Gary Corcoran Q&A: ‘Whatever comes my way – I will win’

By Boxing News - 11/17/2017 - Comments

Image: Gary Corcoran Q&A: 'Whatever comes my way - I will win'

By Ian Aldous: On Wednesday December 13th, WBO No.10 ranked welterweight, Gary Corcoran (17-1), looks to shock the world and take Jeff Horn’s (17-0-1) WBO welterweight world championship, at the Brisbane Convention Centre in Australia, live on ESPN and ESPN Deportes. Terence Crawford awaits the winner as the next mandatory challenger for the belt. This week, the Wembley-based ‘Hell Raiser’, took some time to talk with me over the phone about his impending and surprising world title opportunity.

IA: December 13th is the date you aim to achieve a dream, Jeff Horn for the WBO welterweight title in Brisbane. Tell me what was going through your mind when you got the call for the fight and how surprised were you?

GC: I was just out shopping with the missus and I got a phone call ‘do you want to fight for the world title against Jeff Horn? ‘ and I said ‘yeah, why not’ (laughs)? That was it, I said yes straight away.

IA: You’ve recently been out in Australia on a press tour promoting the fight. It seems like you and Jeff actually get on quite well!

GC: Yeah, he’s all right. I don’t know him, he’s just another person I have to box, and that’s it. It’s just business to me.

IA: Do you think there’s a chance Jeff Horn and his team have underestimated you?

GC: Yeah, I think he has because he’s said I’m an easy option and he’s looking at the fights like Terence Crawford, Conor McGregor and they’ve been on about Pacquiao again. So, I think they have, I really do think they have.

IA: One thing Australia is known for at this time of the year is the heat. What are your plans in preparation for acclimatising to the conditions in Brisbane?

GC: I’m going out three weeks before (fight night), I’ll be training over there, sparring a bit over there and just getting ready for the weather.

IA: What were your thoughts on the controversial night that Jeff Horn won and took the title from Manny Pacquiao?

GC: I’ll be honest with you, it was a close fight. I don’t think Pacquiao is the same fighter he used to be. I think a few years ago he would have knocked Jeff Horn out and that’s my honest opinion, but he beat what was in front of him. It’s a good win to have on your record, Pacquiao, because he’s shop-worn a bit now. It was the right time to get him, so fair play to him.

IA: That fight was roughly a week before your big win over Larry Ekundayo. Did you think then that a win over Ekundayo might land you a world ranking and the world title shot against Horn? Or was that not even in your thought process?

GC: It was always in my head that I was hoping to get a ranking, this world title shot just came my way and I said ‘yes’.

IA: Your swarming style should make for a brutal contest and you’ll make Horn work for every second of every round. Are you worried that even if you put on a performance worthy of winning – you might not get the decision out there?

GC: I hope so, I hope there’s no cheating or controversial decisions or anything like that, because there’s a lot of bad things going on in boxing with judges and all that sh*t. If I box to orders, I will beat Jeff and that will be no problem.

IA: I believe you’ve been sparring with David Avanesyan in preparation for December 13th. Sparring a former interim world champion like him must give you so much confidence?

GC: Yeah, I’ve been sparring him. Sparring’s been going very well and I’ve had two other partners as well. Sparring’s actually going top dollar at the moment, (I’m) doing twelve rounds.

IA: Finally, tell me what’s going to happen on December 13th.

GC: Gary Corcoran wins. Points win or TKO, whatever comes my way – I will win.

The Horn vs. Corcoran world welterweight championship fight will take place on Wednesday December 13th, at the Brisbane Convention Centre and will be televised live and exclusively at 6:30 a.m. EST on ESPN and ESPN Deportes.