DeGale walked away from boxing following his unanimous decision loss to Chris Eubank Jr. in February 2019. He said at the time he had achieved everything he wanted after becoming the first British boxer to win both Olympic gold and a professional world title.

Those retirement plans changed last September when DeGale entered BKFC and defeated Australia’s Matt Floyd by unanimous decision in a rough contest that featured multiple point deductions.

Before that bout, DeGale made it clear he still wanted one final boxing match.

“I can’t go out how I went out against Eubank,” DeGale told talkSPORT Boxing before facing Floyd. “I’ve stayed in shape, and after Floyd, I want to have one more in boxing.

“Boxing has changed since I left. There is Misfits, and the Saudis have come in.

“My world title days are done, but there are fights out there like Jake Paul, Darren Till, Ty Mitchell, KSI, and Tommy Fury.”

Instead of pursuing one of those crossover names, DeGale will box Portman, who has remained active on the unlicensed circuit. Portman is 45, five years older than DeGale, making this a matchup between two veteran fighters instead of the type of age mismatch that has drawn criticism in several recent comeback bouts.

The event is being organized by Andy Sahota of ShowFighter UK, whose company does not hold a British Boxing Board of Control promotional license. Details including the contracted weight and scheduled number of rounds have not yet been announced.

The contest for DeGale offers another opportunity to finish his boxing career on his own terms after deciding his final professional performance against Eubank Jr. should not be the lasting image of his time in the sport.