JAMES DeGALE was gutted boxing fans dug him out over an interview — after he overcame ADHD and autism to rule the boxing world.
Following six years in fame-free retirement, the Brit made a rare appearance on talkSPORT at the start of this month.
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This came after he repeatedly shunned media requests to mark anniversaries of his 2008 Olympic gold and two super-middleweight world title wins.
Southpaw DeGale — nicknamed Chunky — struggled with the attention following years out of the limelight.
But he was hurt far more by the reaction online from social- media trolls who wrongly believe our brave fighting heroes are impervious to pain.
And at The Trenches gym in Wandsworth, south London ahead of Saturday’s bare-knuckle boxing debut, DeGale, 39, admitted: “My mouth was a bit dry.
“Obviously, it is the first interview I’ve done for ages. Then I saw some of the comments — it was so horrible — that I’m punchy and slurring and it looks like I’m on drugs.
“But look back at my first-ever interviews back when I turned pro, I was never the best talker. I’m a bit special.
“I’ve got ADHD, I’m a little bit autistic, I’m dyslexic.
“So I’m standing up for the special people. I found it difficult and people can be so cruel.
“There’s the mental health side, too. Why do people feel the need and the right to abuse people?”
DeGale, begrudgingly back in the headlines for a Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship bout in Manchester, became Britain’s first-ever Olympic gold winner and world champion.
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Only Anthony Joshua has followed in his footsteps.
Despite his iconic achievements — as an amateur and pro — DeGale never received anywhere near the level of fame and adulation that Manchester boxing legend Ricky Hatton did.
And when his mum called with the sad news the 46-year-old Hitman had died ten days ago, it hit him hard.
He said: “It feels like I knew him more than I did as I followed him on Instagram and now and then we would have a conversation.
“So it was just devastating. I was on my way back from training and my mum rang me screaming and shouting.
“I was in the car and my heart sank — it’s so sad. He was the man, the people’s champ.
“I remember being on the Team GB squad and we would all watch his fight nights together — he was the b******s. And there won’t be another fighter like him from Britain.”
DeGale retired in February 2019, aged 32, after a painful defeat by Chris Eubank Jr at London’s O2 when his crumbling body was fighting against him as much as his opponents.
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Thankfully, his mum and dad were wisely in charge of investing his money.
So he has not had to launch the sort of boxing comeback that almost always ends in disaster.
DeGale is a lucky one, though, and he hopes Hatton’s death helps drive the sport towards systemic change that supports our retired warriors.
Barring the brilliant underdog charity Ringside Charitable Trust, there is almost nowhere for fighters like Hatton to turn and Chunky hopes that changes.
And he explained: “Boxers need to be looked after.
“You retire from boxing after a lifetime of punches to the head, there is CTE [brain disease] and other things like that we learn about.
“But there’s the emotional side of suddenly not being the world’s most popular man any more.
“There should be some sort of body to help — other sports have it. We have nothing.
“So after we retire and we’re done, we’ve got to deal with everything ourselves. And I just feel for poor Ricky.”
