Curtain Call — and Beautiful Blinds James Degale: People Think I'm
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FREE LONDON WEDNESDAY 20 FEBRUARY 2019 24/7 ONLINE NEWS STANDARD.CO.UK WEST END FINAL CURTAIN CALL — and JAMES DEGALE: PEOPLE BEAUTIFUL BLINDS THINK I’M PAST IT STYLISH PRIVACY SOLUTIONS FOR GLASS LONDON BOXER SAYS HE’LL PROVE DOUBTERS HOUSES • HOMES & PROPERTY 40 PAGES INSIDE WRONG AGAINST EUBANK JR • SPORT PAGE 55 NOW NEWS ITV TORIES SPLIT: BACKLASH AFTER THREE I.S. BRIDE LOSES UK PASSPORT Shamima Begum, 19, with her newborn son at a Syrian camp today after learning she has been stripped of MPs QUIT her British citizenship by Home TRIO TO SIT WITH INDEPENDENT GROUP Secretary Sajid Javid. Tory MP Ken • Clarke led warnings that the decision Joe Murphy Political Editor committee chairwoman Dr Sarah Wollas- could be a “boost for jihadism” ton and backbencher Heidi Allen all THERESA MAY was dealt a serious blow crossed the floor of the House. today as three Conservative MPs quit to sit The walkout — revealed exclusively in FULL STORY alongside the newly formed Independent yesterday’s Evening Standard — left the PAGE 7 Group. In a dramatic coup, former business minister Anna Soubry, Commons health Continued on Page 4 2 EVENING STANDARD WEDNESDAY 20 FEBRUARY 2019 55 Boxing | S port Ron Lewis JAMES DEGALE greeted news of George Groves’s retirement with a shrug. EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW DeGale has won an Olympic gold medal and is a two-time world champion, but he had hoped to cap his career with a JAMes DEGAle win over his greatest rival. That will always elude him now. DeGale and Groves had a feud that stretched back two decades, since they were schoolboys training at the Dale Youth amateur club in the basement of Grenfell Tower. They went on to be world champions, although when they twice ‘People think I’m met in the ring, Groves won. The defeats still grate with DeGale. For all he has achieved, the idea that Groves still has any bragging rights over him is shot now but that far from ideal. Older and wiser now, DeGale has learnt to live with it. “I wasn’t shocked,” said DeGale, nick- named ‘Chunky’ since those amateur motivates me… days. “He’s hinted at retiring the last couple of years. Best of luck to him, he has fulfilled his dream. I bet he’s content. I’m not going to hold a grudge. this is when I’m “I’ll never get the chance to beat him, but never mind, it was part of the jour- ney. When you look at it, his best win was against me. We gave each other public- at my best and ity, we helped each other’s careers. “I can’t see us ever being mates. He doesn’t like me, he says stupid, sly stuff. People can change once the career is it’s why I have over, but the rivalry with George is too genuine, too real. I’ll be pleasant. But he will probably still hate on me. He thinks he is bigger and better than me. We’ll to prove them always have that competition.” There has been a lot of talk that maybe Y R DeGale, 33, should be retiring, too. When U he first won the IBF super-middleweight AMB wrong’ title, beating Andre Dirrell in Boston in H IEL 2015, DeGale looked a supreme boxer. N The past couple of years have seemed da before tucking into a breakfast cooked chunky’s TITLE FIGHTS I couldn’t get out of the way, I couldn’t believe his opponent has learnt from his by his sister, Eloise. He seems genuinely May 23 2015, Boston hit back, it was crazy. It was so bad, but mistakes. “I just see a delusional fool,” excited about the day of training that lies Becomes first British Olympic gold it was my fault.” DeGale said. “He is deluded — about life, 54% ahead and says this is the first time in medallist to win world title when The Eubank fight will be five days short boxing, he still thinks he beat George knockout rate for DeGale while Eubank Jr years he has trained injury free. beating Andre Dirrell on points to land of the 10-year anniversary of DeGale’s Groves, now that is crazy stuff. Some of has won 72% of his fights by KO. There were four operations — a rebuilt the IBF super-middleweight belt. professional debut, when the Olympic the stuff him and his dad have said over shoulder, a deviated septum and two Nov 28 2015, Quebec champion was booed. the years is just mad. groin surgeries. More recently it was an Retains title with hard-fought win over DeGale’s public persona rubbed a lot “He sent me a message years ago on Achilles problem that slowed him. former world champion Lucian Bute. of people up the wrong way and it took Facebook — ‘be yourself, carry on being 6 “Imagine what I was thinking, I Apr 30 2016, Washington him years to win over the fans. the person you are’. If he wants to stay of DeGale’s past seven fights have taken couldn’t move properly and my shoulder Is given a harder than expected test “A lot of things I did were cringy,” he on being arrogant, let him do it. If you place in North America. was wrecked,” he said. “I knew things against Rogelio Medina, who threw said. “I look back at interviews, seeing haven’t got the boxing brain, it is going were bad the week before the Jack fight. more than 1,000 punches, but comes the way I talked and the way I am, and it to be hard. He has brought in this new I got the draw and went and got it fixed. through on points again. is embarrassing. I came back from the coach [Nate Vasquez], I don’t know if he like just hard work, however. He had a The surgeon said it shouldn’t be too bad, Jan 14 2017, New York Olympics, I was shoved in the spotlight has been listening to him, he trained brutally tough draw with Badou Jack in but when I woke up he said it had been Loses tooth and damages eardrum as and I couldn’t cope that well. himself before.” a world title eliminator two years ago, a lot worse than expected. he is floored for first time in professional “I was just trying to get across that I’m DeGale has made changes himself in which was followed by shoulder surgery “I should have had a year out, but I had career in draw with Badou Jack. the best, that I believe in myself and I recent fights, adding Paulie Malignaggi, and the loss of his world title to the it in my mind that I was going to be back Dec 9 2017, London was willing to box anyone and prove it. the former world light-welterweight and unsung Caleb Truax. He won a rematch, in six months whatever. In camp for Admits “something is missing” as he That’s all. I boxed anyone who was about welterweight champion, to his training but it was another tough fight. Truax I was s**t. But then you taper down suffers shock points defeat against — I can be proud of what I have done.” team, alongside Jim McDonnell. He gave up the world title to pursue and think everything will be all right. Caleb Truax despite being 1-100 with Eubank Jr has had a large number of “This is the most motivated I have more lucrative bouts than the IBF’s “But even in the changing room I was some bookmakers. detractors, too, although DeGale has been for a fight,” he said. “I can’t wait to mandatory challenger of the time, Jose thinking, ‘I hope he is even worse than Apr 7 2018, Nevada little time for him, with their own rivalry get to the gym to spar.” Uzcategui, so he returns to the O2 Arena I think he is’. I got in there and he was fit Regains title with unanimous points going back to an ill-tempered sparring But retirement is on the horizon. In an for the first time since losing to Groves and non-stop. I couldn’t avoid punches, decision in rematch with Truax. session years ago. DeGale does not ideal world, he would beat Eubank Jr there eight years ago, to face Chris handsomely then have one more huge Eubank Jr on Saturday. fight. He had expected that to be against Considering Eubank Jr was comfort- Groves. Now it must be someone else. ably outboxed by Groves a year ago and He has invested wisely and can look back has nowhere near DeGale’s achieve- on his career with pride, but he doesn’t ments, the former world champion is want to bow out with a whimper. slightly indignant that the bookmakers He said: “I’m a victim of my own suc- have made Eubank Jr, 29, favourite. cess. I was the next big thing and it was “A lot of people are going to make a lot difficult. But I won an Olympic gold of money backing me,” DeGale said. “But medal then made history by becoming it is not the first time. I was 80-1 to win the first [British] gold medallist to win a Olympic gold. People think I am shot world title, away from home, against a now, but you would think that. I had quality fighter. And I’m now a two-time those good performances against Dir- world champion.