James DeGale future

THE Dirrell victory was in May and things are also functioning well outside the ring. Advisor Haymon has a sizeable stable of boxers and can offer a potentially vast free-to-air TV audience in the States, but if DeGale, after he meets Lucian Bute on November 28, is to secure domestic megafights of the like enjoyed by his celebrated super-middleweight predecessors Nigel Benn, Chris Eubank and Carl Froch, then Hearn’s Matchroom – who have promoted all three – may still hold the trump card. Two such showdowns fell by the wayside this year when Froch retired and Groves, who also beat DeGale as an amateur, lost a challenge for the WBC strap – his third world title shot – to Badou Jack.
“Froch, deep down, didn’t really wanna fight me,” DeGale asserts, getting even twitchier as the subject moves to his rivals and the probability grows of his being late for training with taskmaster Jim McDonnell. “He makes all excuses like how I’m not good enough, it’s just b******s, it’s stupid.
“Groves let us both down.”
Any agitation disappears and is replaced by a huge smile as DeGale starts singing. It is startling to observe that although Groves’ setback probably robbed DeGale of both his biggest purse and most high-profile contest, James is practically giddy that his arch-nemesis fell short once again. The enmity remains.
“The cream always rises,” he spits rapidly, fully aware that he is gloating. “Look what’s happened to that little mug. I just remember back four years ago [when he first fought Groves as a pro] and the way I was feeling, the grief he give me, how smug he was and how spiteful. It’s all turned around; karma’s a bitch. He’s got those two wins over me but I’ll always be the bigger, better fighter.”
Diane moves to soften the pervading tone.
“But when he lost to Jack and he was down, you did…” she begins.
“You do have a heart, James,” Eloise chips in.
“If I’m being honest,” DeGale finally relents, the self-satisfied grin changing to a self-conscious smile. “When he was depressed, deleted his Twitter and Instagram, I said, ‘Mum, do you think he’s alright?’ coz I remember how I felt. Course there is compassion there, I’m being a bit harsh, I am, but I keep bringing my mind back to four-and-a-half years ago – what I felt and what he was like – he showed no compassion for me.”
DeGale, summarily booed during several of his early pro bouts and the nominal villain versus Groves in 2011, has seen public opinion gradually shift in his favour.
“The majority of it is success and what I’ve achieved. I’ve backed everything up. But I’m also 29, I’ve matured as a man,” he says, somewhat undermining his point by stepping aboard the Segway before whizzing across my path. “Life experiences change you, right? That’s what’s happened to me, plus I’m getting older.
“My story, from being kicked out of school, the teachers telling me I wouldn’t be nothing, I didn’t do no exams, people looking down at my mum, saying, ‘Your kid…’, and me being from Harlesden… You asked me how satisfying it is right now and it’s unbelievable. People thought I was gonna be the one out of all my mum’s kids that don’t do nothing with their life.
“When I turned professional, I set out to win a world title and I’ve done it. I can retire tomorrow, I’d be satisfied, happy and humble.”
“Yes,” agrees Diane, joining in one last time. “And there was more pressure on you, with the likes of [fellow Olympic champions] Anthony Joshua and Luke Campbell coming up.”
“But they can never be the first now,” DeGale revels. “I could be a quiz question in years to come,” a possibility that appears to amuse him greatly.
Later, DeGale agrees to have some photographs taken outside Harlesden station. If parking his four-by-four with insouciance and perceived impunity on a double-yellow line suggests a sense of entitlement, this is belied by his insistence on signing autographs and posing for fans despite risking a ticket or a clamp. “It’ll be fine, this is Harlesden,” he declares, surveying his kingdom. Wherever he lives, DeGale may always embody the carefree spirit of the ‘ends’ where his journey began. He will never forget where he came from.

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