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A.J. GALANTE ON FRANK GALARZA: "HIS NAME IS DEFINITELY GETTING OUT THERE...HE CAN HOLD HIS OWN WITH ANYONE"

By Percy Crawford | August 19, 2014
A.J. GALANTE ON FRANK GALARZA:

"Frank's name is definitely getting out there more and more...one thing about Frank is, training at Starrett City Boxing Club in Brooklyn, he's faced every type of sparring out there. He gets regular work with guys like Danny Jacobs, Curtis Stevens, Luis Collazo, and more. He can hold his own with anyone. I've seen it with my own eyes," stated A.J. Galante, manager of jr. middleweight contender Frank Galarza, who talked about their future plans and much more. Check it out!

PC: We speak often, but it's been a long time since we have been on record. How are you?

AG: For the most part, everything is good; extremely busy, which is a good thing.

PC: You had Frank Galarza out in camp with Kell Brook. How did that opportunity present itself?

AG: I was actually reached out to by Brook's team. They were shifting the final portion of their training camp to Las Vegas and really wanted Frank to fly out there to give Kell some sparring for the final week. It was a great opportunity for Frank. I'm always looking to get him into camps like that because those types of experiences are invaluable, and plus it helps us because we have a match coming up in about a month, so it was a win-win situation. Frank's name is definitely getting out there more and more and I've been reached out by a lot of top guys' people looking for work from Frank, so hopefully it is a trend that continues.

PC: How was the work? Did you talk to Frank specifically about it?

AG: Well, one thing about Frank is, training at Starrett City Boxing Club in Brooklyn, he's faced every type of sparring out there. He gets regular work with guys like Danny Jacobs, Curtis Stevens, Luis Collazo, and more. He can hold his own with anyone. I've seen it with my own eyes. I wasn't in Vegas with Frank, but he told me he wasn't expecting Kell to be so heavy-handed. We knew he's more of a boxer, slick, fast hands, but Frank told me specifically that he was really surprised at the punching power. I was told by Brook's people that Frank did an excellent job. In fact, they kept him about three days longer than what we originally spoke about, so I know they were pleased with Frank.

PC: Frank is also returning on September 20th, after consecutive 2nd round knockouts and a unanimous decision win over an undefeated fighter. What are you expecting from him next month?

AG: Well, we're still working on an opponent, which has gotten very hard each fight. September 20th will be off-tv, and guys that I'm looking to match him with really just don't want to get in there with him. Frank is getting better with each fight, and I think people recognize that. I like to keep my guys busy, which means fighting off-tv, and it's gotten a lot more difficult to grab opponents. Some of the money that guys are asking for to fight Frank is absurd, but it is what it is. We will get something done; we have narrowed in on a few guys and I believe we'll have something any day now. But as far as when Frank gets back into the ring, I expect a win, as I always do. Whether it's a knockout or decision, the goal remains the same, just win. I think his defense will continue to get better each fight, and he's becoming a more complete offensive fighter as well, so just progress in certain areas for each fight is what I speak with his trainers about.

PC: I'm sure you have been staying busy with some projects and keeping your fighters active.

AG: Definitely! Working with Frank has been great, because he likes to stay as active outside the ring as in it. We've done a lot of great charitable events this summer, motivational speaking, and we have a few events coming up in the next few months here in Connecticut that has helped grow his fan base, which is what it's all about. People have just been drawn to him. When they meet and interact with him, you can see them become instant fans, especially kids.

PC: Now that you have experience under your belt as a manager, is it what you expected, totally different from what you expected, or what?

AG: That's a great question and people ask me that all the time. I think the only true answer is that I really didn't know what to expect when I started in professional boxing three and half years ago. I came in literally with no experience, contacts, nothing, but I have grown as a manager, learned so much these years, and I think I'll continue to get better. I've experienced a lot, from negotiating a fight for a main event of HBO World Championship Boxing to being a part of really small club shows. I've actually seen every rung of professional boxing in a short period of time, and that is an advantage to me and gives guys I work with a certain level of comfort. I have learned a lot from veterans of this game, managers, promoters, and I am one of the few that want to listen to people with more experience than me. I have truly listened and taken a lot of advice, followed the advice, but the truth is, at the end of the day, I have my own philosophy of managing. I think I keep things simple and I've had some success so far. But I've also made some big mistakes, and I try to look at them as positives and definitely have learned from them and will continue to learn.

PC: I know you are looking to grow your stable. Without naming names, are you looking at any fighters in particular?

AG: I always keep my ears and options open. I definitely have my eye on a few guys. The thing with me is, for me to be interested in working with a guy, they have to be more than just someone with skill. There's skill in every gym across the world. Skills pay the bills, I know, but at the end of the day, I'm a firm believer in will beats skill. That's my belief; my opinion. I'll work with a guy that has average skills, all the heart in the world, a personality that fans love, warrior mentality, even with a few losses on his resume, over a guy who is strictly skills, an inflated record, and nothing else. Every manager has their own philosophy; every manager has a type of fighter who they prefer and are drawn to. I think I'm one of the up-and-coming guys on the business side of the sport. Guys like me and Adrian Clark out of Texas, who is also 27 years old. We are the future of this. We may not have 100 guys we manage between the two of us, but if you look deep into our limited track records, we have had success. I still am learning, and have a lot to learn, but I know that if a boxer entrusts his career with me, he won't be sorry he did so. I always work hard for my guys.

PC: You engaged in a little Twitter war with another manager out there who I'm also cool with, Eddie Gonzales. What happened there?

AG: (Laughing) All I know is that he manages Wilkins Santiago. I came onto Twitter, which I really don't do too much of, and I noticed Frank's promoter, Felipe Gomez, and him going back and forth. Felipe and I are extremely close; work very good together. We have been trying to get Wilkins Santiago as an opponent for Frank for over a year. All I saw was Felipe offer a challenge to Eddie via Twitter and this guy just went off. I let them two go at it a little until I saw this guy call Frank a bum, which was actually hilarious. Then I just couldn't stay silent. I got into it with him a bit. Now Percy, you're a smart guy, if you go on boxrec, you see Wilkins Santiago ranked as a junior middleweight. His manager was talking all sorts of craziness about, "Come down to 147. Wilkins is 147. You guys just wanted to fight inflated welterweights." Just craziness. But like I said, if you look at Wilkins Santiago's boxrec card, he's listed as a junior middleweight and every fight other than his last one has been in the 154 range. So I guess weight is the excuse for Mr. Gonzales, and that's okay. I think he's doing a good job and proved he cares about Wilkins and his well-being for not putting him in there with Frank. My biggest problem with some guys is, just be honest. Look, you don't want the fight, you don't want an L, that's fine, but don't call my guy a bum and don't blame it on weight when all but one fight for your guy has been at the same weight as my guy. You know what I'm saying? All I know is I see an undefeated guy, looks gritty, and I wanted him as an opponent. I look for tough opponents, but I guess, like I said before, not all managers are made the same. At the end of the day, it's over with. Frank basically forced Wilkins Santiago to drop weight faster than Hydroxycut.

PC: What's the goal for Galarza by year's end and going forward into 2015?

AG: Well, I'm hoping for a nice win on September 20th. If we come out unscathed, not cut, etc., I'm going to try to get Frank something else by year end, either November or December. The plan for September is that the match is supposed to be a 10-rounder. That's what myself and our promoters are trying to accomplish. It would be Frank's first 10-round fight. But if it had to be 8, and another 8-rounder in November or December, that's fine. I want to keep him active and face different types of opposition. 2015, I want to stay active as well. We have two TV matches under our belts in 2014. I think we'll have some in 2015, but it's not like we have TV contracts, so I am not going to just assume we're going to have TV dates. So the plan is never to wait for TV. I'm going to keep him active and hopefully get another 5 fights in next year.

PC: I wish you and your guys the best of luck. I know you have some big things in store and I look forward to all of it. Is there anything you want to add before I let you go?

AG: Thank you Percy. You've always been loyal to me and my team. I definitely have some big things coming for the coming year, and I look forward to making progress towards building a world champion. You can check me out on Twitter @eliteboxing_ajg, and be sure to follow Frank Galarza on Twitter @Notorious_FG and on Instagram @BK_rocky



[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]

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