Olympic hero James DeGale wants to challenge for a professional world title before 2012 when the Games come to London.

The 23-year-old middleweight, who won gold in Beijing, will make his professional debut against Georgian fighter Vepkhia Tchilaia a week on Saturday at Birmingham's National Indoor Arena - and he hopes promoter Frank Warren will see his potential.

If he does challenge for a world title within three years it will vindicate his decision to turn pro instead of being one of the big attractions when the Olympics come to the capital.

"By next summer I'll be British champion and by 2012 I'll be knocking on the door of a world title or boxing for a world title," he said. "That would be perfect. A world title would top my life off.

"I don't know if Frank knows how good I am. When he sees me in my first couple of fights he's going to want to push me."

DeGale is hardly short on confidence and wants to become the first British gold medallist to win a world title, with Audley Harrison being a recent high-profile failure after waving goodbye to his amateur status.

DeGale said: "I'm not Audley. He wanted to do everything himself and you can't do that. I have an excellent team - Frank, my family, (trainer) Jim McDonnell."

Hammersmith-born DeGale has embraced the raised intensity of professional boxing, with McDonnell putting him through gruelling training exercises.
DeGale sees it as a way of responding to Joe Calzaghe's recent comments that Olympians may not have the required hunger after becoming 'instant' millionaires.

"Joe is one of my favourite boxers but that is mad," DeGale said. "He should understand. The hunger will never go."

At a packed gym in Essex, DeGale was meditating before training, blocking out the cameras and concentrating while McDonnell whispered instructions in his ear.

"The first two weeks of training, I wondered if this guy is serious. I stuck at it and I'm loving it now," he said.

"I've been getting up at 6am, running for two hours before training in Epping Forest, doing press-ups and sit-ups in the snow like a Rocky film. It's mad stuff that people don't see.
"It's the intensity, everything is longer but that will suit me."

Despite his discipline and insisting he could go more than the four rounds scheduled against Tchilaia, DeGale wants to keep his "Chunky" nickname.

"I can't lose Chunky, I've had the name since I was 10 and everyone knows me as that," he said.
"I love my food and I blow up in weight. I still eat and have a nice bacon and egg sandwich but the main thing is the training - that's why the weight is staying off."

DeGale has also been shunning the nights out on the town.

"They've got me under wraps and my Mum won't let me slip either," he said. "It's my day job. Don't let the playboy style fool you, this has been six or seven days a week of serious training."

But DeGale is still holding off becoming a family man, although he feels he may get back with ex-girlfriend Stephanie when his professional career is under way.

"I love women and but boxing comes first," he said. "I don't want that commitment at all, especially now with my training.

"Maybe in a couple of years we'll get back together, she's the perfect girl to settle down with."