First things first, the booing of James DeGale on Saturday night was unfair. He may have been safety-first but he wasn’t boring, especially considering it was his first bout.
However, it would be wrong to say the crowd reaction was totally unexpected.
He is the victim of a reaction from boxing fans against the richly rewarded former Olympic stars who preceded him, Audley Harrison and Amir Khan.
That said, the comments about wanting £2 million to turn professional at a time when the country was worried about its finance and the war of words with David Haye have helped create a perception, whether fair or not, that he is arrogant.
This led to a section of paying spectators hoping they would get a chance to boo him at the NIA on Saturday.
And as a boxer he, at present, is less exciting than Billy Joe Saunders or Frankie Gavin so when fighting after them, it is understandable that the crowd watching a third uncompetitive fight do grow a little restless.
DeGale lacks Saunders or Tony Jeffries' heavy-handed attacking style and while Gavin, like DeGale, has a superb defence, his moves are a little more eye-catching.
It also helps Gavin that he has a real hardcore of support. He has been embraced by Birmingham City fans who make a great noise when he fights – even if there seems little need to sing about fouling holiday accommodation!
It may be that in London DeGale himself will have a big following, but is unlikely to be like the roaring football crowd-type support Gavin and Jeffries will enjoy.
Saunders will be the one out of the three with the least spotlight and you get the impression he will be happy with this.
His attacking style will excite fans in attendance regardless of who they have come to support anyway.
Also his affable nature means he is difficult to dislike. I was impressed with how he waited to watch Martin Rogan’s press conference and congratulate the Irishman before leaving to celebrate his first win.
This is not to say the other two are necessarily better bets to win world titles than DeGale. If forced to pick one I would go with Gavin but I don’t feel qualified to make a definitive judgment at this stage.
Saturday’s crowd reaction certainly puts DeGale in a difficult situation. He will be desperate to attack to attract the fans, but obviously needs to be careful to protect his long-term prospects.