DeGALE ON THE ROAD TO JOIN GREATS

EVER since running away from police sirens in Harlesden, James DeGale has not looked back. His getaway has taken him to Beijing — where he won Olympic gold, Las Vegas — where he became world champion, and Canada’s Quebec City — where he defends his title in the early hours of tomorrow. The bad-boy-turned-good will take on Lucian Bute, the 35-yearold hometown hero, as he keeps chasing the boyhood dream of becoming the best domestic boxer of all time. ‘I’d like to go down as the best British fighter that ever lived,’ said DeGale, 29. ‘To do that I reckon I’d need another 10 fights. My all-time top three are Joe Calzaghe, Naseem Hamed and John Conteh. ‘I want to be mentioned and remembered with those guys.’ Like Prince Naseem, DeGale has divided opinion during his career — booed on his professional debut because he was seen as a youngster with more mouth than modesty. ‘I was a young boy from London,’ said DeGale. ‘I was an 80-1 Olympic champion who was a bit in-your-face and cocky. I was the most hated boxer in Britain. ‘People didn’t want to say hello because they thought I was rude. I didn’t really realise it at the time but I was the villain then. I’m not any more though, trust me.’ Especially across the Atlantic, where he beat Andre Dirrell for the IBF super-middleweight title in May, DeGale is silencing his critics. He now hopes to win more support in the sub-zero temperatures of Quebec City. DeGale has opted to defend his title in Bute’s backyard in return for a £1.5million purse and then plans to continue his Stateside charm offensive with a string of bouts in Las Vegas. ‘I’m going to return to London as the England Road Warrior,’ said DeGale. ‘It’s freezing cold here, but I like it. I’m not scared of going overseas to defend my title. It was my choice to fight in Bute’s city — it looks better when I beat him over here. ‘I could box Julio Cesar Chavez Jnr next, then Badou Jack. Eddie Hearn mentioned the end of May against Martin Murray at the Emirates, but that hasn’t come through. I’m willing to go on the road all my career — I might sell the house and buy a tour bus!’