I'm fighting fit now, says James DeGale

James DeGale insists his injury-free status means Saturday's showdown with Caleb Truax at the Copper Box will mark the rebirth of his career.

DeGale fights on British soil for the first time in three years after campaigning in the United States and Canada, winning the IBF super-middleweight title that will be at stake against Truax.

The Olympic gold medallist insists his recent performances have been affected by a series of injury problems, the most notable of which resulted in the shoulder surgery that has restored him to full fitness.

"It all starts again for me on Saturday with a fantastic performance. You will see me jabbing, double jabbing, hooking off my jab," DeGale told www.frankwarren.com.

"You will see me with a nice tight defence, whereas before the shoulder was affecting everything.

"With my defence I couldn't hold my hand up because of the pain and I couldn't hook off my jab as a right-handed southpaw. My breathing was also affected and I have also had a nose operation.

"I now feel so much better and you lot are going to see the difference. I don't think this fight against Caleb Truax is going the distance and you will see how much I have improved."

American fighter Truax has lost three and drawn two of his 33 fights and is expected to supply DeGale with the 24th victory of his career.

"Maybe for my first fight back he is the perfect opponent. There will always be criticism, but I have got to think about myself," DeGale said.

"By the time I box it will be nearly a year since my last fight, Truax is in the top 15 and I am looking forward to it.

"It's not just about winning, I need to look good and need a standout dominant performance."

Also on the Copper Box bill is Lee Selby's clash with unbeaten Mexican Eduardo Ramirez.

"Ideally, I'd like to fight three times in 2018 - three months to train for each fight, then a month off in between," IBF world featherweight champion Selby said.

"I'd love to beat Josh Warrington in Leeds and beat Carl Frampton in Belfast and then propel myself into a unification fight in the US."

Selby's title will not now be on the line after Ramirez failed to make the weight.