Daniel Geale always struggles to get the limelight.
In recent years, Geale has climbed his way up the rankings, yet gone largely unnoticed as he has competed for exposure with names such as Mundine, Green, Briggs, and Darchinyan.
On the day of his fight with Roman Karmazin, all the crowd were talking about , was either Lenny Zappavinga or Lauryn Eagle......and in the weeks following his demolition of Karmazin to secure a shot at the IBF Middleweight Title, the name on everyone’s lips was Garth Wood, following his shock defeat of Anthony Mundine.
This week he held a press conference and media day, only for a meagre three journalist to attend, as another debacle involving one Todd Carney had erupted across town, meaning the media scrum had elsewhere to be.
Compare this to press conferences of Mundine and Green, whose press days are harder to get a park at than the local shopping centre at Christmas time, and you see what Geale is up against.
And yet it continues...
When Daniel Geale takes on Germany’s Sebastian Sylvester for the IBF Middleweight Title on May 8, the eyes of the fight world will be pre-occupied with another fight across the other side of the world, one involving two future hall of famers , Manny Pacquiao and “Sugar” Shane Mosley.
But though Geale may think the day when the spotlight shines only on him, may never come, with victory on May 8 in Germany, Geale can assure he is sworn in as the “future” of Australian boxing.
With rumours that Danny Green’s fight with Antonio Tarver may be his swansong, Anthony Mundine’s less than “Word class” performance against Garth Wood, and back to back losses for Michael Katsidis, Australian Boxing is looking for their next marquee man.
Whilst some want to give that mantle to Garth Wood, those people are gravely mistaken. Daniel Geale has pedigree and legitimacy.
Daniel Geale has had a distinguished Amateur career, winning more accolades than that of Danny Green and Michael Katsidis in their respective amateur sojourns.
Geale took home gold in the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester, as well as represented his country at the 2004 Athens Games.
Geale’s style is a watermark of his amateur success, with Geale having arguably the best “pure boxing” technique of any of Australia’s fighters currently going around. Whilst he may not pocess the granite hands of Green, the flash of Mundine, or the wild charge of Katsidis or Darchinyan, Geale has the ability to make mince meat of the best.
In 24 fights, Geale has suffered only the one defeat, by way of a controversial split decision at the hands of Anthony “The Man” Mundine.
So controversial in fact that the International Boxing Organization demanded an immediate rematch between the pair, only for Mundine to vacate the IBO Middleweight Title he won off Geale and step down to Junior Middleweight.
If Geale is successful in defeating Sylvester for the IBF Middleweight belt, watch how quickly Mundine will bring himself back in the picture. A legitimate world title and a score to settle is box office gold, only thing is Geale will have bigger fish to fry.
But, Geale’s last performance was most telling in all the 24 fights he has won.
A brutal 12th Round TKO victory of Roman Karmazin, in an IBF Eliminator, not only secured Geale a shot of the title, but woke up those who didn’t already know of his name.
So brutal was the performance, Karmazin didn’t leave his hospital bed for five days after the fight.
Karmazin is a man who took the man Geale is challenging, Sebastian Sylvester, to a split draw only 8 months ago, so Sylvester is more than aware of what Geale can do.
Sylvester is no push over himself though, having amassed a record of 34 wins, 3 losses and a draw. He has beaten some quality names and will have home ground advantage, in a home that many refuse to go to, given the circus that the fight game in Germany can be.
Australian fight fans would be familiar with the fiasco that was the first Danny Green- Markus Beyer fight, and the fact that many agree that German fighters don’t lose a close fight in Germany.
But like the Karmazin fight , Geale has no intention of giving the judges anything to ponder.
But the reason why so many like Geale, is that he had no qualms going to Germany.
That is why Geale is so refreshing. No Trash talk, No sideshow, no handpicked fights.
Geale fights anyone and everyone, and he does it for figures nowhere near the likes of the reported $500,000 Garth Wood received for his clash with Mundine...after only 12 professional fights.
Geale has been thrown a curveball or two in his time, but you never hear him whinge, he just gets down to business and fights.
Geale is a man who in his spare time trains fighters, goes from amateur tournament to amateur tournament, and collects as many titles a trainer possibly can.
Finally on May 8 when he pulls on the gloves, he can collect the gold as a fighter.
The gold being, The IBF Middleweight Title, one of the big three, recognised in the sport.
No micky-mouse title like the IBO, that he has already held, and currently held by Green and Darchinyan , no interim belt like the many adorning the waste of Mundine and Katsidis, but a fully fledged linear title that will open more doors than any other.
On May 8, Daniel Geale finally shows the world that he is in fact the “Real Deal”.
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