By ‘Icky’ Smith: It has taken over a decade of tireless work for Joe Gallagher to establish himself as one of Britain’s top trainers. In that time he has dedicated himself to the sport in a way that can only be admired, and has amassed an impressive record along the way. His success would seem undeniable, yet criticism always seems to be waiting just around the corner for the Manchester born trainer, who still seems to be searching for respect despite his long list of achievements.
You’d think that Gallagher would only have to point to the numbers, but many boxing fans are still unconvinced, labeling his style as too basic for the top level, and while it has taken three seemingly unremarkable fighters, in Scott Quigg, Liam Smith, and Anthony Crolla, to world titles, the question remains as to whether the ‘Gallagher Style’ comes with a low ceiling.
While this is a fair question, it is hard not to appreciate the well drilled fundamentals that are Gallagher’s trademark. Rarely will you see one his fighters lean from the waist to reach in with a jab, lose their defensive shape whilst punching, or make any of the many schoolboy errors that are all too common in today’s boxing world, even at a high level. At ‘Gallagher’s Gym’ they are taught to be compact and technically correct, and they are taught well. As fans we may see a style that is dull to watch, or limited, but within the confines of that style, Joe Gallagher’s boxers make very few mistakes. It may be boxing in its simplest form, but the 2015 ‘Ring Magazine’ ‘Trainer of the Year’ uses it to its full effect.
This philosophy has taken Gallagher from a local domestic level to the world stage in an impressively short time, but that world stage boasts fighters like Vasyl Lomanchenko, Jorge Linares, and Billy Joe Saunders, fighters whose styles are designed to take apart the basic boxer with movement and angles of attack. Linares showed as much in his two fights with Anthony Crolla in Manchester where, despite Crolla’s heroic efforts, his freedom of movement kept him a step ahead of the Englishman’s ‘Step and Punch’ method at all times. The same case was made by Carl Frampton, whose minute, early adjustments didn’t allow Scott Quigg to find his range for the first seven rounds of their fight in 2016. These are boxers who like to position themselves in the safest place that they can hurt you, and fighters whose main objective is to dominate the centre-line make that easier. Gallagher’s style will force the toughest of incomplete fighters to come apart at the seams, as has been proven on many occasions, but now he has reached that elite level he is meeting those fighters less and less.
A good test of this theory will be when Callum Smith faces George Groves in the WBSS Final this summer. Callum has long been thought of as one of the hottest prospects in the U.K, and is certainly the most naturally gifted fighter that Joe Gallagher has yet trained. Against Groves, Smith would seem to have the natural advantages; reach, stamina, and a slight edge in speed. Both boxers have an excellent jab, but with his reach advantage, Smith has to be the favourite to win that battle. Groves may fancy he can get inside of Smith’s long limbs, but Smith is compact and strong on the inside. The thing most likely to trouble Smith in this fight will be Groves’ good movement and varied angles of attack, which has proved to be the Achilles heel for Gallagher’s fighters in the past.
This may read as a personal attack on Gallagher, but in truth there are many trainers teaching this style all over the world, and Gallagher is probably the best of them. Every fighter he has trained has been given a solid base and a set of skills that won’t see them far wrong in this sport. Whether Joe Gallagher is a good trainer or not is not up for question, but the question as to whether he can add the dimensions to his style needed to make him a great one has yet to be answered.