"I think we made a statement. I'd like to think we made a statement, but I still feel like we the underdog. I still feel like I have a lot to prove. I still feel like these guys are gonna underestimate me and I still have a chip on my shoulder... I'm not just gonna give up and lay down. I'm not here to be beaten. I'm here to win. And that's what these guys need to recognize on my side is that I'm here to win," stated jr. middleweight contender Frank Galarza, who talked about his impressive 2nd round knockout of John Thompson, his future plans, and much more. Check it out!
PC: Congratulations on the 2nd round knockout of John Thompson. How do you feel, man?
FG: I feel good, man (laughing). We came, we saw, we conquered. That's pretty much what happened. We had a plan. We had a game plan going in and we executed it perfectly and we did what we had to do.
PC: I didn't think you could win a decision against Thompson fighting him the way you fought the 1st round. Was that the plan to kind of lure him to sleep or feel him out and let him get comfortable and then come out and blast him in the next round?
FG: It wasn't really trying to lure him to sleep, honestly. We were really trying to feel him out. We knew going into the fight that he had a good jab, but we didn't really know until I actually got in there with him to realize that he really had a good jab. So I was first stepping into the jab trying to get in, then I realized that's not gonna work. So I had to take a step back and use my mind a little bit, so I started moving, boxing, and feinting a little bit. I was just trying to be smart and figure it out and we'll get it into the next round and see what my corner had to say. I went back and my corner was like, "He has a good jab. Step to the right and let your hands go." So the game plan from the 2nd round on...we were in shape for this fight, so we wanted to start fast and finish strong every round after that. We knew he was gonna use his jab, so we had to be the first to attack and get in first. So we take away his jab and we knew he had nothing, so that was the plan. We didn't expect him to go out that early, but every round was gonna be at that pace and hard. Like I said, we were physically prepared for that kind of fight.
PC: When you landed the right hand, he was in all kinds of trouble. Did you feel it in the punch or were you surprised at how he reacted and how hurt he actually was from the punch?
FG: To be honest with you, I'm gonna be 100% honest with you, I don't feel it in my punches; even with the hook. I didn't feel it until he dropped. When I'm hitting these guys, I don't feel it in the punch. I don't know if I have power or if I don't. Whatever it is, I'm not feeling it. I seen him do that little stutter step and I just knew to get right back on him. In sparring and everything else, the way we do it is one-two and if the guy pauses, we don't give them time to think; we back on them with a one-two. And that's exactly what we did. The last one-two we threw, we missed the right hand and it was just in me to throw the hook. It was like one-two and we missed, and I threw the hook right after and it just so happened he was lined up and the leverage of the punch took him out.
PC: When you saw him go down face first, when he attempted to get up, did you know that was the end or in your mind, were you preparing to go finish him?
FG: When he feel, I was like, "It's over!" I had a feeling it was over and if he was gonna get up...honestly, the way he fell, I was like, "It's over."
PC: We talked before the fight about being his first blemish. Now that you have accomplished that in impressive fashion, how does it feel?
FG: It's not just taking his 0 away; it's the way we took his 0 away. The fact that he was the hot guy and the prospect, I always mention it, but I don't mind being the underdog. We knew going into this fight we were the underdog. When I actually seen the fight on TV, it was really weird because I didn't realize that I was that much of an underdog. I didn't realize it until I actually seen and heard it myself. It was like, wow, they actually think I'm gonna lose. So I was like, cool. It's whatever. For me, I'm kind of over it. I don't even think about it anymore; it's done. But at the time, I think we made a statement. I'd like to think we made a statement, but I still feel like we the underdog. I still feel like I have a lot to prove. I still feel like these guys are gonna underestimate me and I still have a chip on my shoulder. You may think these guys are something just because of your amateur background or whatever. I mean, this guy had 111 amateur fights, but that doesn't mean anything to me. I don't care what experience you think you have, I'm there to fight and I don't care about your record or who you are; we there to fight. Anybody who faces me, it's not gonna be an easy fight for them. I'm not just gonna give up and lay down. I'm not here to be beaten. I'm here to win. And that's what these guys need to recognize on my side is that I'm here to win.
PC: You fought that very tall Alantez Fox and Thompson was a tall fighter as well. I don't think you can face anyone much taller then those guys in the division. Will it be nice to be eye to eye with an opponent or are you not bothered being the shorter man?
FG: (Laughing) Everybody always asks me that question like, "Why you always get the big guys?" Listen, at the end of the day, I take it as a benefit for me because when I do fight the smaller guys, I know what I have to do. When I fight these tall guys, I know what to do. If you look at the Charlo Brothers and Gabriel Rosado, those guys are pretty tall and they are all in my weight class. Most of the guys are gonna be my level or have an inch or two height advantage over me, but if we can learn how to fight those guys now, when we get to those challenging fights, we will know how to beat these guys. We will know how to beat the guys with the good jab. We will know how to beat these guys who can brawl or that know how to box. It's all a part of learning and growing.
PC: From texting back and forth with your manager a little bit, it appears that even though he wants and feels you should be televised after stealing that ShoBox card, he's not gonna wait around for a TV date. He wants to keep you busy. Is that your mindset?
FG: I trust in A.J. I trust in my management and promotional team New Legend, Won Promotion and they are co-promoting with Lou Dibella, and I trust them in the way they want to move me. For me, I just wanna stay busy and stay active. I don't care if it's TV or not. I just want to stay active. If we can get another 4 more fights by the end of the year and stay undefeated, that leaves me at 16-0 and that's pretty good.
PC: I put a few people on to you right before the event on Twitter and you didn't disappoint. Congratulations again and I wish you the best moving forward. Is there anything you want to say in closing?
FG: I just want to thank you guys. It's always a pleasure speaking to you guys at FightHype and you guys represent Elite Boxing to the fullest. I'm here to represent Elite Boxing Enterprises and A.J. And my whole promotional team: Lou Dibella, New Legend, Won Promotions, Old World Boxing. And I really want to thank my fans and my supporters. We got over 4,000 views on YouTube within the first week. And apparently we are looking at the "Knockout of the Year," and I'm just thankful for the opportunity and the opportunity to be fighting on Showtime. So I want to thank Showtime for giving me the opportunity, so on to the next man.
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]