By Terence Dooley
Frankie Gavin, 23, came close to postponing his third professional contest after the loss of his grandmother. Gavin, who won gold at the World Championships in 2007, was set to fight on the undercard of the originally proposed Amir Khan-Andreas Kotelnik WBA light-welterweight title fight, which was due to take place at the O2 last night.
Fortunately, Frankie’s preparations could be placed on hold in order for him to come to terms with his bereavement. The rescheduling of the Khan date enabled Gavin to take time out from training, at the insistence of trainer Anthony Farnell, who wanted to give his charge the time needed to come to terms with his loss.
Birmingham’s Gavin is 2-0 (2) as a professional, he impressed in his pro debut, showing grit and tenacity to overcome a cut nose on route to defeating George Kadaria in four rounds. The prospect will take on York’s Graham Fearn on the undercard of the rearranged bill, set for the 18th of July at the MEN. Frankie told the Sunday Mercury that he will be dedicating the fight to the memory of his grandmother.
“I was very close to my nan and it was a hard time for me when she passed away,” he explained. “I continued training as hard as ever but there was something lacking. I felt it and my coach Anthony Farnell knew it. He was all for me cancelling the [originally scheduled] fight.”
Indeed, Gavin was a moment away from telling promoter Frank Warren that he was out of the original bill, only for Kotelnik’s dental problems to take the decision out of his hands. The three-week delay gave Gavin the chance to have a brief break, before continuing with his preparations.
“I was happy, but reluctant, to go along with Arnie and my amateur coach Tom Chaney because they knew best, and we were on the verge of telling Frank Warren of our collective decision when it was taken out of our hands,” he said. “My nan will always be special and I will go out against Fearn with the extra determination to win in style especially for her.”
Boxingscene wishes Gavin well for his upcoming fight, the southpaw stylist is adding a little extra edge to his game as a pro; Anthony Farnell, himself a former fighter, has done a fine job of preparing the youngster for the rigours of the pros.
You can catch Gavin’s third pro fight on the undercard of Kotelnik-Khan. Sky TV PPV televises here in the UK.
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