James DeGale got off to a winning start to his bare-knuckle boxing career, but it wasn’t pretty.

The two-time IBF super middleweight champion squared off against Australia’s Matt Floyd at Manchester’s AO Arena on Saturday night under Conor McGregor ‘s BKFC promotional banner.

Head first straight into chaos 🤯😳 #BKFC81 | Live NOW on DAZN | @DAZN_Sport pic.twitter.com/hvnQCW33T2 — Bare Knuckle FC (@bareknucklefc) September 27, 2025

DeGale, who hadn’t set foot in the ring since falling to defeat against Chris Eubank Jr in February 2019, got his hand raised via unanimous decision following a bad-tempered bout that included four points deductions.

Speaking in the immediate aftermath of his victory, he said: “It’s bare-knuckle boxing, it is boxing, but it’s highly different.

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