FRAMPTON’S SET TO PECK UP THE PACE
44 defeats from 45 fights... the Mancunian who feels like a winner every time he loses
HE does the Muhammad Ali shuffle, and he’s the greatest. The greatest at losing, that is. Curtis Gargano, 33, from Manchester pays the bills by boxing – but the bottom line is that winning is not his forte.
Light heavyweight Gargano has lost 44 of his 45 professional fights – and drawn the other one.
“Every time I fight, I win,” is how Gargano sees his career.
“That’s because I’m getting paid and it gives my kids a more comfortable life.”
Gargano has two children, Isaac (seven) and Penelope (three), and said: “Doing what I do means I can look after them.
“My girlfriend Leanne goes off to work and I drop the kids off at school, then go to the gym.
“I pick the kids up from school, make their tea, and then I go to work on Saturday night.
“I’ve got a fight every week until Christmas, because I want a good Christmas for my kids.
“I’m doing it for them. I’m not trying to make a reputation for myself. “I want them to have a good life. “People are embarrassed to call themselves a journeyman, but I’m not. “It’s a tough job, a really tough job.” The job is to be a punch bag for up-and-coming prospects week in, week out.
And to do that job, Gargano needs a tight defence, a granite chin and a box of tricks to get himself through fights.
He sticks his chin out at opponents, lifts his arms in the air, and does his version of the Ali shuffle. “I call it ‘The Truffle Shuffle,’” the 5ft 8in fighter said, “because I’ve got a bit of a belly on me.
“I want to confuse my opponents and entertain the crowd as well. They are paying my wages and I want them to enjoy it.
“Fans come up to me after fights and ask for photos. They love watching me.” Boxing is in Gargano’s DNA. His late father, Des, was also a journeyman who fought modern great Prince Naseem Hamed during a 123-fight career, and it was his death from cancer aged 49 in 2010 that brought Gargano back to the gym after a wayward decade or so.
He said: “I was a good amateur as a teenager.
“I was knocking people out – and then I went off the rails and didn’t box for 12 years.
“Losing my dad made me get back in the gym.
“I turned pro at 30 wanting to be a journeyman. I’m a fighter, I want to have fights.”
Gargano says that he trained himself for his first 20 fights, but for the last year he’s been with Joe Pennington, a veteran of the fight scene in the city.
“Curtis is skilful, very skilful,” Pennington said. “But he can be lazy.” Gargano conceded: “I have let myself down a couple of times. I should be beating some of these kids.
“I want wins for my dad and for my kids. I’m getting wiser, stronger and fitter. The wins will come. I’m going to knock someone out soon.” people will criticise me too much for saying that.
“It’s a quality bill and to be topping it is a huge honour.
“This fight has been a long time coming and it’s good to be back out in Belfast topping a double world-title bill that also features my good friend Paddy Barnes defending his WBO European title.”
Frampton’s clash with Garcia will not be championship length.
He added: “I asked for a 10-round fight. I would have been happy to be doing 12 rounds but, speaking to my team after the bad year I’ve had, and the long lay-off, they thought it was only fair to come back with a 10-rounder before we target the big names.” Irish bantamweight Ryan Burnett, the IBF champion, faces WBA champion Zhanat Zhakiyanov in Belfast on Saturday.
And the Kazakh fighter is adamant that Burnett will be beaten in front of his home crowd.
Zhakiyanov said: “I travelled to the US to beat Rau’shee Warren in his home town where I went down early and pulled myself off the canvas.
“I don’t know if Ryan has that experience and heart that I have.
“In comparison to my previous opponents, Burnett ranks high, but I don’t believe that he’s the best that I have faced so far.”