Gallen v Lusssick: Harry Garside plans to win over Aussie public
Legendary trainer Johnny Lewis says Harry Garside’s boxing skills will win fans, and you’ll like the man he is outside of the ring just as much.
Boxing/MMA
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He’s the working class man, planning to win over the Australian public with his larrikin charm and humble beginnings.
And Harry Garside firmly believes he can shine bright in this golden generation of local boxers spearheaded by George Kambosos Jr, Tim Tszyu, Justis Huni and Jai Opetaia.
“I’m working class, my family are working class, my dad’s a roof tiler, my brother’s a plumber, I’ve done roof tiling and plumbing,” Garside said.
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“I’m working class and I hope the people see that. If I wasn’t in the gym, if I wasn’t doing boxing I’d probably be a tradie.
“I put my effort in the gym, I want to make something of my boxing career. My whole family are working class and that’s why I hope people can relate to me and my family.”
The first Australian to claim an Olympic boxing medal in more than 30 years, Garside’s Tokyo Games bronze was a national celebration, but he said: “The bronze medal to me was a failure.
“A lot of people might not look at a bronze medal as a failure, but I do.
“I just want to be better, I always want to grow.”
So in his pro debut on December 22 at The Star, on the undercard of Paul Gallen vs. Darcy Lussick, Garside takes on experienced Fijian southpaw Sachin Mudaliar (9-1, 1KO).
“My whole life, I feel I’ve had something to prove,” Garside said.
“Whether it be to myself, to people I know, people from my upbringing, I’ve got a lot to prove and I’m grateful I’ve got that mindset – I’m never content.”
Garside is under the watch of legendary trainer Johnny Lewis, who has taken Jeff Fenech, Kostya Tszyu, Jeff Harding and Gairy St Clair to world title wins, and stepped out of trainer’s retirement upon seeing Garside at the Tokyo Games.
“It was really Harry outside the ring that I wanted to be with,” Lewis said.
“I think he’s a great role model for any young kid in any sport. He epitomises a damn good bloke, and I know with success he’ll still be a good bloke.
“He loves his sport, very disciplined inside and outside the ring.
“We’re going through a pretty good era in boxing in this country at the moment and I think that Harry will fit fairly and squarely with the kids that have already got there.
“He makes great angles. Out wide he finds the target, he doesn’t waste too much.
“In the professional side of things I hope that we can get him to shorten up a lot, particularly in close when we’ve got someone strong, taking the space away from him, he’ll be able to really work with them and then get back to his style on the outside.
“He plays the game with them and then jumps on them, that’s very similar to Justin Rowsell and Gairy St Clair that I trained, they know when they’ve got someone where they want them and then they grab them and the referee has got no other option but to stop the fight.
“You don’t have to tell him anything twice, he listens and goes ahead and does what you want him to do.”
The transition from amateur to pro is why boxing is colloquially known as “the hurt business”, according to Garside.
“Amateurs is more of a sport, you’re in there to beat someone, you’re not in there to hurt,” he said.
“It’s changing that mindset, I’m in there to do damage, to get respect from my punching power and I’m in there to put on a show for the crowd.
“You’ve got to make sure you entertain them or they’re not coming back.
“I’ve always put pressure on myself, for my whole life.
“The more pressure I put on myself, I feel the better I perform. I’m loving this added extra pressure.
“I’m 24, this is the start of hopefully a luxurious career.”
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