Boxing vs UFC - James DeGale vs Paul Taylor

Boxing vs UFC - James DeGale vs Paul Taylor
(Image credit: Unknown)

Super middleweight James DeGale is one of British boxing's brightest prospects. He won gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and he's unbeaten in his seven outings as a pro. Paul Taylor is a UFC veteran who's won three Fight Of The Night bonuses for turning his bouts into hoofing great slugfests.
 
Taylor's a lightweight in the UFC but because the weight classes are different in boxing and MMA and there's only six pounds between the two men (DeGale weighs 76kg, Taylor 70kg), they matched up pretty well for the purposes of our fitness face-off.
 
Our challenge comprised tests of every aspect of our fighters’ fitness – from raw punching power to endurance and footwork. And to keep the playing field level, neither man knew exactly what he'd be asked to do when he turned up at Hooks Gym in West London to face his opponent, and we stuck to bodyweight moves where possible. Check out the above video to see who won.
 
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Nick Hutchings worked for Men’s Fitness UK, which predated, and then shared a website with, Coach. Nick worked as digital editor from 2008 to 2011, head of content until 2014, and finally editor-in-chief until 2015.