Alan Dawson – London
Tasmanian 30-year-old Daniel Geale made a statement by returning from Germany with a decision victory over former IBF World Middleweight champion Sebastian Sylvester, according to fight promoter Gary Shaw. The Australian prizefighter now has a number of opponents to select from for his first title defence which – he claims – will be in his home country, before he ventures to the United States.
Picture Credit: Rockfingrz, Source: Flickr
“I felt like I was dreaming,” Shaw said when reflecting on Geale’s triumph over Sylvester on Saturday, May 7, at the Jahnsportforum in Germany. On The Beak published a report on the fight here (includes video and scorecard). The victory was, according to OTB‘s Petra Kirsch, one-sided. She scored it 117-111 while the three ringside judges gave verdicts of 118-110, 118-112, 110-118.
Key factors in Geale’s win were his ability to throw multi-punch combinations seemingly without reply, his willingness to take instruction from his corner (they could oft be heard ordering Geale to keep his guard up) and also his relentless work ethic.
“To win a decision in Germany is making a statement,” noted Shaw. “Daniel was terrific, very fast, and he stayed busy throughout and maintained a great output of punches. I will speak with the team about several different opponents [for his next fight], and we will carefully weigh Daniel’s options. Right now we’re just celebrating his brilliant victory.”
Geale’s sole blemish on his record was against fellow Australian boxer Anthony Mundine – a loss he wants to avenge as he felt the defeat was not justified. He is yet to formally discuss his options with his promoters, however, he will likely make the first defence of his newly-acquired IBF belt in his home country.
“I think I said when I was about 16 I’d love to have my first title defence in Tasmania, we’ll see how things go,” Geale (25-1-0, 15ko) is reported to have said by World Wide Of Sports. ” I’ve got to speak to my management about that and work out the best option, anywhere in Australia would be awesome. I’ve always said I’ve been prepared to go anywhere, so if we have to go over to the United States, that’s the next big step for us.
“Depending on negotiations and everything, my second defence will hopefully be in the US. I’d love to get over there and cement my name. Defend the title here in Australia and then go over there and say ‘Here I am, who’s next?’”
Mundine is ranked fourth in the world by the IBF and could prove a viable option for Geale as, upon losing a split decision to his countryman in 2009 (much to the chagrin of those in attendance) Geale said “listen to the crowd” when he was asked post-fight whether a rematch would be pursued.
In addition to Mundine, a unification bout with Felix Sturm could also be booked. Geale said: “There’s a lot of great fighters out there, we know we had Sturm looking at us, he sort of threw out a bit of a challenge before I fought Sylvester. There are plenty of options on the board, We’ve just got to sit down and work out what’s best and it’s also making a couple of dollars as well.”
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