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Photo © cirilloworld.com/
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One thing I have always liked about boxing is that we are often exposed to a fighter’s character and class outside of the ropes as well as inside. How people carry themselves through life will play a big role in their ultimate success and in talking to New York Featherweight Gary Stark Jr. I sensed a prospect determined enough to make it big and humble enough to appreciate what’s in front of him.
Stark Jr. will be putting his undefeated record (12-0, 6 KO’s) on the line this Thursday night at the Hammerstein Ballroom in yet another edition of Lou DiBella's Broadway Boxing series. Stark Jr. will be fighting alongside fellow fighters Dmitriy Salita, Curtis Stevens, and Edgar Santana, and as always he is promising a ‘good show for everyone in New York.’
I was able to catch up with Gary to get his thoughts on his upcoming fight, his close connection to his fans, his fellow fighters, and his strong relationship with his father. Here’s what Stark Jr. had to say…
Biggest test yet…
‘I’m definitely excited for this fight because it’s going to be my biggest test yet. It’s going to be my biggest test so far as a professional fighter but it’s going to be in my hometown and I’m going to have a lot of people supporting me for this fight. I’ve heard a lot of good things about my opponent. I know that he’s a southpaw and I’ve only fought two southpaws before this fight. I heard this guy is just a tough Mexican and it’s going to give me the chance to show people how I perform when I’m in a tough fight.
The Hammerstein Ballroom…
‘The Hammerstein is a great venue. It’s your hometown and you always have a lot of your friends and family coming to support you. It gives you a nice cushion when you go into the late rounds, just hearing people chanting your name. The support always helps.
Brooklyn and Staten Island…
‘I had a pretty good childhood. I was with my mom for a while because my parents divorced when I was younger. I was going back and forth between my mom and my father, but I decided eventually that I wanted to live with my father. My mom took me to Staten Island when I was around thirteen, but when my father got custody of me I was living back in Brooklyn with him. My dad told me that some parts of Brooklyn ‘weren’t too good’ and he would commute me from Brooklyn all the way to Staten Island just to go to school.
Getting into boxing…
‘My father boxed before and he was always pushing me into boxing but I was never really into it. He started me up when I was around five years old but I was never interested in the boxing circuit like that. I was always playing baseball and boxing is just something that grew on me after time. My father was very strict and kept telling me ‘Come on kid, let’s go boxing’ and one day when I was around seventeen I said ‘You know what, let’s go’. Ever since then I haven’t stopped and I haven’t looked back.
Boxing ability…
‘I consider myself a boxer. I can be a boxer-puncher and I take whatever comes. I have quick hands and try to show off a lot of my boxing ability. I try to get my opponent’s really aggravated with my style.
Knowing Rap mogul Damon Dash…
‘The same year that I won my second Golden Gloves is when I met both Jay-Z and Damon Dash. Ever since then Damon has put me under his wings. He came to my fights in the Golden Gloves and he supported everything I was doing. When I was looking to turn pro I asked him if he could manage me and he said ‘sure’ because he saw how hard I worked in the gym. That was around 2001 and he’s been with me from the beginning. Having someone so successful around me serves as extra motivation and is even an inspiration as someone you’d like to be like one day.
Influences…
‘My father is real big in my life. He used to box too, and as a single father he took me in when I was young and made sure that I stayed in school. He made sure that I did well in school and just gave me the right kind of guidance for my life. In the boxing world I looked up to guys like Floyd Mayweather, Roy Jones Jr., and Angel Manfredy too. My father and I used to look at tapes and pick every individual thing that each fighter had that I would like to have.
Learning lessons…
‘My father taught me to always be humble and to always be cool with people. Never be too cocky, stuff like that. Just lessons, learning lessons. He told me not to follow people and to be my own leader.
Pushing for 100%...
‘My father has always stayed on top of me and he has always pushed me to be my best. Some people will criticize father-son relationships in the sport but I can’t think of anyone who will push me more than my father. I have a couple of other trainers but my father pushes me the most and always gets 100% out of me.
Musical taste…
‘I love rap music. Right now I listen to Jay-Z and the old Rocafella music like Cam’ron and Juelz Santana. Still, a lot of people don’t know but I listen to a lot of older music like Frank Sinatra. I actually just picked up an old James Brown CD. If I listened to too much rap music I would go crazy.
Fellow fighters…
‘I train with Jaidon Codrington and Curtis Stevens. We were gym mates back as far as the amateurs. I’ve known Andre Berto since I was an amateur and there are a lot of top prospects coming up that I am friends with like Jason Litzau and Allen Litzau. I just sparred with Roberto Benitez recently and he gave me good work for my upcoming fight. All these guys I am in the gym with everyday and if I’m not watching what they are doing, they are watching what I am doing and it’s good.
Staying humble to the game…
‘Boxing is a hard business. You have to really put your all into it or there will be people who are better than you, working harder than you, or grinding more than you. Right now I just see myself as a true fighter and I don’t get too cocky. I just stay humble to the game and hopefully good things will come for me in this business.
Madison Square Garden…
‘One of my goals is to someday fight as a professional at Madison Square Garden. When I was in the Golden Gloves I fought in the Theatre and I would just dream about fighting in the big house. I’m fighting at the Hammerstein now and right across the street is the Garden, so hopefully I can make it there. It’s definitely one of my goals.
Paving the way…
‘People always seem to be caught up in the Heavyweights. Everybody wants to see the big guys fight, ya know? Sometimes I wish I was bigger so that I would get more attention as a fighter. Hopefully the way I’m going, I’m paving the way for the little guys to get more notice. It will happen.
Like family…
‘I don’t look at my fans as fans, I look at them as family. After my fights I go around to each individual person and tell them ‘Thank you’ for coming to my fight. I get a good vibe just talking to people face to face like that. I know a lot of people from here and there and you get to meet a lot of people from ordinary life in general. Even people who don’t know me will come up to me and say ‘Hey kid, when are you fighting next?’ and attention like that is always a big thrill too.
Just another step…
‘I just want to let everyone know that they are going to be seeing a good fight this Thursday. Every fight is a test and I’m looking to pass this test with flying colors. It’s just another step towards me becoming world champ someday.
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© Copyright / All Rights reserved: Doghouse Boxing 1998-2005
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INTERVIEW By Chris Robinson (December 14, 2005)
