New Year’s Resolutions: Crank Whitehouse planning a step up
Gerard Whitehouse [5(1)-0] rounded off a frustrating 2016 with an impressive win, and is now hoping to kick on and have a breakthrough 2017.
Having fought just once last year, the Balbriggan welterweight wants a much more active next 12 months and feels ready to move up through the levels.
Looking back at the past year, the European Schoolboys bronze medalist admitted to Irish-Boxing.com that “2016 had ups and downs. The lack of shows and fights was one of the downs and it came to a point where me and my team were looking at fight dates in England. Then I picked up a bad ongoing hand injury sparring that kept me out for a while.”
The frustration ended in November and a Dublin fight date against ultra-game journeyman Sergio Abad. Whitehouse won an exciting six round fight in which he had to properly rise to the occasion. It was a clash the Fingal fighter appreciated and he described how “I was out of the ring nearly a year but came back with a fight that was no pushover. He was a tough, game guy who wanted to win. It was a fight I really enjoyed as well as the fans.”
With the scene in Ireland looking up, Whitehouse is hoping for a much improved year, and outlined how “in 2017 I plan to be busy with around four or five fights. I’ll be stepping up to eight rounds and I’ll go from there. I’m confident about what I can do in the ring. I will give anybody a hard night’s work at my best and I’ll be hard to beat at light welter or welter. I’ve been boxing at a high level all throughout my amateur days so I’m looking forward to some good fights as a pro. The goal for the year is to be busy, move up the ranks, and if a title fight calls and makes sense I’ll grab it”
Still only 21 years old, Whitehouse is improving all the time, and is now back in the familiar environment of Bracken Boxing Club in Balbriggan. The Dubliner is feeling the benefits and he explained how “I’ve been working on plenty of things in the gym, all the time listen and learning. A big thing that stood out in my last fight was my conditioning, going six rounds first time in a fight – and I could of done ten. That’s down to my coach David Sadleir, his set up in Bracken BC is top class and just what I need .
Photo Credit: Laszlo Geczo Photography
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Joe O’Neill and Gavan Casey look ahead to 2017 in episode 1 of The Irish Boxing Show