Jason Garner is set to step back into the boxing ring next month, and when he does, he will have all the motivation in the world.
Garner will enter the Victorian Amateur Boxing League’s square circle to hopefully fight for a state title in Melbourne on Saturday, October 9, with an eye on a shot at a national title later this year.
But even though a championship belt could be on the line, Garner will be fighting for much, much more than just that.
He will be fighting to prove that everyone deserves a second chance, and even more importantly, for someone who meant so much to him.
Garner’s trainer and close friend Chris ‘Chooka’ Fowler sadly passed away earlier this year, and the upcoming bout will be the first time he has returned to the ring since Fowler’s passing.
Garner said he knew Chooka would be there with him when he stepped into the ring next month.
“Chooka meant everything to me,” Garner said.
“I haven’t fought since he passed, and I didn’t think I would fight again. I thought, ‘this is it, I am done, I can’t handle it’.
“This fight is for Chooka, and there is not a man alive who they can put in that ring that will beat me on the day.
“This is to show him what he meant to me and I know that he is going to be there. It would mean everything to win, it would mean everything.”
Garner and Fowler were incredibly close, but from the outside, their friendship seemed like an unlikely one — Fowler was a former police officer, while Garner spent three years in jail after being convicted for drug trafficking.
After his release from prison, Garner trained at Fowler’s gym Dynamic Fitness and the two formed a special bond.
“Once I got out, Chooka’s arms were wide open,” Garner said.
“He is the last bloke in the world who I thought would be there for me, and he was there.
“He sponsored and supported me and got behind me ... he was a big part of our team. He was unreal, I can’t explain it.
“When I went back in there [Dynamic] for the first time, I almost broke down.
“This might be my last fight, I don’t know. But as long as I can do this one for him, I don’t care what happens.”
While talking about his upcoming fight Garner also spoke openly about his past and his time in jail, and how it has changed his life for the better.
“As I grew older I went down the wrong patch and made bad decisions and wrong choices in life,” he said.
“Years went by, and I got locked up. I went to jail for a long time, and I spent a lot of time on my own, away from family.
“It was like God has given me a second chance, taking me away to regroup and refocus and reset all my goals in life to give me that second chance to succeed.
“Every day in there I just trained and trained and trained. Not only to get out and fight again, but I wanted to change my life as well and help as many people as I could once I did get out so they don’t go down that same track that I went down.
“I want to give back to the community and do the right thing in life and be a role model now. I have been down that path and lived that life and done all the wrong things, and now I can help other people before they experience that.
“I have always said that I can’t change my past, but I can change my future. And that is what I want to do.”
With fight night approaching, Garner has been doing everything he can to get ready. He trains four times a week with his boxing coaches and plays football at Echuca United, and he can be seen out running in the early hours of the morning around Echuca-Moama.
With the preparations for the bout entering the final stages, Garner said he was primed and ready to go.
“It is a very big fight for me, probably the biggest one I have had so far,” he said.
“I know that once I hop into that ring I’ll have done the training, eaten the correct diet, listened to my coaches.
“I have done everything that I can possibly do, so if that man beats me, I’ll be happy to shake his hand and say, ‘good job mate’.”
If he wins and earnt the championship belt, Garner said he knew exactly what he was going to do with it.
“I always said to Chooka that when I win the title, it is going on his wall,” he said.
“And that is where I will put it. It will be on that Dynamic wall and it will be for him.”
While Garner will be fighting in honour of Fowler next month, he made sure to thank a number of other crucial people who have helped him get to where he is today.
“I am doing this for my kids and my wife, I have a lot of people to thank,” he said.
“I have my beautiful wife, Brooke, that has stuck by me for 25 years through thick and thin, and my kids, Jesse, Chelsea, Jaxx, this is to give back to them and show them there are second chances out there.
“The boys at Echuca United have been a big part of my life. When I got out of jail, the United club opened up their arms and they took me in. They really push me and inspire me and show me love.”
Garner also thanked his in-laws, Neville and Sally, his training team Luan Marsh and Darren Carmody, as well as nutritionist Christie Peters.