Garside defended his Australian lightweight title with a TKO victory over Layton McFerran at Newcastle Entertainment Centre on May 11, but ligament damage in his hands has since left him at a loose end.

A Greyhound Racing NSW ambassador, the 24-year-old has used the time out to get into race dog ownership for the first time.

The Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist came to the Kearsley property of trainers Sonia and Gary Greene this week to pick out a pup and he will head back to Newcastle on Saturday night to experience the inaugural $500,000-to-the-winner The 715 at The Gardens.

"It was awesome," Garside said after his visit.

"It was good to see all the pups and form a bit of a connection with the one I chose. She's a beautiful girl.

"The reason I wanted to get a dog was I wanted to understand the full journey of a dog from being born, getting trained up to race. The process of that I found out today takes 14 to 18 months.

"And also how long their racing career is and how long after that with the GAP [Greyhounds As Pets] program rehomings.

"I'll stay connected to my dog, her name is Alice, through the whole process and see the progress through her life and career."

The dog came from prominent Hunter owner and Lake Macquarie businessman Kevin Gordon and any prizemoney earned will be donated back to the GAPS NSW program.

"When I was growing up, my dad always loved the greyhounds and the horses, so it's always been something that's been pretty present in my life," Garside said.

"My mum's instilled in me to love animals, and greyhounds are beautiful. They've got so much personality and are so cuddly. They are a great choice of dog."

The experience has been a welcomed distraction.

"I'm doing a lot of visits to the doctors and physios to make sure I get my hands right before the next fight," he said. "I believe my next fight will be late August, early September. Nothing officially locked in yet though.

"I got scans after my last fight and the doctors said I didn't need surgery. He just said I needed a rest, which is pretty frustrating for me. I'm like a bull at a gate. I like to box often so it's been a boring couple of weeks."

Garside was unsure of his next opponent but said the loss of countryman and fellow lightweight George Kambosos on Sunday wouldn't "change too much for me".

"My goal is to be undisputed champion of the world and whoever I need to beat in order to get to my goal, whoever they put in front of me, I'll make sure I prepare properly, train hard and beat them," he said. "I just want to fight the best, whether that is George Kambosos or someone overseas."

Whoever he fights, Garside was keen to do it in Newcastle.

"I love Newcastle. The atmosphere when I was fighting was electric," he said.

"Newcastle will always bring the best crowd and it's a real big community vibe there. After my last fight, me and my missus stayed up there an extra couple of days and I bloody love it up there.

"You walk past someone and they always say hello and have a chat. Hopefully I can fight up there again soon."

MORE IN SPORT:

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: