Gold winner DeGale turns pro

James DeGale, the Londoner who became only the second British boxer to win a gold medal at the Olympics in Beijing 2008, has turned professional, signing a £1.5m contract with promoter Frank Warren. "DeGale won the middleweight gold in Beijing. His new target is to become the first British gold medal-winner to win a world title as a professional," writes Ron Lewis in the Times. "A two-year contract will have him boxing six to eight times per year around the country on shows alongside Frankie Gavin and Billy Joe Saunders, his Britain Olympic team-mates. He had hinted of a willingness to stay amateur until 2012, challenging the ABA of England to come up with an offer."