"People know that I can box and I'm known for being a fighter. Someone that is aggressive. I want them to see on May 4th that I'm not only the aggressor and I'm not just a boxer, but I'm smart in the ring. I like to use my mind. And that's what we have been doing with Fernely. We have been using more of our mind and learning how to adjust to any fighter. If I'm fighting a guy that can punch, obviously I will go to survive, and if a guy can box, I will cut the ring off and get after him. So we are learning to adjust to everything in there," stated undefeated up-and-coming jr. middleweight Frank Galarza, who talked about his recent victory, his future plans, and much more. Check it out!
PC: Congratulations on your win over Guillermo Ibarra. How do you feel about your performance?
FG: I feel good. We started working with Fernely and I feel it's improved my performances and it's bringing out more of my boxing ability and I'm excited about that. I wouldn't give myself an A. I give myself like a C, but it's an improvement though and that's the big thing.
PC: He was a big step up in competition for you. Going into the fight, what was the game plan?
FG: The game plan was basically like we do with everyone; we didn't really know a lot about him other than he had a winning record and we wanted to feel him out in the 1st round and see what he was about, and if we didn't sense any danger, we wanted to let my hands go with 4 and 5 punch combinations and that's exactly what we did.
PC: How do you feel not only working with Fernely, but also sparring and working with Delvin Rodriguez, is improving your game?
FG: Working and sparring with Delvin, I pay for my mistakes. It's improving my boxing ability both offensively and defensively. He's making me use my mind instead of brawling like I normally would do. Before, I was just someone who was aggressive that came to bring the fight. But with him, I have to think. I think it brings out more of my ability as a fighter and it makes me use my mind and my boxing ability at the same time. And with Fernely, he is a phenomenal trainer. He brings it out of me too, aside from the sparring, and it works hand in hand.
PC: And that fight was on a card that ended up being a part of history with Bernard Hopkins breaking his own record and becoming the oldest guy to win a title. Also you being from Brooklyn, I'm sure it was nice to fight at the Barclays. What did that night mean to you?
FG: It was a step up and it felt good to be in an arena like that. Being from Brooklyn and being in the Barclays Arena, which is in Brooklyn, I guess for my fans and me, it puts hope in people's eyes. As long as you continue to work and push forward and believe in your ability and follow your passion, then you can do it. That's what I try to give to the people and that's what I felt. I made it here so far and as long as I keep doing what I'm doing, it's only going to get bigger and better.
PC: You recently signed with A.J. Galante's "Elite Boxing Enterprise." How did the deal come about? A.J. always tells me he is looking for winners, so what are you looking for from him?
FG: Same thing, man. I'm looking for winners in management (laughing). But in all seriousness, I linked up with A.J.; he hit me up out of the blue and asked if I wanted to come up to camp and spar with Delvin, and I was like, "Yeah, when do you want me to leave?" I had no problem; I was ready to go. We linked up from there and started speaking. He said he had been watching me for quite some time and he liked the work I was giving Delvin. I guess he seen the potential and what I was capable of and he took it from there. He wants winners and that's my goal. I have always had the mentality from the Golden Gloves that once you lose, you are out, so I have that same state of mind like I'm not going home and every fight that I go into, I'm not losing. I'm going to give it everything I got. That way, after it's all said and done, my fans can look at me and my team can look at me and say, "You know what? He gave it everything." And that's the same thing with him management-wise. I think he's been doing great with Delvin and moving Delvin very well. I'm looking for the same progression. I'm still very young in my career and I plan on growing. We are not afraid to fight anyone and we don't back down from anyone. So with him by my side, we are looking at getting the right people because me personally, I will go in there with anyone. I will fight Eddie Gomez or any of the top contenders in my weight class, but he has to look out for me on his end and that's what I was looking for. I can't go in there blindly because I don't know the business and he's obviously been in for quite some time now, so he's obviously a lot better at it than I am. I am still learning and we are both kind of new, but we have an understanding of what needs to be done. And from that, some great teamwork will happen.
PC: You are getting right back in there on May 4th. How has preparation for that fight been?
FG: We have been in the gym. We fought March 9th and took 4 days off and went right back in the gym. We like to stay prepared, me and my team. I like to stay prepared and my strength and conditioning coach and Fernely is the same way. I'm hungry right now, so that's pretty much it. We been in camp and we just trying to stay prepared physically and mentally because you never know in this game. They can call us next week and say, "Listen, we need you to fight such and such in the next week." We can take it. It's a business and a game at the end of the day and we playing the same game that they are playing. They think that we aren't prepared, but we always prepared. That's pretty much where we at.
PC: What are you looking to show in this fight that maybe you didn't show in your last fight, because it only went 2 rounds, or that you have been working on in the gym?
FG: We pretty much work on everything. People know that I can box and I'm known for being a fighter. Someone that is aggressive. I want them to see on May 4th that I'm not only the aggressor and I'm not just a boxer, but I'm smart in the ring. I like to use my mind. And that's what we have been doing with Fernely. We have been using more of our mind and learning how to adjust to any fighter. If I'm fighting a guy that can punch, obviously I will go to survive, and if a guy can box, I will cut the ring off and get after him. So we are learning to adjust to everything in there. We don't want to always be the same fighter. We want to give something different.
PC: I wish you the best of luck on May 4th. I'm sure we will speak right afterwards. Is there anything you want to say in closing?
FG: I just want to thank Fernely, my trainer, my strength and conditioning coach Shane, and A.J. Galante for believing in me and giving me the opportunity and working with me. And the amateur crew that we work with out here, I want to thank them as well. They look up to me and they are good motivation for me as well.
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]