James DeGale and Lee Selby will be back in action today in London, with both defending their world titles. The fights will air on BoxNation and BT Sport in the United Kingdom, and U.S. fans can stream the action right here at 2:45 pm ET.
DeGale (23-1-1, 14 KO) is defending his IBF super middleweight title against Caleb Truax (28-3-2, 18 KO) in the main event. DeGale hasn’t fought since a January draw with Badou Jack, and was on the shelf the majority of this year due to injury.
Selby (25-1, 9 KO) will defend his IBF featherweight title against Eduardo Ramirez (20-0-3, 7 KO) in the co-feature. Selby is hoping to land a big fight in 2018, and needs to win here to do it. Ramirez cannot win the title here, as he missed weight.
Among the featured undercard bouts will be the return of Anthony Yarde (13-0, 12 KO), as the prospect takes on veteran Nikola Sjekloca (32-4-1, 11 KO) in a 10-round light heavyweight fight.
RESULTS
- Caleb Truax def. James DeGale by majority decision (114-114, 115-112, 116-112)
- Lee Selby def. Eduardo Ramirez by unanimous decision (116-112, 118-110, 119-109)
ROUND BY ROUND
James DeGale vs Caleb Truax
Round 1: Interested to see how DeGale starts here, and it’s pretty tentative both ways this opening round. Truax can be a very slow starter and isn’t world class, anyway, so I was interested to see if maybe he’d try to storm DeGale early and catch him rusty. Instead, it’s DeGale doing the better work. DeGale 10-9
Round 2: Truax really not able to get anything going, even when he throws DeGale is handily blocking the shots coming in. DeGale not exactly blowing the doors off, either, and it’s notable that his right hand isn’t flying yet. Good body shot from DeGale. DeGale 10-9, 20-18
Round 3: And we get back to streaming issues in this round. And we miss this entire round because of those issues, so to Twitter for a score! Pretty unanimously to Truax. Truax 10-9, DeGale 29-28
Round 4: DeGale has a history of sometimes underwhelming in fights like this one, and I’m a little underwhelmed. I’m keeping in mind that Truax is decent and more importantly that DeGale has been out 11 months and just recently started sparring again, but still. There’s some decent body work from DeGale. I like Truax this round, he controlled it and landed some solid shots. Truax 10-9, 38-38
Round 5: Truax lands a couple of BIG shots in the corner and he’s got DeGale in some trouble! He’s landing some good shots and chasing DeGale around the ring. He’s really looking to hammer away here and do damage. HARD right hand in the corner! DeGale hurt and he’s bleeding from the mouth pretty substantially. Truax is staying composed, not wasting a lot of energy, just landing and keeping the pressure on consistently. Body shot from Truax, with DeGale largely staying on the ropes and in the corner. DeGale throws a couple shots back finally, and maybe has his wits back, going to the body now. But still a massive round for Truax. Truax 10-9, 48-47
Round 6: DeGale going right back to the ropes and corners to start this round. This is another thing he’s done in the past in his fights he made tougher than maybe they needed to be. Another couple of decent right hands from Truax. They keep saying things are “better from DeGale,” I guess because he’s not getting his mouth exploded repeatedly by right hands, but he’s not doing a whole lot himself. Truax 10-9, 58-56
Round 7: DeGale not jabbing, moving around but just corner to corner, along the ropes. Truax is the one coming forward, the one throwing and landing the better shots for the most part. DeGale with a little body work inside, but Truax just charges right back at him. I mean, these last two rounds aren’t like the fifth, don’t get me wrong, but I found it really hard to see the sixth for DeGale (UK TV gave it to him), and he’s not exactly snatching the momentum in this round, either. Truax 10-9, 68-65
Round 8: Truax working to the body. DeGale, again, has done this before, but combined with the rust and the injury recovery time, this might be a real problem unless he gets some help from the judges, which he might, or he really turns it on here, which he might. DeGale just constantly going to the ropes. He’s counter-dependent at this stage of the fight. Truax isn’t dominating, but it’s so hard to give DeGale these rounds with the tactics he’s employing. Some decent work inside here and there from DeGale before he spins away and goes back to backing away consistently. This was a close round that I barely shade to DeGale if I have to pick someone. DeGale 10-9, Truax 77-75
Round 9: And now the computer serving the stream has gone into an automatic restart. Terrific work all around on that end today. We come back in halfway into the round with no sound, which is, as you #boxing #heads know, the only PROPER way to score a fight. Just like professional judges do it. Twitter tells me more that DeGale edged this round. DeGale 10-9, Truax 86-85
Round 10: DeGale fighting a bit more in the center of the ring, or trying, but Truax pushes him right back to the corner and lands a few really good shots, including an uppercut and a couple more shots to the head. DeGale with a body shot. That backs Truax down a bit. Truax coming forward again and lands a left hook and a right. Truax 10-9, 96-94
Round 11: Even Richie Woodhall has this even, so you know it’s indeed a close fight with Truax having a very good argument. DeGale immediately to the ropes again, slips a right hand, walks out, then back to the ropes. Truax targets the body. Right hand up top from Truax, partially blocked. They just mentioned that 72-year-old Dave Parris is judging his final fight here, so I already can’t wait to hear his 118-111 DeGale card. Truax with a combo in the corner, blocked, but it’s work, and DeGale isn’t doing much of any himself. Good left from DeGale now, and he’s fighting in the center of the ring with real determination for a moment. Good left hand backs Truax down. Good close to the round here from DeGale, the sort of stuff you’d have wanted to see from him more in this fight. DeGale 10-9, Truax 105-104
Round 12: Quite obviously, a big round. Or should be. Both guys have been bloodied, it’s been a hard fight if not a thriller. DeGale standing more in the center of the ring, which if nothing else looks dramatically better than constantly backing up to the ropes. Truax lands a right, DeGale lands a shot, too, pretty much at the same time. This is literally coming down to the final minute. Truax celebrating with 20 seconds left. Probably not wise. DeGale pops him with a couple shots, which doesn’t help. DeGale with one last left to the body at the bell. This is even for me, but Truax is certain he’s won the IBF title. DeGale 10-9, 114-114
Lee Selby vs Eduardo Ramirez
Round 1: Ramirez coming forward to stop the fight, not finding much, but he’s the aggressor, which is no surprise. Selby clips him with a nice left hook. Ramirez back with a solid right hand shot of his own. Selby starting to up his workrate in the final minute of the round, poking with the jab and trying to work behind it. Not a lot to pick from in the round, but I’ll slightly edge to Selby. Selby 10-9
Round 2: Selby starting this round a bit faster, going to the body and mixing things up. Nothing real clean landing, but he’s working, and it’s keeping Ramirez at bay, too. Ramirez still coming forward, but not getting to put in a lot of real work. Selby with a good shot inside, a little hook. His right hand is missing, but he’s throwing it quite a bit. Busy round, but nothing real eye-catching either way. Selby 10-9, 20-18
Round 3: They keep saying Selby last fought in February, against Barros, but that happened in July. Selby also fought in March, so their insistence that he’s been out since February is just wildly wrong. Good left hand from Ramirez lands, and another one behind it. Now he’s doing a little work, still coming forward but landing that left out of the southpaw stance. He’s pressuring and doing some good work, getting clipped with little shots here and there in return, but Ramirez is landing the better shots right now. Good combination back from Selby late in the round. Uppercut lands for him, then a hook, then a right up top. Good late charge from Selby but I give the round to Ramirez. Ramirez 10-9, Selby 29-28
Round 4: Both guys are fighting pretty aggressively, it’s a perfectly watchable fight, nothing exceptional but not really a dull moment here. Not a lot of holding, and when they do tie up, they’re fighting out of it. Solid round again, Selby carried the momentum of his late third round work through this one. Selby 10-9, 39-37
Round 5: “Ramirez can’t win the title, but he certainly wants to win the fight. All Mexicans, they’re fighters, they’re winners.” Some stream issues early in this round as we get to watch someone dick around with the stream controls. Oops, invalid source. Uh oh, Spaghetti-o’s. Now it’s back and we’re just going to be a bit behind of the actual live feed, which works out for round-by-round coverage, at least. Both guys continuing to work. Selby really trying to dig in on the body shots, which I always love to see. Oops, more stream issues. This round is probably over in real life, but we are living inside the Cyberdine Systems here, folks. Well, I can’t score this round, so I’ll turn to Twitter. They say Selby. OK then. Professionalism! Selby 10-9, 49-46
Round 6: Selby with a good hook early in the round, then gets back out and resets the distance immediately. He seems to be making mild adjustments as this goes on focused largely on neutralizing Ramirez, because, well, Selby’s a better fighter. He can get work done offensively either way. This is no blowaway performance, but when is Selby really a blowaway performer? He’s looking confident in there and has the momentum. Halfway in, and Selby’s in control. Selby 10-9, 59-55
Round 7: Selby out with a couple solid body shots, then another. He’s not quite toying with Ramirez, but he’s comfortably outboxing him now. Selby loses his mouthpiece, quick break there. Ramirez with a few good shots of his own this round, not packing it in or anything. Especially down the stretch in this round, he’s doing some effective stuff, landing shots. Ramirez nicks this one for me to stay in the fight. Ramirez 10-9, Selby 68-65
Round 8: Selby’s team wants him to “aim for the chest” coming out of the corner. He’s definitely targeting the body. They’re talking about Selby needing to “sit on his punches.” He’s just not a puncher, there’s not much he can do about it. Ramirez staying on the front foot, but Selby landing clean shots. Ramirez, still, staying in it, not just going away, but Selby looks back in control this round. Ramirez trying to change my mind in the final minute again with a little flurry of shots, both hands flying and Selby finding himself backed to the ropes. It happens again, not quite as dramatically. This round wound up close again, and I have to shade it to him again, just barely. Ramirez 10-9, Selby 77-75
Round 9: Really like Ramirez’s determination in this fight, he’s making Selby work for every round, even after Selby had a pretty strong first half of the fight. Selby has lost the plot a bit these last few rounds, and I think you have to credit the doggedness of Ramirez with a lot of that. Selby’s the better boxer, but Ramirez is getting him to make tactical mistakes. A lot of work in this round but not a lot of it effective, once again I liked Ramirez by a bit. This is a really close fight at this point, or at least should be. Ramirez 10-9, Selby 86-85
Round 10: These last three rounds are pivotal. I hope I’ve really set the stage dramatically by saying that. Good hook in close from Selby, and he’s throwing some hard shots early in this round, to try and get more of Ramirez’s respect, perhaps. Ramirez looking a little tired after a hard charge the last few rounds, and Selby is taking advantage. Final minute, and Ramirez again turning up the heat, but he eats a hook to the body from Selby. Selby trying to move around more and make Ramirez work to get to him. Big round for Selby here. Selby 10-9, 96-94
Round 11: Ramirez back with another solid round, though Selby has an argument, too. Ramirez did the more eye-catching work for me, just enough to give him the round, but this was another that could swing either way. I wouldn’t argue with a Selby round here. Ramirez 10-9, Selby 105-104
Round 12: Selby and his team aren’t lying to themselves about this being a potentially very close fight, so Lee is out here fighting hard for the final three minutes. Ramirez trying to bang back, but Selby’s aggression, not his greatest strength, is really winning this round convincingly. If this one was as I had it coming into the round, then Lee Selby is making a convincing argument that he deserves the win with this final round. Big final round for Selby, and if he didn’t have it won already, which he likely did, then he won it here without question. Selby 10-9, 115-113