“DeGale was a 1-100 favourite . . . but lost to the American in one of the biggest upsets in British boxing history . . . Outside Truax’s close group, nobody saw this coming . . . The shoulder seemed fine. What seemed more likely was that DeGale was suffering from the effects of his brutal draw with Badou Jack in January. DeGale relies on his reflexes for defence. When reflexes slow, such boxers become easy to hit . . . He appeared to be contemplating whether to make changes to his training set up, having been trained by Jim McDonnell since he turned professional. The noises in the corner had not been great on Saturday given that he was being told early on he was winning and he never seemed to grasp the seriousness of the situation.”
RON LEWIS, THE TIMES
“DeGale was unable to get a foothold in the fight and spent long periods on the ropes as Truax piled up the points, having the champion in peril in the fifth round, when his nose was broken again . . . It was a bizarre, out of sorts display from DeGale, who looked as if he might have underestimated the American.”
GARETH A DAVIES, DAILY TELEGRAPH
“DeGale had surgery on his shoulder in January and insisted it was a success. But he appeared reluctant to throw right hands, giving Truax the opportunity to dominate the fight.”
PAT SHEEHAN, THE SUN
“DeGale was woeful and will now have to weigh up whether to fight on or retire. It is understood there is no rematch clause to have an immediate return . . . DeGale never got going in a flat atmosphere and after winning the first round, he was soon being pushed back by the basic attacks of the challenger.”
CHRIS MCKENNA, DAILY STAR
“It was a very close fight and there will be those who believed DeGale won, himself included, but he did not box to the best of his ability and cannot have anyone to blame but himself. Perhaps he rushed back from his injury but this night belongs to Caleb Truax and nobody can take that away from him.”
STEVEN BATESON, MAXBOXING
“Even in his worst nightmares, James DeGale could not have imagined his first fight on British soil in three years playing out like this. He has to contemplate where his career goes now.”
SACHIN NAKRANI, THE GUARDIAN
“DeGale insisted that the shoulder which required complex surgery in the summer ‘held up fine’, but the infrequent use of his right hand suggested otherwise and he then conceded: ‘It didn’t feel as fluid as it should.’”
JEFF POWELL, THE DAILY MAIL
“Promoter Frank Warren insists James DeGale will not walk away from boxing
“I don’t think he will retire,” Warren said. “You’ve got to be tough mentally, and if you had a bad day at the office, as James had, then you have got to push it to the back of your mind, learn from it, get back in the ring and show them what you are made of . . .
“James got his tactics wrong . . . He could have won the fight, but he let the other fella make it his by being the aggressor and coming forward and that caught the eye of the judges.””
PRESS ASSOCIATION“DeGale looked rusty from the outset . . . The 2008 Olympic champion admitted following the bout that he may have returned too quickly.”
DAILY MIRROR
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