Slick DeGale cruises to victory

James DeGALE made it a quick night's work as he retained his European title in Denmark. DeGale, who had not boxed since winning the super-middleweight crown from Piotr Wilczewski last October, put Cristian Sanavia down three times on the way to a fourth-round stoppage. Chunky, 26, impressed in every round before stepping it up a gear and taking care of his Italian challenger. He displayed slick defensive skills in the opening session, expertly picking when to fire back with rapid shots of his own. Sanavia did land a decent left in the second but DeGale countered with a series of uppercuts. The Londoner controlled the bout behind his jab in the third before deciding to get his opponent out of there in the following round. Sanavia was floored three times in rapid succession and referee Manuel Oliver Palomo stepped in to call a halt to the bout with just two seconds of the round remaining.