"Now we back on TV again and we just gonna keep showing these people what we are made of and showing the boxing world what we are made of
I'm nowhere near where I want to be in boxing right now. I got a big win and that was great, but it's still about being at that championship level and make it to that next stage. I want to let people know they shouldn't overlook me. If you overlook me, I will surprise you," stated jr. middleweight contender Frank Galarza, who talked about his upcoming return to the ring this Friday when he faces Sebastien Bouchard on ShoBox: The New Generation. Check it out!
PC: You are back on Showtime on Friday night. How has everything been for this camp?
FG: So far, so good, man. Camp has been good. We are finally done, we on weight, and we are where we need to be right now and just ready to rumble, baby. That's all.
PC: When you come off of a huge knockout win like you had against John Thompson on ShoBox, you always worry about a letdown if your next fight is not on that same big stage. You didn't fall in that trap coming off of a non-televised 2nd round knockout. How did you avoid that?
FG: We do what we normally do. We went in there and we got the job done. We got him out. He didn't belong in there with me, so we got him out. That was it, so now we back on TV again and we just gonna keep showing these people what we are made of and showing the boxing world what we are made of.
PC: Sebastien Bouchard is the opponent. He has an undefeated record. Do you know a lot about him or will it be a feeling out process?
FG: It's gonna be a feeling out process. I don't know much about him. I know he's from Canada, but that's about it, so there will be a feeling out process to see what he's bringing to the table. And from there, I will make adjustments as we move forward in the fight. That's pretty much what we do. That's our gameplan, to just figure it out. No matter how much footage we watch, you never know how the person comes in the day of, so we just gonna wait and see what happens and then I'ma do what we came to do. We trained hard and we are in a good place.
PC: I know being back on Showtime won't change your approach physically as far as fighting outside of yourself, but mentally, does being on TV change anything?
FG: I pretty much stay the same. I never let it get to my head. It's TV, but I still gotta show people what I'm capable of. To be honest to you, the cameras and lights don't exist to me. It's like my priority is the person in front of me. That's the person coming to take my head off and try to give me that loss. I'm not gonna allow that. That's my priority.
PC: Your opponent is undefeated, but he only has 8 fights. Do you feel your experience will be the difference in this fight?
FG: I think he had a pretty decent amateur career where he won the nationals in Canada. I never underestimate anyone. I did that once in my career and I suffered for it. I got a draw and I will never do that again. You never know what the person is capable of, so we just stay prepared for whatever.
PC: We're not even midway through the year, but looking back at it, are you where you had hoped to be at this point of the year? Ahead of schedule or behind schedule?
FG: I think right now, we're pretty much on schedule. This will be our third fight this year and, like you said, it's not even mid-year yet, so I feel like we are on schedule, which is great. We came off of the big win and that helped us out, and now we're coming off of another win recently, so it helps because if we don't have to take punishment from these fights, that makes a big difference. We extend it and we're able to get more fights in throughout the year not taking damage. We are right on track. The recovery time is a big help. We put a lot of strain on the body, so when I get in and out of these fights, I'm able to take a day or two off and just rest the mind, because I think the mind is more tired than anything, and then we are right back in the gym and just start making adjustments. Even though we were fortunate enough to get those knockouts, we are still learning. The first fight in January, we learned that we need to get a better jab and move a guy with our jab, and in my last fight, we got to experience being in there with a lefty and how to be more defensive, keep my hands up, and how not to get too crazy. It's always a learning experience, whether we get the early knockout or we go 8 to 10 rounds.
PC: I'm sure you don't get caught up in this as much as media and the fans, but being that your last ShoBox outing was so spectacular, do you feel any pressure to one up that performance?
FG: I can't get caught up in that. Every fight is different and every fighter is different. That happened already; that's done. I was over that like two days later and was like, "What's next? What are we preparing for now?" It's a mind thing. Boxing is a mind thing. If you let yourself get caught up in the hype and all of this other stuff, the more you start losing where you are at. I'm nowhere near where I want to be in boxing right now. I got a big win and that was great, but it's still about being at that championship level and make it to that next stage. I want to let people know they shouldn't overlook me. If you overlook me, I will surprise you.
PC: Good luck on Friday night. I look forward to the fight and we will speak afterwards. Is there anything else you want to say before I let you go?
FG: I just want to thank Showtime and Lou DiBella again and New Legend Promotions, my promoters in general. AJ [Galante], who has been doing a phenomenal job with me as far as my career and helping me out in so many ways, and you guys, man. You guys are always constantly showing your support and it's all love. Elite Boxing, baby, we're here!
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]