James DeGale We Salute YOU!

By Donald “Braveheart” Stewart

No matter what you think of his recent fight, James DeGale, 23-2-1, 14 KO’s, has one record that cannot be taken away from him.

He is the very first British Olympic Gold medalist boxer who won a professional world title.

It was a massive achievement and one for which we should hold him in very high esteem. He thinks of it as being his destiny and it is not hard to see why. His career was a trajectory that saw him reaching the highest peak and when he got there, we were far from surprised.

His sights have always been set far ahead and at the pinnacle of the sport and possibly the worst part of losing his IBF world title recently was that he is now sitting outside of the conversation when possible opponents for the winners of the World Boxing Super Series are mentioned. It would have been ideal for him to be sitting pretty and ready for whoever ends up with the Muhammad Ali trophy in his hands to provide us, in the UK, with a mouth watering fight over who would hold all 4 belts at one time – it is of course five as Chris Eubank, JR. has brought in the lightly regarded IBO belt into the mix.

Now DeGale is looking for redemption, an opportunity to take Caleb Truax, 29-3-2, 18 KO’s, on again and regain that world title. For some it would be ideal for him to manage that and be back in the mix BUT for others they saw flaws and so many things wrong with his performance against Truax that they are openly saying perhaps he should be hanging things up rather than getting them back down again to get back in a ring.

After all it has been a fantastic career.

DeGale has never ducked a fight and always provided great spectacle when he climbed in the ring… at least up until Truax.

The pinnacle of his amateur career came in 2008 at the Olympics where he took Gold in the middleweight division. It took him 5 fights in Beijing to win that medal and it was one he truly earned.

Frank Warren then got his signature on a professional deal and DeGale made his debut only 9 years ago on the 28th of February 2009.

5 fights later he was the WBA international title holder. He was making waves and making decent enough impressions.

His biggest victory in 2010 was the British title win when he stopped Paul Smith, 38-7, 22 KO’s, in the 9th round in Smith’s home town of Liverpool. DeGale was sharing a bill with people believed to be the future of British boxing in Frankie Gavin, Billy Joe Saunders, Nathan Cleverley and Kell Brook. It was a blockbusting night and DeGale took the opportunity to showcase how serious he was about the sport.

Next fight of any note for him was going a rematch of sorts. An intriguing fight from his amateur days, fellow super middleweight George Groves, 27-3,20 KO’s had beaten him in the amateurs and it was a massive grudge match that brought the two former rivals into a ring in 2011.

At the time, Groves was still to meet Carl Froch and his own career was beginning to show great promise. A fight with DeGale would send his name far and wide and into the same mix as the other world title contenders.

A defeat for DeGale, like the one against Truax, was not in the script and when Adam Booth, George Groves’ trainer engineered a majority decision win for Groves, DeGale was distraught.

In many ways it was the making of him.

Had he won, would he have had the spark that took him to world glory? Who knows but it is certainly sure that he went home, licked some massive wounds and got back in the ring.

He next went in to take, on a majority decision, the European belt. He then defended his belt a couple of times, showing much better prowess and a much-improved performance from the Groves defeat.
He was ready now for a world title.

He followed the green belt route by taking and defending the WBC silver title and was set up for such a title opportunity. He was making noises about the then IBF champion – Carl Froch, but that was never to be. DeGale though was now the WBC mandatory – not that that always makes a difference…

He then fought on the Froch/Grove II undercard in an IBF eliminator. He faced the undefeated Brandon Gonzales, 18-1-1, 10 KO’s, and whilst we were all caught up in the massive fight in Wembley that was Froch/Groves II, DeGale made an equally impressive statement by stopping Gonzales in round 4. He was ready to face the winner of Froch/Groves II

Of course, that never happened as Froch retired and DeGale called him a coward for not facing him.

DeGale’s dance card was to be filled with Andre Direll, 26-2, 16 KO’s for the IBF belt in the USA. DeGale went to Massachusetts and beat him on points. It was emphatic.

DeGale had been the first British Gold Medal Olympian to win a world title and did it overseas. 23rd May 2015 – he made history.

His first defense was then in Canada as he beat Lucian Bute, 32-5, 25 KO’s, then went to Washington to defend again against Rogelio Medina, 38-8, 32 KO’s. It was a tough defense but again DeGale won.

Unknown to most of us he was suffering with an injury that was going to take him out the mix for a while. Before surgery he took on Badou Jack, 22-1-2, 13 KO’s. Again, he was out of the UK and fighting in New York for the first time saw DeGale put his IBF belt on the line whilst the WBC title was finally there for DeGale.

The fight was a classic but ended as a draw and DeGale was to end up short of a tooth and with a damaged eardrum as both fighters left the ring with what they brought as it was declared a draw.

He then went in for surgery on a shoulder injury and was out for a time before coming back, after 11 months out, to take on Truax in a triumphant home coming – at least that was the plan.

It came unstuck and Truax won with a very impressive showing.

It left DeGale shattered and the UK based plans for big super middleweight fights sitting in tatters.

DeGale shall return and will apparently get a rematch, with Truax. It will probably be in the UK though he has been better abroad than in the UK. This shall not deter DeGale and considering the spur he got from his loss to Groves, this might be the second best thing to happen to him in his professional career.

He still has something to say in the super middleweight division and I do think that a fight between him and the winner of the World Boxing Super Series would be an absolute cracker.

Will we see it?

Well let’s be honest, boxing is all about opinions and in the opinion of DeGale he is still the best in his division – opinions aside we should get to find out sometime in 2018. Makes the year all that better for being part of it.

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