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(APR 21) Just recently WBAN received an
opportunity to Interview “Lethal” Lindsay Garbatt, a
featherweight who fights out of Canada. Garbatt talks about
her life, boxing career, her two fights in New York State and what
the future holds for her in the sport.
WBAN - Are you in school or do you work?
Lindsay - I am a nuclear security officer at a nuclear power plant
just outside Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
WBAN - What are your interests away from the sport?
Lindsay - I’ve been interested in body building since I was 15; it
has been a hobby of mine. I love sports, especially basketball. I’m
into nutrition as well. Any spare time I have after work and
training I spend with my friends and family. I am very close with my
family. My parents and grandma live in Niagara Falls, Ontario where
I grew up. My sisters both live in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. So I
definitely miss everyone but I try to visit Niagara Falls as often
as I can. I was so thankful to have my Mom and sister come to my
fight in New York. It made me so happy! My sister was even in my
corner which was an extra bonus. It was very special to share that
experience with her.
WBAN - What got you into boxing? Why do you compete in boxing?
Lindsay - I’ve always liked boxing. I have a background in martial
arts and played all different sports growing up including
basketball, hockey, soccer, rugby and wrestling. When I went to
college I played basketball and soccer. When I finished school I
needed to find something to compete in so I thought I would try
boxing, one of the only sports I had yet to compete in. I dedicated
myself right away.
WBAN - Who is your coach? What club do you train at?
Lindsay - My Coach/Manager/Trainer is Don Nelson. I’m very grateful
that he has taken me under his wing. I wouldn’t have it any other
way. He is a great coach and has become a great friend. Don founded
the Motor City Amateur boxing club in 1993. It is a non-profit club
that has attracted many great coaches and great boxers who also have
helped me the past few years.
WBAN - You have an excellent amateur background; what are some of
the highlights of your amateur career?
Lindsay - To tell you the truth there isn’t one highlight or fight
that stands out in my mind in my amateur career. It’s been a great
journey so far and I feel like I’m just getting started. I really am
just a rookie still if you think about it. I look forward to
training and getting better everyday. Every day in training is a
highlight.
WBAN - What is your preferred fight weight? Any plans of moving up
or down in the future?
Lindsay - I guess my preferred weight has been anywhere from 119 to
126 pounds. Whatever weight I can get fights at. I don’t see myself
going anywhere below or above that.
WBAN - You had a tough and controversial majority decision loss to
Ela Nunez in her backyard. What did you learn from that loss? Any
regrets from taking that fight? Would you like a rematch?
Lindsay - I have no regrets from taking that fight against Ela. It
was controversial but after watching the tape a million times she
probably did have the edge on me but it was a great experience. My
family was there to support me, it was a cool venue, I trained like
an animal for the fight and at that time couldn’t have done much
better. But I’m not even the same fighter now. I am training hard
and getting better so I would love a rematch as long as it’s with
more rounds. 4 rounds go by too quick!
WBAN - Were there any major changes you have made since your last
match or between the Nunez and Hutt fights?
Lindsay - I think I fought a little too "amateurish" against Ella.
By that I mean I focused more on lots of punches instead of power.
After that fight Don and I made some adjustments and I have been
working a lot more on my power punches.
WBAN - What was it like fighting in New York City?
Lindsay - I’ve always wanted to go to New York City. It was really
cool to go there and see the places that you see on television and
in the movies in real life. Getting to do the thing I love most
"fight" to me is living the dream! I loved the city and I’ll never
forget the car ride from the Newark airport into the city at night.
Very cool, I hope to go back soon!
WBAN - You are coming off one of the most impressive knockouts wins
in women’s boxing history against Tracey Hutt. The fight looked
fairly even going into the 4th round. Did you feel you were behind
and pushed for the knockout? Did you see the opening to land the
combination? Describe you feelings about achieving such an
impressive win. Would you give Hutt a rematch?
Lindsay - Unfortunately I had a slow start. I felt like it was way
too close going into the fourth. Don told me I had to go out and
finish it and I guess I did. I hit her with a straight right that
made her kinda stumble back so I just stepped in with another one
and landed it. I’m really happy about the win but disappointed in
the way I fought the first two rounds. But it’s over now and ill
move forward and learn from my mistakes. A rematch is a possibility
but I guess we will just see what the future brings.
WBAN - How is training going? Are you doing anything in particular
to train?
Lindsay - Training is great. I’m always training and always trying
to get better and stronger. I train because its fun to me.
Everything I do is focused towards boxing and becoming a better
boxer. I don’t eat junk food and I don’t drink or party. I’m single
with no responsibilities other then work, so all my time goes into
training. I’m very focused! On my days off I am doing at least 2
workouts a day. My morning workout is weights and running then
boxing in the evening. On the days I work I am at the gym at 4:30 am
before work. I am always thinking of what other things I can do for
training to give me the edge on my opponents.
WBAN - Do you have trouble finding sparring partners? If so how to
you get around this obstacle?
Lindsay - I usually don’t have trouble with sparring. Our club
(Motor City) has some of the best amateur boxers in Canada. The guys
are all bigger and stronger than me but they give me good work. For
my last fight I did get some great sparring with Lisa “Bad News”
Brown and Sandy “Lil Tyson” Tsagouris who are both great fighters
with different styles so I am grateful for that.
WBAN - What are your short and long term goals for this year?
Lindsay - For this year my goals are to get as many fights in as I
can and obviously win all my fights. I want to gain more and more
experience then hopefully make myself a contender for a Canadian
Title in the not too distant future.
WBAN - Are you planning to box in Canada in the future?
Lindsay - I actually signed a contract to fight in Belleville
Ontario on July 19th.
WBAN - Are there any boxers in particular that you want a match
with? Is there any chance of an all Canadian matchup?
Lindsay - No, I’m not head hunting yet. I’m not picky right now. I
just want to fight and get some more wins under my belt.
WBAN - What do you think about women’s professional boxing in
Canada/Internationally? What changes or improvements would you like
to see in the future?
Lindsay - Like I said, I’m still new to the pro game so I feel like
I haven’t been exposed too much yet to make any judgments on what I
would change in women’s boxing. But it’s obvious to see that it’s an
up and coming sport that I think people like to watch so I hope we
see a lot more of it in Canada and all over the world.
WBAN - Is there anything you want to say to your fans or supporters?
Lindsay - I just want to say thanks to Don for believing in me and
thanks for being a great teacher. That goes for all the other
coaches at Motor City that take time out of their own lives to help
train me and all the other boxers. They truly make a difference. I
would like to thank all the boxers and friends that I train with
that are working hard and doing the same. We thrive off each other
and have fun doing it. And all my friends and family who are always
so supportive, they are the best!
WBAN – Lindsay thank you for taking the time out of your busy
schedule to go 1 on 1 with WBAN!
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