Joe Gallagher has explained why a 'siege mentality' approach can help Paul Butler write his own Rocky story when he faces Naoya Inoue.
Gallagher, along with Butler and the rest of his team, jetted out to Tokyo earlier this week as preparations for the historic bout continue. Butler, who was elevated from interim to full WBO champion in May, will take on Inoue for the undisputed bantamweight title at the Ariake Arena on Tuesday, 13 December.
Inoue is No. 2 in ESPN's pound-for-pound rankings and will start the fight a big favourite in front of his home fans, but Gallagher sees no reason why Butler can’t cause a major upset.
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He said: “We have got a prime Paul Butler here, and he is not one trick pony. He can do front foot, back foot, orthodox, southpaw, he has a lot to his game.
“We are highly motivated. The gym has had a great year this year. We are coming off the back of Natsha Jonas’ fantastic win.
“The gym is on a high and I think there is a momentum sometimes, even in football there is a momentum, it just snowballs and snowballs.
“We are going into this full of confidence of causing one of the biggest upsets there has been in British boxing.”
Gallagher has also criticised the way Butler has been talked about ahead of the bout, saying: “It hurts me and more so when you hear from people in the trade. I’ve said before that’s why we have an FA Cup.
“Pull an Arsenal, Man City or Liverpool in the third round and you are playing a Conference side, no one turns round and says don’t bother playing that match.
“That’s why there is an underdog. That’s why there is boxing and that is why there are upsets. It is why we tune in. It is the what if. It is the same for Paul Butler.
“But what he hurts me, and this isn’t me whinging, Gallagher moaning, that people aren’t acknowledging that there is a kid here, a two-time champion, that is going to take on the number one pound for pound. There has been a lot more given for people in a lot less fights.”
Gallagher’s gym has enjoyed a year to remember with Natasha Jonas claiming three world titles in 10 months being the big highlight.
Speaking to the ECHO following her win against Marie-Eve Dicaire last month, Jonas admitted she used her critics as motivation to succeed.
“It is a siege mentality that is in the gymnasium,” Gallagher replied to the ECHO when asked about Butler using the same mental tactics as Jonas.
“As well as what we do in the gymnasium and the world and British titles we win there is never an appetite to talk about the success of the gymnasium.
“That is very much a Ferguson mentality. You see it with Klopp at Liverpool. It is about us and protecting ourselves.
“You have that siege mentality and you install that into the fighters. If it makes you run that bit harder or punch that bit harder then I am all for it.
“Now and again it comes off and it came off for Natasha. Like I say, you have got to be in the fight and we are in the fight and that is all that matters.”
Before Gallagher continued, saying: “He [Butler] persevered and stayed with it. He boxed on my small hall shows on a Sunday afternoon.
“I was saying to Paul you have got to fight just to keep your ratings there. We knew what we were doing. We kept working at the ratings and then we had an opportunity.
"Dubai didn’t happen and we had to come back and go again and eventually we did it. If at first you don’t succeed, as Rocky says, you have to get up and go again.
"Fair play to Paul he has got that now and it would be one Rocky story if he pulled this off.”
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