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‘I still believe I can win big titles’ – Geraghty decides against retirement in hopes he can have a Luke Keeler bounce

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Declan Geraghty [19(4)-5(4)] admits he was considering retiring at just 29 after he was stopped by Archie Sharp last September, but his faith in his skill set and a belief circumstances played apart in the majority of his five career defeats convinced him to stay on.

The Dubliner believes he still has the ability to win major titles, but does note changes will have to be made to ensure that happens.

‘Prettyboy’ seems perplexed as to why he lost to the likes of Marco McCullough and Archie Sharp in particular and has since surmised weight is the issue.

As a result the former super featherweight campaigner will move up to explore life as a lightweight or even light welterweight moving forward.

The two weight Irish Elite amateur champion has also made changes with regard to training.

Geraghty is now working under the watchful eye of Pete Taylor and is hopeful he can benefit in the manner recent world title challenger Luke Keeler has.

“I still believe I can big titles. To me I still want to win a world title. If that’s realistic this year will tell. I know I won’t win a world title this year, but we’ll see where I find my feet at,” he explained in a wide ranging interview with iFLTV.

“Unfortunately it hasn’t worked out for me, but I am hoping to get the new lease of life that Luke Keeler got.”

To win those big title Geraghty believes he has to stop campaigning at super featherweight.

The MTK stylist claims he can make 130lbs, but now feels cutting to that weight has effected his punch resistance.

“I was thinking [being dropped] never happens me in sparring. I used to spar Phil Sutcliffe growing up and Phil is known as a massive puncher and he never dropped me.

“You’d feel a punch of him alright, but you’d keep walking forward. Then all of a sudden your getting hit by these super featherweights, literally one shot and your waking up in the canvas thinking ‘what the fuck’. So I am obviously weight drained. I am coming down from 75kgs to 59.5, that’s some drop.”

The move in weight was something Taylor suggested to him in a social setting well before they linked up and it seems Geraghty will be taking on board more of the coaches suggestions moving forward.

Taylor is now the southpaws coach and the link up has worked well so far according to the Dub.

“I was training with my father and things were going well. I was training well, sparring well and things were flying, but I was picking up silly stupid loses. Then I seen Pete on a night out and we had a chat. I said I’d come go up and you have a great stable here.

“It has just clicked for me. I am back working on technical things and Pete’s working on strength with me.

“I remember speaking to Pete previously and he suggested coming up. I always knew Pete from the amateur days. I used to go up and spar Katie, he used to ring me and ask me to go down to spar and I always rated him as a high quality coach.”

Geraghty is hoping to get back out in March and doesn’t want a big rebuild. He is more than happy to jump straight back in at the deep end.

“I am looking to get out in March, it’s just about what weight it’s going to be at,” he adds.

“It’s about the right fights at the right time. I’d go into a hard 50-50 fight straight away. Pete was like that maybe that or maybe a tough journey man. I don’t want a journey man. Even if I am expected to lose I don’t care. I have never got in the ring once or even a spar thinking this person is too good for me. I have that winners mentality. ”

Speaking with regard to his mindset post the Sharp defeat he explains retirement was an option.

“After the two defeats and taking two concussions I was asking was it really worth my while. So I had a sit down and a good think and I was going to pack it in. But I am still young, I love the boxing and people always say how skillful I am.

“So then I had a good think about it and I said I might come back or I might not. I said if I come back things have to change. ”

Photo CreditRicardo Guglielminotti – The Fighting Irish (@ThefIrish)

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Jonny Stapleton

Irish-boxing.com contributor for 15 years and editor for the past decade. Have been covering boxing for over 16 years and writing about sports for a living for over 20 years. Former Assistant Sports editor for the Gazette News Paper Group and former Tallaght Voice Sports Editor. Have had work published in publications around the world when working as a freelance journalist. Also co-founder of Junior Sports Media and Leinster Rugby PRO of the Year winner. email: editoririshboxing@gmail.com

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