There’s a palpable vigour to Danilo Creati’s tone. When we speak, the 32-year-old Chieti native, who for the past eight years has called Sydney home, is catching his breath; taking a quick pit stop amidst a packed schedule that has him darting “left and right” between training sessions and muscle shops.
“It’s just those last couple of weeks in the lead up. Fight time is always a bit busier; otherwise, it’s a bit more sustainable,” Creati says of his boxing routine.
The fight in question is roughly three weeks away ― Creati will face off against former Commonwealth super-welterweight Michael Zerafa, with the two set to feature as the co-main event on November 23 at the International Convention Centre in Sydney, alongside Paul Gallen's boxing swan song rematch with fellow retired rugby league great Justin Hodges.
It’s set to be a defining moment in the young man’s life―one upon which his nascent professional sporting career in Australia undeniably hinges. And it has been quite the journey that has led Creati up to this all-important point.
His passion for the sport came about almost by happenstance. As a soccer-obsessed 14-year-old, bursting with enthusiasm, yet lamenting the surrender of control that a team sport requires, Creati was eagerly seeking a new channel for his unyielding energy. Kicking around the pallone with his neighbourhood friends on the street one afternoon, when a gentleman heading to a boxing gym close by offered to show him the space (more to prevent the boys from damaging his car than anything else), the stranger unknowingly ignited a life-long obsession in the future athlete.
With his fierce determination and natural talent, it wasn’t long before Danilo was getting noticed in the sport, with his first 3 years of boxing seeing him win three consecutive Italian championships in three different weight categories, and representing the Italian youth boxing team in his very first European championship.
However, early adult life unfurled in a way that saw Creati drifting further and further away from his dreams. It was only after migrating to Australia in his twenties that he would find himself inching toward his passion once more.
“When I came to Australia, the first thing I had to worry about was how I was going to pay the bills, so I started working in hospitality, like all ‘good Italians’ do. Then, after two years I wasn’t feeling happy anymore; I needed to get back to training and feel good in my body again. So I began training in a CrossFit gym, which had a boxing area above it.
“After a few months of CrossFit training ― since I was always wearing my boxing gear and telling people that I was a boxer ― one of the staff said, ‘Danilo, one of the boxing trainers upstairs is leaving. Do you want to teach boxing?’”
“They needed me to start the next morning at 6:15am ― I couldn’t even speak English well! But I went to do my first class anyway ― which was terrible! I couldn’t even figure out how to switch on the lights in the gym. But after only a few months, I became one of the most successful coaches in the business.”
Working as a trainer allowed Creati to form valuable relationships with his clients and colleagues, most notably, Paul Holtz, an ex boxing promoter who offered to help the young man figure out how to return to the world of professional fighting at exactly the right time. Creati’s migration lawyer had informed him that his student visa was almost up, and that a return to the ring could mean that a distinguished talent visa, and even citizenship, would be on the cards.
Immediately, Holtz introduced Creati to four-time world boxing champion Jeff Fenech, who took one look at his boxing resume and immediately asked him to take part in his next promotion in 3 months’ time, fighting as an undercard in Sydney for the Billy Dib world title fight.
While he would have liked to train for a few months, easing himself back into the sport through amateur fights, it was an offer he couldn’t afford to pass up. And so, Creati pulled up his bootstraps, slipped on his gloves, and his return to the world of professional boxing began.
Creati alongside a group of supporters. (Photo provided)
It is precisely this continued willingness to rise to a challenge that is propelling the athlete forward.
He was originally meant to be fighting as an undercard in his upcoming fight with Zerafa, yet when the main event opponent pulled out and Creati received a call asking if he would be willing to face up against the Australian former super-welterweight, he fearlessly accepted the offer, despite being given only three weeks’ notice for the ten-round fight, for which he would ideally have had two and a half months to prepare.
In a similar situation, many would undoubtedly be steeped in stress, but Danilo Creati beams:
“I’m a positive person; I always see the good side to everything.”
Speaking with the young athlete, one is left with an impression of an individual bristling with enthusiasm; one who is still at the very beginning of his journey, despite having already come so far. And Creati has a great deal more than just his burgeoning sports career to look forward to at present.
“It’s going to be a beautiful end of the year. First, I’m going to have this beautiful fight, and then in four weeks I’m going to be a father. In five weeks, my Mum will be here; I haven’t seen any family from Italy for four years. In eight weeks, it will be my birthday ― it’s going to be one celebration after another!”
