James DeGale makes his return from injury on December 9th at the Copper Box Arena against rugged pro Caleb Truax.
Speaking on our BoxNation Podcast about his preparation for the upcoming card DeGale was sure he’d be back better than ever, “I’ve done all the sparring, and my shoulder’s healed up well. I’ve got the go-ahead from the Doctor and the physio.”
‘Chunky’ has built a strong fanbase in London for his homecoming after a rocky start, “I’ve turned people's opinions around because I stopped talking and have been performing in the ring.
DeGale (23-1-1, 14 KOs), the IBF super middleweight champion, also spoke about his enigmatic advisor Al Haymon, and his plans for the future. Haymon has promised him a unification with WBC world champion David Benavidez (19-0, 17 KOs).
Benavidez will first have to overcome a planned rematch with Ronald Gavril. The Mexican slugger got off the floor to win a very close twelve round decision over Gavril for the vacant WBC title earlier this year, and now a rematch is in the works.
“[WBC Champion] David Benavidez next year is the plan. I spoke to Al Haymon and asked if he could make that fight. He said ‘James, that is the plan.’ As soon as I’ve dealt with Truax the first stop in 2018 is Benavidez."
“I give Al Haymon thanks, he treats me extremely well. He delivers everything he says and he pays me extremely well. I’m lucky enough that I can speak to him regularly, whenever I want to call him I can call him. He’s done a lot for me.”
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