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Boo-boys to spur me on, says James DeGale
David Smith11 May 2009
James DeGale knows he must face the boo-boys as well as his opponent when he fights in Belfast.
Britain's Olympic champion came under fire when he made a hesitant pro debut while beating journeyman Vepkhia Tchilaia, of Georgia, in February.
And they goaded him again the following month in Manchester when he was introduced to the crowd ahead of Amir Khan's win over Marco Antonio Barrera.
"It was a small minority," said the 23-year-old Londoner. But he knows the vast majority inside Belfast's Odyssey Arena will be against him, if for no other reason than he soundly beat Irish hero Darren Sutherland on the way to the middleweight final in Beijing.
DeGale, who will face unbeaten Czech Jindrich Kubin, said: "The crowd will spur me on, it will only make me more determined."
