Paulie Malignaggi
Former two-weight champion on BBC Radio 5 live

"Each fighter is generally southpaw, but they would beat 70-80% of their opponents with their back-up stance. They are both very good fighters. They are well schooled, well taught - their amateur careers show that."

We're expecting the ring walks any moment. Dirrell hasn't exactly got a large following and it's quite possible DeGale will have the noisier support in the arena. And here they come, or at least here comes DeGale...

Paulie Malignaggi
Former WBA and IBF welterweight champion on BBC Radio 5 live

"This one certainly has me guessing. There's a lot of talent from both ends. The oddsmakers have them about even and this is going to be an exciting one."

A quick rundown of those six post-War British Olympic champions who have tried and failed to win a pro world title...

... Terry Spinks won flyweight gold in 1956 but the highlight of his pro career was winning the British featherweight title. Chris Finnegan won middleweight gold in 1968 and fought for the world light-heavyweight title in 1972, losing to the great Bob Foster. Audley Harrison won super-heavyweight gold in 2000 but was knocked out by David Haye when he challenged for his fellow Briton's WBA heavyweight title in 2010. Luke Campbell and Anthony Joshua, gold medallists in London and still in the early stages of their pro careers, are the other two.

Image source, AP

Since losing to Froch in 2009, Dirrell has only fought six times. DeGale, meanwhile, has had 13 fights in the same period. What that means, I'm not quite sure. For his part, Froch believes DeGale will prevail. Not because he's necessarily the better fighter but because he believes his heart is bigger. We shall see.

Who wins and why? Give us your assessment using #bbcboxing, external on Twitter

Tom Tom: (Hopefully) DeGale, he's aggressive and carries deceptive power. Let's bring it home!!

Darren Bartlett: Going for James, think he's matured since Groves fight and looks focused

Alex Day: Not convinced Dirrell can still live with elite given inactivity since 2010 whilst DeGale improving. JDG win by split decision.

dntdelthiscall: Dirrell on points or stoppage. James has improved but he needs a top-class trainer like Virgil Hunter to achieve his full potential

Image source, AP

Ron Lewis of The Times is in the Agganis Arena in Boston and he's just tweeted that only about 3,000 are in this afternoon. The irony being, DeGale was probably fighting in front of bigger crowds at the Bluewater shopping centre a couple of years back. Strange world, boxing.

Ring walks expected at approximately 21:40 BST, so stand by. Not many are expecting a barnstormer this evening - neither man fights off the front foot and both are southpaws, which often makes for a stinker. Incidentally, today is the 61st birthday of middleweight great Marvin Hagler, perhaps the greatest leftie to ever lace gloves.

Image source, Getty Images

Mike Costello
BBC Radio 5 live boxing commentator in Boston

"By winning tonight. James DeGale would join some of the greatest names in boxing, including Sugar Ray Leonard, who's just a few yards from me, as a former Olympic champion who went on to win a pro world title.

"DeGale arrived looking very confident, but Dirrell also has only one defeat and has been in the pro ranks for 10 years. They couldn't be more evenly matched."

DeGale, 29, has one loss on his pro CV - he was outpointed by bitter domestic rival George Groves in 2011. But a victory today allied to Groves beating WBC champion Badou Jack this summer could lead to a monumental rematch in the autumn.

Image source, Getty Images

Dirrell, who won Olympic bronze in 2004, has also been beaten only once, by Nottingham's Carl Froch in 2009. Many thought the native of Flint, Michigan nicked that fight. Froch, however, has called Dirrell a "coward" because of his negative tactics, which is a bit much to be honest.

This could be a close one to call, but we want to hear who you believe will win and why.

Let us know whether it's Dirrell on points or DeGale in round one. Tweet us at #bbcboxing, external.

Image source, AP

Greetings. This evening we bring you live text commentary of James DeGale's world title tilt against Andre Dirrell in Boston, with the vacant IBF super-middleweight title at stake. That is Boston, Massachusetts, in case you were wondering - the fight is due to begin at 16:30 local time, 21:30 BST, for the purposes of American television.

Londoner DeGale, who won middleweight gold in Beijing in 2008, is bidding to become the first British Olympic champion to win a pro world title. Six British men have struck gold since World War Two but none of them has gone on to win a world title in the paid ranks. Good luck 'Chunky'...