Daniel Geale Discusses Career, Possible Future Options
By John Evans
IBF middleweight champion Daniel Geale could have a busy year ahead of him. After a successful 2010 which saw the Australian buck the recurring trend of title challengers failing in Germany to rip the title away from Sebastian Sylvester, the 30-year-old seems to have been mentioned as a possible opponent for champions (Felix Sturm and Dmitry Pirog) contenders (Darren Barker) and old rivals (Anthony Mundine) alike.
Geale, 26-1 (15), recently took time out to chat to BoxingScene.com and discuss winning the title, his hopes for the future and the current rumours surrounding him.
BS: How did it feel to hear the words 'and the new' after beating Sebastian Sylvester and how big a night was it to then defend your title [a points victory over Eromosele Albert in August 2011] in front of your home crowd in Tasmania, Australia?
DG: The sound echoed through my head as they announced "….and that NEW". It was very emotional. I had a good feeling I had won then I looked over at Sylvester's corner and - to me - it looked as though they knew who had won. To defend my title in my home state of Tasmania was a dream come true. They were a vocal crowd and there to support me, a bit of a change from Germany.
BS: Has winning the title made any noticeable difference to you? Is any extra confidence having noticeable benefits throughout your game?
DG: Things are certainly different, however, there has to be balance. I feel that it's important to be confident but not overconfident or complacent.
BS: Having beaten Sylvester in Germany, travelling away from home may not hold the same fears for you as it does for the rest of your rivals. How did you cope with the change of surroundings for Sylvester?
DG: Travelling to Germany never bothered me. I'm always happy to do it. I have always said you can fight in front of one person or a million people; it's all the same to me. I tend to block out the surroundings. It's important to have confidence in yourself and all the hard work you have done in the gym.
BS: Prior to your fight with Sylvester, you stated an intention to concentrate on campaigning in the USA should you be successful. Is that still your goal or have circumstances changed your thoughts?
DG: At the moment I am focusing on one fight at a time. At this stage it’s my mandatory title defence against IBF number one Osumanu Adama [a 31 year old Ghanaian fighter sporting a 20-2-1 (15) record]. This fight is on March 7th in Hobart, Tasmania. I still want to head to the US to fight but as I said before I am happy to fight anywhere. England is also an option.
BS: There have been tonnes of rumours regarding your next step. Amongst them, unification matches with Dmitry Pirog or Felix Sturm and a fight in England with Darren Barker. What is the latest news and would you like to confirm or deny any of those rumours? I
DG: I'm sure after this fight we will make a decision. There are lots of offers on the table at the moment. Sturm and Pirog have both shown interest. We have worked hard to make it to where we are today so we want to make the right fights for us with these guys. Darren Barker? I am not aware of talks about this fight.
BS: What would YOU like your next step to be?
DG: After my mandatory, I would like to ultimately fight [Sergio] Martinez, this is the guy every middleweight wants to have a shot at. There are so many top guys in the middleweight division that I would like to fight though.
BS: What are your opinions on your rivals in the middleweight division? There is Martinez, Sturm, Pirog, Matthew Macklin, Andy Lee and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr to name just a few. What do you see as the keys to beating them?
DG: All the guys you have mentioned are GREAT fighters, each with their own talents they bring to a fight. I would have to study them all before each fight to form a game plan. Sometimes you will need several game plans going into a fight. I'm not going to give away too much more about that.
