Up-and-coming amateur boxer Dante Farah took another big leap in his young career with a victory in Footscray last Friday night.
Farah was scheduled to fight at 75 kilograms but his opponent pulled out at the last minute, forcing him to take a fight against Jack Grundy in the 80 kilogram division.
“I found out in the afternoon, so technically I had to just be over 75 [kilograms] to compete,” he said.
“So I had to put on a few kilos in a few hours.
“I knew he would be bigger than me but he weighed in at 78 kilograms, so it wasn’t too much of a disadvantage but I could definitely tell he was stronger than a 75 kilo fighter.”
Through the last minute adversity Farah was able to find his strength defeating Grundy after three rounds.
“It was a good battle,” Farah said.
“I dropped him once and gave him a 10-8 count, but wasn’t able to get the stoppage.
“But won by unanimous decision against him and he was a strong kid, he just kept coming forward the whole time and put up a really good fight.”
This was Farah’s seventh official amateur fight, starting his career in February 2021. He was forced to put pause on his life as a pugilist with injuries disrupting 2022, however, he has come back with a vengeance this year with last week’s bout his fifth for 2023.
From here, Farah is determined to maintain his level of activity in the sport, with one day hoping to reach the pinnacle and wear his nation’s colours.
“I just want to make the Australian team and represent the country,” he said.
“That would be very cool, it would be a massive honour.
“It would be an amazing experience getting to travel the world and represent the country, having training camps with other countries and competing against other countries, that’s the goal.
“Hopefully, that’s within the next few years.
“Next year I have to start competing at the state level, and then hopefully make it to the international level and beyond.”
To be eligible to fight at the state level, a boxer would need to have 10 official fights, from there if you are in the top-ten of state-level fighters nationals is the next step.
“It would mean everything to me,” Farah said.
“An honour to represent Australia and wear the colours.”
Someone that Farah looks up to in the sport, is Harry Garside, an Australian icon and is at the top of the game in the Amateur boxing world.
“He’s a local from Victoria, and has done a lot of sparring at my gym,” Farah said.
“He’s a rockstar in the amateur boxing scene… what he’s accomplished to get a medal at the Olympics is almost unheard of in Australia for boxing.”
Farah is scheduled to fight again on Sunday, November 12.
Harper Sercombe
