Despite turning 51, Top of Utah heavyweight boxer Gary Cobia has stayed fit. He's 6 foor 4 inches tall and weights 260 pounds. His last professional fight was in 2015; that same year he scored a win on the undercard of the Mitt Romney versus Evander Holyfield exhibition "boxing match."
Gary earned a decision win that night, knocking his durable opponent, Fred Spitzenberg, down. After his next fight, a loss to fellow Utahn Jesse West, Cobia retired. He'd enjoyed an extended amateur and pro career. But the fight game never left him and, as mentioned, he was looking for another chance.
And got an extraordinary opportunity. On Tuesday, February 4, in Nashville, Tenn, at the Texas Troubadour Theater, Cobia, who lives in Clearfield, meets former world heavyweight champion Oliver McCall. Thirty years ago, McCall shocked the world by scoring a second-round TKO over Lennox Lewis. He defended the title once before losing it to Frank Bruno. McCall stayed in the heavyweight picture for a couple of decades before retiring. Now, at the age of 59, he is attempting his own comeback. A few months ago he stopped veteran heavyweight Stacy Frazier.
I recently interviewed Cobia, (Seen above, at left, with his trainer, Denys Chernei, a former Ukrainian amateur boxer.) We talked about about his upcoming bout with McCall.
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How did this opportunity to fight Oliver McCall come about?
Cobia: The opportunity came up when I reached out to his manager, Jimmy Adams, to see if Oliver had opponents. I watched his last fight with Stacy Frazier and after the fight Oliver stated he was going to fight regularly.
When did you start thinking, I'd like to start boxing again?
Cobia: I went through a rough divorce and was dealing with raising my children and I always wanted to redeem myself from my last fight in Wendover. My children are older and in a better place, so that provided a better opportunity now!
Tell us about your training, and your trainer? Where are you training?
Cobia: My training consists of alternating days endurance and strength, and then boxing techniques and boxing stamina! A lot of times we just train at VASA in the aerobics room or ar my house in the garage! (I have seen live footage of Gary training with Denys, and the photo above was taken at another gym, Junction City Boxing, in Riverdale.)
Do you have a particular strategy against McCall?
Cobia: Yes, we do have a strategy for McCall. It's' to let him be the aggressor in the first three rounds, I need to move and counter off his punches and just win by (scoring) more points. We're hoping him being (near) 60 years old, after three rounds he may start to tire and then start making mistakes. I'm hoping to capitalize on those mistakes. But, at the end of the day, anything can happen. (The bout is scheduled for six rounds)
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Despite being the younger fighter in the upcoming bout, Cobia acknowledges 51 is a late age for boxing. But the LDS Church Sunday School teacher is in shape, and boasts an impressive physical appearance.
"But I look like I'm 30 because I keep the Word of Wisdom," he said with a smile.
