Humbled Brit could quit

JAMES DEGALE left the door open to retirement when he arrived home from hospital yesterday morning after the shock loss of his IBF supermiddleweight world title. DeGale’s plans for a lucrative series of fights against old foe George Groves and David Benavidez, in a world title unification match, are in tatters after the defeat by Caleb Truax. After being treated for severe damage to his nose, DeGale said: ‘I’ll take some time out over Christmas and New Year to reflect.’ The ex-world champion has talked of quitting the ring before. After a calamitous fourth defence of his IBF belt, he said: ‘To say that I’m devastated is an understatement. I will have to analyse what went wrong because, in all honesty, I should not have lost to Truax. I didn’t perform well and I’m at a loss to explain why.’ 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 said: ‘It didn’t feel as fluid as it should have.’