Gallagher: Looks like I have my work cut out for me on Feb 28 card
By Joe O’Neill -follow Joe on twitter @joe_90
After a crazy 2014, Belfast welterweight Paddy Gallagher is aiming to get his promising career back on track – starting with a win on the Carl Frampton world title undercard on February 28th.
Last April, ‘The Pat Man’ was part of one of the most bizarre Prizefighter tournaments ever – losing in the quarter final before being reinstated due to injury only to lose in the final.
After the tournament, the 2010 Commonwealth gold medalist amicably parted with trainer Gerard McManus and joined up with veteran Belfast coach, John Breen. Breen has masterminded the recent meteoric rises of both Marco McCullough and Jamie Conlan and will be hoping to do the same with Gallagher
After perhaps being too gung-ho in Prizefighter, Gallagher hopes to implement a more refined approach under Breen. When speaking to Irish-boxing.com he elaborated that his style is “becoming a lot better, I still fight a bit but I’m not on the toes bouncing around, just a lot more smarter boxing and using my head.”
This could be seen in his comeback fight last November at the Devenish where he comfortably outpointed Liam Griffith, and Gallagher hopes to build on this with an impressive victory next Saturday at the Odyssey. In 2012, he made his debut at the same venue on the Frampton-Molitor undercard. This time, however, there is an added incentive as his bout will seemingly be broadcast live on television. Speaking of the opportunity, a gleeful Gallagher explained that “it’s very big as I’m trying to work my way up and get out to as many people as possible and I’ve heard that I’ll be on ITV4 which is good.”
Now a more mature fighter, ‘The Pat Man’ is wary about approaching the fight all guns blazing and instead hopes to let his boxing do the talking. Refusing to expressly aim for a KO, he explained that “with the fight only being four rounds that’s ok, as long as I win each round and if a KO comes then it comes. People like to see knockouts but they also like to see some good boxing – which I plan to deliver.”
The Belfast man’s opponent on the night will be the tough Nicaraguan, Miguel Aguilar [11(5)-13(5)-2]. When describing the Central American brawler, Gallagher predicted that “from what I’ve seen he seems a very cagey fighter and he is tough so it looks like I have my work cut out for me.”
Gallagher will be hoping to impress in front of the big audience and begin rising up through the rankings and on to bigger fights.
