One of the biggest upsets in boxing from 2017 will get a second chapter.
Caleb Truax shocked the boxing world when he defeated James DeGale to win the IBF super middleweight title last December in England. Now, the two will fight once more, this time on Truax's home country: the United States. In a press release sent to Fightful, Truax will face DeGale again at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas on April 7. The fight will be televised on Showtime and will serve as the co-main event to the WBA/IBF junior middleweight unification fight between Erislandy Lara and Jarrett Hurd.
'I'm happy to have the opportunity to rematch Truax and regain my IBF title. I am not going to make excuses for my poor performance, actions speak louder than words. I am excited to be boxing in Vegas and on SHOWTIME again. The real JD will be back on fight night,'' DeGale said.
The first fight between the two took place at the Copper Box Arena in London and it was DeGale's first fight since a hard-hitting January 2017 bout against Badou Jack ended in a draw. DeGale spent most of the year recovering from multiple injuries due to the fight against Jack, but wanted to make one title defense before 2017 had ended. That was when he met Truax in the ring.
Truax ended DeGale's title reign, which started in 2015, with a shocking majority decision win over DeGale in a fight that was streamed to American fans on Showtime's YouTube channel. Truax has won his last three fights.