Frankie Gavin
Frankie ‘Funtime’ Gavin (8-0, 7 KOs) has come a long way since the bitterly disappointing end to his Olympic dream in 2008. For those not in the know, the gold medal favorite wasn’t beaten by an opponent but by the chronic mismanagement of Team Great Britain and, ultimately, the weighing scales – a crushed Gavin was sent home after failing to make the 60kg limit before the opening ceremony had even begun. The inquests and recriminations have long since passed while Gavin has begun his professional career with aplomb and – in overcoming such a setback – he has displayed the mental fortitude that helped make him Britain’s only world champion amateur boxer.
Like all novice prospects entering the professional game, light-welterweight Gavin has been matched kindly so far, but he has done everything asked of him – only tough Galway man Peter McDonagh (16-19, 2 KOs) has managed to go the distance – and on occasions he has boxed with a verve and panache that suggests he might be something special. Gavin, the son of Irish immigrants, claimed the Irish light-welterweight title against Michael Kelly (8-2-1, 2 KOs) last September and will be looking to take the British belt next.
With his offensive style – darting in-and-out with speedy, clinical combos – Gavin is sure to be a fan favorite. He just has to develop his defense – he gets caught a little too often – and continue to refrain from the party-animal lifestyle that led to the moniker ‘Funtime’. His lack of one-punch knockout power means he will never boast the highest KO ratio in the division but he is certainly no powder-puff puncher either and he has enough in the armory to threaten anybody in the division as his career progresses.
Gavin had to pull out of his last scheduled bout against Dean Harrison (16-4, 5 KOs) on December 11th due to a dose of the flu but he will be fighting again soon, probably in February, and has asked promoter Frank Warren to set up a bout with 140lb British Champion Lenny Daws.
Frankie Gavin Quote:
“I’m not saying I’m a massive puncher but I can punch hard. If anyone wants to come and spar me then they’ll see that I hit hard enough!”
Tip for 2011:
2011 has come far too soon for Gavin to be considering names like Amir Khan, Marcos Maidana, Timothy Bradley or Devon Alexander but look for him to add the British title to his Irish belt.
