Cruise Control – Gary Cully Stops Former World Champ in ‘Third Gear’
Gary Cully revealed his statement knockout of Miguel Vazquez was achieved in cruise control.
The lightweight says he didn’t get out of third gear when registering a win that saw him transition from prospect to a fringe contender – and considering he believes, that like some of the more expensive cars, he isn’t limited to five gears, he suggests there is a lot more to come.
The Pete Taylor trained Naas talent admits his foot pushed harder on the pedal than ever before against the former world champion on the undercard of Michael Conlan and Leigh Woods epic battle on Saturday.
However, he remains adamant he didn’t have to overwork the gear shift or consult anywhere near top speed in Nottingham.
āI said it in the build-up to this one that you haven’t seen me go through the gears yet. Possibly there you saw me go through them a little bit more and you saw me using my brain a little bit more because he was awkward at the start,” he begins when reflecting on the fifth round stoppage win while talking to Irish-boxing.com.
“I had to get distance, I had to get timing instead of just landing shots off the cuff straight away.
āThat was probably third gear there when I stopped him,” he adds before declaring he has a toolbox any tradesman would envy.
“Iāve got a lot more in my arsenal to show, a lot more in my toolbox. If somebody comes to box, Iāll out-box them, if they come to fight Iāll fight them. I believe I can do it all.ā
Cully became the first-ever lightweight to stop the Mexican with a storied career. He walked Vazquez, whose twice gone the distance with Canelo Alvarez, onto a beautiful shot in the third before ending proceedings with a southpaw one-two in the fifth.
The Son of Sarto admitted after he expected to get an inside-the-distance victory but didn’t believe it would come before the halfway stage, or in the manner it did.
āI did expect to get him out of there, but the timing was a bit earlier. I wasnāt sure if heād go down with headshots. I thought I might have to work the body a little bit more, push the pace going through the rounds,” he adds before discussing the game plan.
āAfter five the plan was to start turning the screw but after the fourth round I said to Pete āheās going downhillā and he said start turning the screw then. In the fifth round, the shot came and [it was] night night.ā
āThe plan was to be patient because itās a 10 round fight and obviously it was very possible that Miguel Vazquez could have brought me 10 rounds. Heās so experienced, heās been around the world, been in with all these [guys like] Canelo and Josh Taylor.
āSo the plan was to be patient early on, donāt get greedy, if you land a good shot donāt jump on him and try and finish it. Show a bit of maturity, show a bit of patience and thatās what I think that was, a very mature performance in there.”
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Emphasizing how he showed that patience, he adds:” I hurt him a couple more times, his legs went then I kinda just stood off and said let the knockout come,ā before bringing back the gear talk.
āI went into second gear in the second round after I got my distance and I was in third gear when the knockout came in the fifth. There’s still 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 gears there.ā
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