Before December 2017 not many Brits had heard of Caleb Truax, but that all changed when he shocked the world putting in the performance of a lifetime against James Degale and winning the IBF title. He silenced the copper box arena with his relentless attacks and non stop pressure, derailing Britain’s favourite Olympic star in the process. Truax had been at the top before having thrilling fights against the last man to unify the Middleweight division Jermain Taylor as well as the Miracle Man Danny Jacobs. Truax has routinely fought the best competition at both 160 and 168lbs. The Minnesota native has become a fan favourite as a result of his exciting style and bravery in the ring. He’s never backed down from a challenge and has proved time and again that he belongs with boxing’s elite. I was very grateful that Caleb took the time to speak to me and discuss his legendary careers so far.
EB: Hi Caleb, thanks for taking the time to speak to me. Can we start with your start in boxing, it wasn’t your average start was it?
CT: No, I started late, at 19, by entering a local toughman contest. I got my ass kicked, but loved it. I started training and after 1 more toughman, I started my amateur career.
EB: You fought and knocked down Jermain Taylor, one of the most formidable fighters of the modern era, how good was he and how did it feel to come so close to victory?
CT: Fighting Taylor was kind of surreal, because he was a fighter I looked up to as an amateur. He had a great jab, one of the best I’ve faced. It’s always disappointing to lose, but I was able to take a wealth of experience away from fighting Taylor.
EB: You bounced back formidably with 4 KO’s and a decision what was the secret to the bounce back?
CT: Even though I lost to Taylor, I gained a tremendous amount of confidence in knowing that I could compete with the best. I used that to turn a page and move forward with the next part of my career.
EB: You then took on Danny Jacobs in a brilliant fight for the world title, talk me through that fight.
CT: Jacobs is a great fighter. A good puncher and very quick. I had a great camp to prepare, but for whatever reason, I didn’t perform at my best that night. I did learn from that experience as well, though.
EB: Moving up to 168lbs, how was Anthony Direll as an opponent?
CT: I Kind of blocked that night out of my conscience, because of my state of mind going into the fight. Mentally, I shouldn’t have been in the ring that night, and obviously, it showed.
EB: Then it was your biggest win over James Degale, what did it mean to win a world title?
CT: Winning a title vs DeGale changed my life. I was struggling financially before the fight, and that all changed with the win. It rejuvenated my career when a lot of people had written me off.
EB: You were then extremely unlucky against Quillin, how did you see that fight?
CT: A nasty cut and a torn achilles ruined 2 fights with quillin. It was a match up I felt really good about, and would have set me as the IBF mandatory. I’m still working to get back from those setbacks.
EB: What’s next for Caleb Truax?
CT: Right now, I’m trying to stay in shape during this crazy coronavirus pandemic, so when it passes I’ll be ready to go as soon as possible. We were negotiating the IBF eliminator with Stephan Hartael from Germany, so hopefully when boxing returns, we’ll get that squared away.
EB: So finally, you’ve faced some giant names in the ring but who was the best?
CT: I’ve fought some top fighters, world champions, and each have had attributes that were outstanding. I’d have to say Danny Jacobs was the best so far, because of his quickness. He was difficult to hit, and it was hard to pick up his shots because of it.
EB: That’s all Caleb Thank you very much for your time and best of luck against Harteal if we do indeed get to see that fight.
Ewan Breeze Of SimBoxx
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