The current fighting pride of Minnesota hoped that plans could be made to bring his rematch against the big name British fighter to his home state, but it was not to be.

Vegas will have to do for Caleb Truax.

The 34-year-old hitter pulled off a considerable upset in the eyes of many pundits when he scored a MD victory over James DeGale in December. Truax (29-3-2) didn’t think it was such a heavy upset, as he believed in his chances going into the scrap, but the fact that DeGale (23-2-1; age 32) was planning his next bout during fight week gave analysts the sense that this was a foregone conclusion.

Truax told THE RING he expects to be that much better when him and “Chunky” face off again, on April 7, at the Hard Rock hotel and casino in Las Vegas, on a bill topped by the Erislandy Lara vs. Jarrett Hurd 168-pound title consolidation tango.

“London was awesome, but the logistics are a pain,” Truax told me. “Was hoping for Minnesota but Vegas will do. They were going to do it in Minneapolis but it didn’t work out last minute.”

He had six maybe seven weeks notice and prep time for the first fight, so this time, Truax feels he can be that much sharper, with his skill set and game planning. His plan? “Go in with the same demeanor and push the pace. Be ready for new wrinkles he may throw in. It’s up to him to adjust, I just have to be ready. I have the same training crew with a hell of lot more time to scheme.”

No surprise, he’s thinking that a better version of DeGale will be there in Vegas. And he could very well be right. If DeGale was looking past Truax, then we’d think that over-looking wouldn’t be in play again.

In December, DeGale looked less sharp than we’d seen before. How much was him being sub-par and how much was it Truax being the better man?

Will DeGale again too often be passive, wait for receipts, hang in the pocket without having a plan for offense or defense? Will he again get bulled into corners, get whacked around without offering counters, let alone sharp counters, often enough?

Will Truax again be allowed to offer an array of punches, with everything getting the opportunity to work? Can DeGale this time sting Truax with lead rights, and then follow up with more urgency and effectiveness? If Truax backs out in a straight line will DeGale this time show fast enough feet to close the distance and make him pay for that? Time tells…

We’ll be on notice early looking to see if DeGale is a more dialed in version of himself in this sequel…And also if Truax, having had some months enjoying being a champ, and soaking in the confidence boosting self messaging that having won a crown allows, is himself operating on a higher plane in the re-do.

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