‘I want a big fight next’ – Gary Cully calls for a step up
Gary Cully’s patience has been tested long enough- he wants straight into a big fight.
The Kildare lightweight returned after a frustrating period out through injury with a routine yet still somewhat flashy win over Danny Mendoza [6(4)-4(0)] – who will provide opposition for Paddy Donovan in Glasgow next month – at the Ulster Hall on Friday.
During his enforced leave of absence the massive for the weight southpaw saw a break through fight with entertaining tough gatekeeper to the gatekeepers, Renald Garrido fall through.
Indeed, Cully [9(4)-0] had to watch on as Belfast’s Sean McComb got the plaudits for a brilliant performance against the same genuine test on the massive Feile card.
Now having returned and overcome a strange hand injury the Pete Taylor trained fighter is adamant he wants career progression.
After getting six rounds under his belt he was certain of what he wanted next.
“I want something big next,” he told Irish-boxing.com.
“I am back now. I am ready to step up and I want a big fight next. Tonight was routine and everyone could see that. I have that out of the way now, I am ready to move up and I want to do it straight away.”
It’s not a defiant call from the Naas fighter. It seems his team are also confident he has step up capabilities. They made the Garrido fight and according to Cully a win there would have set him up for a more eye catching scrap on the latest #MTKFightNight.
“The Garrido fight I had to pull out of. It was frustrating to see [Sean him] because we had similar styles and I think I could have done something similar. Not that I didn’t want Sean to do well, just the Garrido fight would have been a great yard stick for me- and if I would have beaten him then there would have been a big fight for me on this show.
“But look that was a bit of my own fault. I was told not to throw the hand in sparring ahead of that one and just kept letting it go. Doing that set the injury back five or six weeks,” he adds before stressing the hand, which was hampered by an oddly placed cut rather than any of the more common problems, was fine in the fight.
“It just seemed to throw itself. The plan was to just use the jab and then bring the left into play, but I started hurting him with a few left hooks in the first round, so then I added the straight left in the second and it was fine. It feels fine now too.”
‘The Diva’ cut a happy figure in the ring. Slick, sharp and smiling! Indeed, at one point it was suggested by a ringside fan that he was enjoying himself so much he didn’t want any stoppage to shorten his play time.
The 23-year-old admits he wanted the rounds, but for different reasons than enjoyment, but did also reveal he was enjoying himself tremendously.
“That was an nice enjoyable one. I wanted the rounds. I could have stepped it up a gear from the third round on, but I was enjoying it there and I wanted to get the rounds and get my bearings back,” he adds.
“I was buzzing in their. It’s been six so I was buzzing to get back all week. I couldn’t sit still yesterday, I couldn’t sleep last night and I didn’t even want to warm up I just wanted to get back in. I think you can see I am glad to be back.That was the most nervous I have been. Obviously because I have been out a while and I missed it, plus the injury I was worried about that a bit too. I think I settled into well and performed. There was no signs of ring rust, but I have been training flat out since the injury. I kept active and in the gym I just didn’t throw the left hand.”
