Exclusive: Steve Gago To Star in Co-Main Event Of World Title Clash ‘ we want to put on a good show for Perth’

Australia’s Steve Gago returns to action this week as he looks to continue his push towards earning a top-ten welterweight world ranking.

The 35-year-old will take on compatriot Blake Minto in a 10-round bout, which will serve as the co-main event for fellow Perth-based fight Alex Winwood’s title challenge of WBA strawweight king Thammanoon Niyomtrong’s crown.

The card will take place inside the HBF Arena in Perth, Western Australia, this Saturday September 7th. It will be the biggest boxing show in the city since May’s Vasily Lomachenko and George Kambosos Jr clash.

The last couple of years have seen Gago dealing with injuries, but thankfully, that battle is now behind him, and after a second-round KO win over China’s Zixiang Wang back in May, Gago is excited about the next chapter of his career.

” I was expecting it to go further than the two rounds, but you know, after I started landing my jab, I felt good. I felt confident. I started smiling after the first round,”

Despite both hailing from Australia, Gago has never crossed paths with Minto, but from what he knows about the 31-year-old from New South Wales, he is expecting a torrid encounter come fight night.

“He’s fought some big names; he has had more fights than me and throws for his big, heavy, busy shots, you know. So, yeah, this one’s not an easy fight. It’s a tough one, but you know we want to put on a good show for Perth,” Gago explains.

Gago has never been a boxer who has shied away from adversity. The fact that he went the distance with the current IBF Super Lightweight Champion, Liam Paro, in their 2021 clash despite three bulging discs is a testament to his desire to compete.

However, he is now focusing on listening to his body more and learning to pace himself during his training camp to ensure he is in the best physical condition for his bout with Minto.

” You know, people keep telling me you’ve got to really give your body a bit of a break for recovery. So that’s my downfall, ” he says.

“You know, I just keep pushing, pushing, pushing where I can’t keep going no more. You know, that burns out for two or three days. So, you know, that’s what we’ve been focusing on, which is just making sure that I’m good for the next training session and then the next one, so that’s what we’ve been working on and, and focusing on as well.

Gago is peaking at the right time ahead of Saturday night, and the packed-out stadium will be buzzing for what could be a historic night for Australian boxing. If Winwood captures the WBA title, he will have done it in his fifth fight, which no Australian has previously done.

Gago is ready to put on a show in what will be an electric atmosphere, especially with a strong contingent of his family set to be in attendance.

It’s a bit nerve-wracking,” he says

“It’s going to be a big venue, a big fight, and being a co-main event as well really got me excited.”