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Hailing from Pontypool, Wales, Kieran Gething is one of the most fun young talents out of the UK. The 26 year old super lightweight has his hands on the BBBofC Welsh Area Super Lightweight title with more in sight. Sitting at 9-2-2 professionally, Gething always enjoys a good scrap.
Gething has boxing in his blood. The orthodox fighter has had four generations of boxers in his family dating back to the Queensbury rules which were published in 1867. But, Gething was not always interested in taking on the family tradition. While there was no denying that Gething would box one day, it wasn’t until almost his teen years he started taking the sport seriously.
“I’ve got boxing way back in my family since the Queensbury rule days. It’s about four generations of boxing. Three of those have been professional. It’s always been in my family. I was never really that interested, myself. There’s videos of me down at the gym as a little kid and me and my brother were hitting each other low sparring and stuff. It wasn’t until I was about 12 when my brother went down to the gym and I went with him because he had a little trouble with a couple of travelers. I went down there and I thought about being the big brother. I wouldn’t have been able to do anything. I just went to act like a big brother.”
Outside of boxing, Gething runs his own construction company. While he says it’s not really a hobby, he still as goals with the company as if it was boxing itself.
“I actually run a construction company. I wouldn’t say that’s a hobby, that’s more of a necessity. I want to build something that lasts. Something that me and my kids can look for. I also like writing as well, I’ve written a book and got plans for another one or two. It’s ‘Insight’ by Kieran Gething. It’s only 100 or so pages but it basically is different feelings and different situations I’ve dealt with for my career. My father passed and how boxing has helped me deal with that. Nutrition, and my relationship with my wife and kids as well are in there. It’s not at all like a biography, but it is different situations I’ve been in and how I’ve dealt.”
Kieran Gething Dealing With Injury
Gething was originally set to fight Gary Cully, the Irish champion, on August 25th. Gething was forced to pull out of the fight due to an issue with his elbow. He’s was ready to get back to action but knows that competing healthy is paramount.
“The initial assessment was a torn ligament or a torn tendon. We’ve got the MRI and a doctor’s appointment. Hopefully the consultation will allow me to know and how we are going to go about doing it, weather it’s rehabilitation or operation. I was doing rounds with Jack Carroll. If he had noticed that I couldn’t use my left arm, it could have been serious trouble if we had gotten into a fight. I guess I disguised it very well.”
While Kieran Gething was not scared to fight, he still pulled out of the fight. That said, he knows going into a fight perfectly healthy is almost impossible. But, he’s fought with injuries in the past and he’s happy with how he fought for the most part. But when it comes to something that is a glaring hole in his game, the inability to use his left arm, Gething would rather be patient and wait for a doctor’s opinion to step up for his next scrap.
“You never go into a fight 100%, Tyson Fury said that recently. You never go into a fight without an injury. Before this injury, I’ve had a knuckle injury for the best part of six of my pro fights. I’ve always really been going in a little bit. But there’s no excuses for any of the results of any of my fights. I’m perfectly happy with my performances. When it’s really hindering you like it would have done for this one, especially against such a classy southpaw, a decision was taken.”
Not Getting Down on Past Mistakes and The Future
As for his first career loss, Gething calls bullocks (sorry, I’m American but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to say ‘bullocks’). Gething says the footage shows that he was the aggressor the entire fight and he feels like he should have won the fight.
“The loss should never had been a loss on my record. There’s footage of it out there and there’s no way I lost. I chased him around the ring for four rounds. It was a four round fight. The bloke had six stitches in his eye and he didn’t fight for six months afterwards. It goes to a point to him. He was in his home town. It was only an hour’s drive from my place. But, it’s his home town, so a lot of tickets and that’s the politics of it.”
For the future, Kieran Gething has his eyes on bigger belts in the European boxing world. He plans on getting to a point to where he can fight for National and European titles. And should a World Title fight come his way, he would gladly pounce on that chance.
“I really feel like I’ve got potential to win European titles and National titles. That’s where I want to get to. If I can push it even further and get a World Title opportunity, then that would be fantastic. My immedate goals are the British and Commonwealth titles. I’d like to win a Celtic nation’s title as well. That’s a good belt. But, yeah, I think the level I want to aim to get to is European.”
Having fought mostly in the UK, Gething loves a crowd. Feeding off of the energy, both good and bad, is something he loves.
“It’s empowering when you’ve got a crowd behind you. It’s also empowering in a really perverse way when the crowd is against you. Then you go out and you’re victorious and your arm is lifted and they’re the ones shouting at you afterwards. It’s funny how fickle fans can be. But, also, very empowering.”
When I asked how Gething likes being recognized around town and one of the premier boxing prospects, he played it quite coy.
“It sounds like a bit like a knob, but in my hometown, I do local things and people stop and actually have photos with me and it makes me feel fantastic.”
Tyson Fury Versus Deontay Wilder 3
If everything goes according to plan, Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder will have a heavyweight title fight for the third time sometime in December, pandemic permitting. Fury and Wilder went to a controversial draw in the first fight. Fury came back in the second fight and knocked out out Wilder, staying true to his word that he would do so. After the fight, Wilder took heat for making excuses about the weight of his costume and firing his camp. Kieran Gething sympathizes with Wilder, but it’s not enough to take the American in the third fight.
“As a proud fighter, you’re always trying to find excuses. He’s obviously just searching. Fury is 100% the better fighter. He should have won the first one and he hammered him the second time. I do honestly believe he probably will beat him quicker again in the next fight. But, it’s just such a big money fight for Wilder, I don’t blame him one bit.”
As for the potential super fight between Tyson Fury, should he beat Wilder, and Anthony Joshua, two UK fighters, Kieran Gething is sticking with Tyson Fury. He feels his intangibles are really the difference maker in the hypothetical super-fight.
“Fury, man. He’s just so big and awkward. You couldn’t even imagine him being in with the heavyweight greats because he’s 6’9″. His balance looks like he should fall over all the time. He’s got his jerkey neck, and things, and it gets the job done.”
Kieran Gething will make his return to boxing soon enough. Once his arm is healed, he will return to what he loves and grace the ring once again.
Get Kieran Gething’s book, “Insight” on Amazon below and follow the Welshman on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook!
Insight https://www.amazon.com/dp/B086FVDYFP/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_nb
