas of the fight. DeGale showed his resilience in the championship rounds and did enough to secure victory – and with it the belt vacated by Carl Froch - on all three judges’ scorecards (114-112, 114-112, 117-109.)

DeGale has at times been under-appreciated by the British boxing public. His professional debut was booed by some in attendance but his promoter, Eddie Hearn, believes that this is no longer the case and cites the rapturous crowd reaction the - newly crowned - champion received during last Saturday’s “Rule Britannia” card, as evidence.

“You should have heard the reception James DeGale got on Saturday at the O2,” Hearn told BoxingScene. “He has gone from villain to hero in the space of 12 months and that’s because people have had a chance to see the real James DeGale.”

Hearn then went to discuss potential opponents for DeGale; with Mikkel Kessler, Lucien Bute and Bernard Hopkins all being considered.

Both Kessler and Bute are no strangers to these shores having both travelled over to face Carl Froch. Kessler, 36, announced his retirement from the sport in February but it’s understood that he could be persuaded to return to the ring for a world title fight.

Bute, 35, has only fought twice since losing to Froch in 2012 and is 1-1 in subsequent fights – both at light-heavyweight- and is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Jean Pascal.

Hopkins would look to break his own record for the oldest man to win a world title if he is chosen to face DeGale. The 50-year-old lost a wide decision to Sergey Kovalev but recent wins over Karo Murat and Beibut Shumenov show he still has something to offer at championship level.

“We are looking at having his homecoming in October in London and Kessler, Bute and Hopkins are all in the mix,” said Hearn.

“Either way, James is ready for all comers at 168lbs and British fans are in for a treat.”