HARLESDEN'S Olympic gold medallist James DeGale could be on the verge of forming a mouth-watering partnership with former two-time world champion Ricky Hatton.

The chance for DeGale to defend his Olympic crown just eight miles from his Harlesden home at London 2012 is a major draw for the Hammersmith-born southpaw.

But middleweight DeGale - who scooped Team GB a boxing gold in Beijing, just as the Harrow Observer predicted - is currently weighing up offers to chase the cash and turn professional.

And while the 22-year-old remains adamant a clear-cut decision on his future will not be made until November, DeGale revealed that a proposition from the Hitman might be too good an offer to refuse.

"I've met Ricky Hatton before, and while I don't know him all that well, he's somebody that I admire a lot," said DeGale - who is an ambassador for the BBC Sports Unsung Hero Award, supported by Robinsons.

"I'm supposed to be going up to meet him on Sunday and speaking to him on his new chat show.

"He's got his boxing promotions company, Punch Promotions, and that's something that could definitely be of interest to me in the future.

"I haven't spoken to him properly yet but I'll listen to what he has to say. When someone like that comes along you certainly have to think about it."

With inevitable similarities drawn between DeGale and other Olympic success stories Audley Harrison and Amir Khan, leading professional promoters, including Frank Warren and Frank Maloney, head the queue to sign the Londoner.

But DeGale, a young man understandably brimming with confidence about his potential as a professional, insists his talents will not come cheap, and that he would deem anything less than £2million over two years to be unacceptable.

"It's a very difficult decision to make," he added. "But there is no doubt in my mind whatsoever that the pro game would suit me and my whole style -I was born for the big time. "It hasn't worked out for Audley [Harrison] really and Amir [Khan] has been struggling a bit of late, but I've been in a professional gym and I'm Olympic champion - I know I could hold my own.

"All I can say is that everyone will know what I'm doing by the beginning of November." * Now in its sixth year, the BBC Sports Unsung hero award, supported by Robinsons, recognises and rewards outstanding contributions by individuals at the grassroots level of local sport.

Nominations for the BBC Sports Unsung Hero Award can be made at www.bbc.co.uk/sportsunsunghero  until Friday, October 31.