“Something wasn’t quite right with me” – Honest Gary Cully lifts lid on Felix loss
Gary Cully says he was looking so far past Jose Felix Jr he could see beyond the 3Arena victory lap and into the after-party.
The Sarto stylist was teed up for a massive breakout night when he provided chief support to Katie Taylor in Dublin’s 3 Arena on May 20th.
However, he suffered a first career defeat at the dangerous gloves of Felix Jr in the precursor to the massive main event.
The Kildare native has the chance to get his career back on track when he faces what is being billed as a make-or-break clash with English champion Reece Mould at the same venue this Saturday night – and says it’s strictly business going into the clash.
The now Rotunda-trained lightweight says he overlooked the Mexican, who was previously outpointed by Tyrone McKenna, and believing the hype that three-step-up knockout wins generated he expected an easy night’s work.
âSomething wasnât quite right with me,” admitted Cully. “I didnât really know it at the time, but my mind wasnât fully focused. Everything was just planned for the party afterwards, the celebrations and reflecting on what a week and what a show it had been. I took my eye off having a fight in front of me.
âProbably being back in Dublin and back in Ireland I fell into that trap as well of âThe Diva, Gary Cullyâ â Gary is the guy and Gary is the man. I probably fell into that trap a little bit as well and started believing my own hype a little bit.
“I wanted to impress and thought Iâd just f***ing walk through this kid. I just wasnât fully focused, wasnât fully focused on Jose Felix and I paid the price. This time it isnât about a celebration or a party like last time was supposed to be.”
Things are different this time assures the southpaw talent. Cully admits learnt some tough lessons the hard way but notes they are learnt and, as a result, his mistakes won’t be repeated.
“Iâve been through some ups and downs in my life, but that loss was definitely the hardest. It felt like the world was ending at one point. I thought it was, but it taught me lots of lessons. I think Iâve learnt a lot from it as well. Iâm looking forward to showing that this Saturday.”
Cully vs. Mould is part of a huge night of boxing in Dublin, undisputed Super-Lightweight World Champion Chantelle Cameron (18-0, 8 KOs) puts her crowns on the line against Irish great Katie Taylor (22-1, 6 KOs) Limerick Welterweight Paddy Donovan (11-0, 8 KOs) meets Danny Ball (13-1-1, 6 KOs) for the WBA Continental Title, Dublin Heavyweight Thomas Carty (6-0, 5 KOs) takes on Dan Garber (5-1, 1 KO) in an eight-round contest, Australia’s Interim WBC Featherweight World Champion Skye Nicolson (8-0) defends her crown against Sweden’s Lucy Wildheart (10-2, 4 KOs), Manchester’s former Super-Featherweight World Title challenger Zelfa Barrett (29-2, 16 KOs) fights Spain’s Costin Ion (10-4-2, 5 KOs) over eight rounds, Belfast’s John Cooney (8-0, 2 KOs) and Dublinâs own Liam Gaynor (10-4-0) meet for the Celtic Featherweight crown, as fellow Dublin fighter Emmet Brennan (1-0) battles Limerickâs Jamie Morrisey (5-0-1, 1 KO) for the Celtic Light-Heavyweight Title, while Guildford Super-Featherweight debutant Giorgio Visioli opens the show against Lee Anthony Sibley (3-1, 1 KO).
