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10/05/2006 Archived Entry: "Donovan George Targets Miguel Hernandez, Andre Ward, and a North American Belt!"
Donovan George Targets Miguel Hernandez, Andre Ward, and a North American Belt!
Photo and story by Juan C. Ayllon
Mike Michael (left) and Donovan George
CHICAGO—Donovan “Da Bomb” George is a handsome young boxer with decent skills, a pretty good punch, boyish charm and confidence bordering on brashness.
With his marketability and the likes of Oscar De La Hoya, Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson all but out of the picture, you just know that George’s handlers, Cestus Management, looks to grab a slice of that coveted but rare crossover market, where a fighter draws a huge fan base that extends well beyond the bounds of boxing.
What remains to be seen is how he will fare in the long run.
Meanwhile, it’s “so far, so good.” The former Golden Gloves star has a record of 9-0-1 and seven knockouts. Casual fans are excited because, by and large, he’s knocking people out. And, if you look around the ring at one of his fights, you’ll notice a lot of pretty young women cheering lustily for him.
That was enough for a savvy veteran of the game like Mike Michael, who worked for years with Lennox Lewis, to get excited and bankroll the guy. Michael heads up Cestus Management.
Trained by his father, Donovan was scheduled to fight one Johnny Hayes—who was later replaced by Gabriel Rivera—in the prelims to John Duddy vs. Yory Boy Campas at Madison Square Garden last weekend. Unfortunately, that bout fell through at the last minute.
In what had originally been a pre-fight interview, Donovan George and Mike Michael spoke on a range of subjects, from training for last week’s match to George’s social habits. In the process, however, they called out Miguel Hernandez and Andre Ward, and said a few things bound to raise eyebrows, rankle the sensibilities of some, and make others stand up and take notice of this young middleweight prospect.
JUAN AYLLON: How are you?
DONOVAN GEORGE: Good!
JA: Are you ready for the fight?
DG: Oh, absolutely 100 percent!
JA: Tell us about your training.
DG: This training camp, it went fabulous! I’m in the best shape of my life, by far. I learned a lot and I’m just ready to go out there and execute.
This camp, I ran a LOT, LOT more—many more miles, and a lot more sprints, with more, like, total body conditioning into my routine. I’ve been doing three workouts a day, adding light repetitions and just trying to build up my core and my strength. I feel great.
Every morning, I wake up, I run between four and five miles, and then on Saturdays, I stretch it out to seven or eight. I go out on the indoor basketball court and run sprints, plus, I workout with a football team on Sundays. I workout with the “Windy City Storm” football team. They’re kind of my guys! My brother is the captain and he runs the team, so he lets me workout with them on the weekends. They’re a nationally ranked football team, you know, full-contact flag. And, it’s a great workout. Those guys run a LOT of sprints! It’s really nice that they let me do it.
JA: What can you tell us about sparring for this particular match?
DG: It was great. I had come to get good sparring in Chicago. I went down to Windy City, there’s a bunch of guys—they’re all pretty tough. They’re in good shape. They come forward. I’m ready and I’m where I’m supposed to be, you know?
JA: Did you get any rounds in with David “The Weezel” Estrada?
DG: Actually, no.
[Mike Michaels laughs].
DG: Actually, I have not. I talked to him. But, we haven’t had a chance to spar.
JA: So what do you know about this guy named Johnny Hayes?
MIKE MICHAEL: Now, we’re not fighting Johnny Hayes, Juan. We’re fighting a guy called Gabriel Rivera. He’s seven and three; he’s a very, very tough, durable guy. You know, he’s a very super-solid fighter. He comes from Texas, and he’s gonna try and beat him. But, unfortunately for him, he’s going to go home “executed.”
Donovan’s making his Madison Square Garden debut, it’s going to be 5,000 screaming, crazy Irishmen there, and it’s time for everyone in the “Big Apple” to see who Don “Da Bomb” is.
JA: What will you try to accomplish different than in the past in this particular match?
DG: First and foremost, the main goal is to go out there and get a victory. I would like to look very impressive. I would like to have a highlight reel knockout, you know? But, I’m going to go out there and make sure I get the win, and a convincing win, and show the people out there in New York—and there’s going to be a lot of impressive people there—that I’m the “real deal.” I’m not just some good-looking kid from Chicago who can’t fight. I can bring it.
MM: Juan, I guarantee you this: from the bottom of my heart to the soles of my shoes, Don will bring the house down on the 29th of September. He’s ready. He’s like a shotgun, now. Right? A shotgun with a nuclear bomb loaded in it!
[Donovan laughs]
MM: That is Donovan George. Donovan George is destined to be a world champion and we’re on our way! That’s all I’m saying, we’re on our way.
And very shortly, we will be moving out of [matches scheduled for] six rounds and we’ve got big, big plans for 2007.
JA: Such as?
MM: Such as, we’ll definitely challenge for the North American Title next year and Miguel Hernandez, who is planning a comeback. Keep coming back, because we’re going to knock him into retirement very shortly!
JA: So, you’re calling out Miguel Hernandez?
MM: Absolutely! Absolutely.
JA: Wow! Tell us more.
MM: Well, I want Miguel Hernandez, okay, because we have to have a “supreme-o” in Chicago, and there’s only one “supreme-o,” and that’s Donovan George. No one else can rule that roost, at that division, in that town. We own that town! In 160, 165 lbs., it belongs to us!
Now, what Don wants, I’ve got a pretty good idea, but Don can tell you himself. You know what I mean?
DG: I desperately want Andre Ward. I want him so bad I have dreams about him! I want to be the one to expose to America and the world that Andre Ward is weak, and he’s got a glass jaw! And, when somebody puts the pressure and the heat on him, he’s going to fold.
JA: What in particular drew you to him? Is it something personal?
DG: No! I’m sure he’s a class act. I’m sure he’s a nice guy. You know, this is a business and I want him. That’s going to be a great, big name on my resume. When I blow him out in one or two rounds, it’s going to be fabulous!
JA: Have you sparred with him before?
DG: No, I don’t know where this comes from. I might have seen him in person once or twice. But, even if I have, I don’t remember. But, I just want him so badly!
MM: You got that from the horse’s mouth, Juan!
DG: I want him. I’ve been saying this for four or five months now. I haven’t gotten a response so, whatever.
MM: When somebody knows they’re going to get beat, they don’t respond. You know what I mean?
DG: I go running [and] I see him in front of me. It’s weird, I’m telling you. It’s like God wants me to fight Andre Ward! I cannot get him out of my head! And, I’m not looking past my opponent right now, Gabriel Rivera. He’s gonna be one tough guy. But, it’s just a future opponent that I would like to get in there. You know, why not? It’ll be a big fight, it’ll be a nice TV fight, and it will be a huge win.
JA: Anyone else you want to get a piece of?
DG: You know, basically, whoever Mike Michael and my father put in front of me.
MM: We’re taking it step by step, Juan. You know what I mean?
I mean, technically, we’ve got to get Don out of six rounds because he’s not a six round fighter. The guy’s a main event fighter, the kid’s an entertainer, he’s flamboyant, he’s the “real deal,” he has all the tools, he punches like a truck, you know what I mean?
DG: I just want to say, I’m not going to sit here and call out Jermaine Taylor, Winky Wright, and all those guys, because I haven’t established myself. Of course, down the line, I would like to fight—if they’ll call me out—a world champion. I’m not going to disrespect them or the sport because they earned their position. When I’m up there, or at the brink of “up there,” then, you’ll definitely see me running off my mouth about them!
But, right now, it’s a tough sport! I respect anybody that gets up in that ring.
But, I’ll call out Andre Ward. He’s similar to my age, my size. Why not do it, you know?
MM: And that would be, Juan, a great fight on “Sho-Box.” We’re going to push to get that on “Sho-Box.”
But, before we do that, we’ve got some unfinished business in Chicago, first of all, okay? Because we’ve got to have a supreme ruler in Chicago, and there has to be a big showdown with Miguel Hernandez, who needs to be put into the secondary place that he is, you know what I mean?
Basically, there’s a bunch of steps we’re taking there. We’re gonna do maybe one or two more six rounders, close out this year. Then, we’re going to move into 10 rounds. I want to do Miguel Hernandez as early as I possibly can. I don’t want to mess around and have this little missing little link in Chicago. I want to stamp it out!
From then on, [we’ll take] Andre Ward, and then we go for a North American belt, then we get our world ranking, and then we sit down, we recoup, and see where we’re at.
JA: Are there other Chicago middleweights you’d like to fight, like Shay Mobley, Michael Walker or anyone else in the Chicagoland area?
MG: Well, Shay Mobley just got knocked off. The first round in his last fight, he got knocked out. And, he’s got what, seven or eight losses now? So, I’m not really going to target or call out that guy, or how’s that going to make me look?
MM: Let me answer that a second, Don. Sorry man, I just can’t help myself!
Shay Mobley, Mike Walker and all these guys, okay—the only reason the only reason that we would agree to fight them—and I don’t think those fights will ever happen, okay, right—is if we need a tune-up, and they needed a payday, you know what I mean? They’re on a different road than what we’re on. They’re both guys that are solid Midwest fighters that are fighting out of where they’re fighting out of, okay, against whoever they’re fighting, with no road or no direction of any kind!
Plus, to come there and fight them, it would be, for example, let’s say, we went to Chicago, our opponent fell out, and Shay Mobley or Mike Walker were brought in. You know what I mean—a last minute replacement. That’s probably the only way we would take those fights.
JA: Wow. Those are strong words!
MM: We’re a strong company, Juan! Check out our website, www.cestusmanagement.com .
JA: So, what else is going on in your life besides trying to build yourself up to a world ranking and a title shot?
DG: I’ve got boxing on the brain, Juan. That’s all I do is work and boxing. I just want to concentrate on boxing and I’ll put my personal life on hold. Even though I am a good looking guy and all the ladies are going crazy for me. Don’t make it seem like I can’t get a girl. I can get a girl. It’s just I’m putting them off for now.
MM: Well, Juan, I’ll tell you something that has made me very, very proud is he’s gone back to college.
JA: What are you studying?
DG: Just Gen. ed. I took two math classes and a writing class.
JA: What are you striving to get into?
DG: I don’t know. I’m just trying to better myself a little bit, and not, you know, be a typical “dumb ass” boxer. I want to be educated.
JA: Do you want to get a bachelor’s degree?
DG: Oh, absolutely! I’m starting off slow. I haven’t done anything since high school. I’m just getting my feet wet and we’ll see where it goes. I probably am on the six or seven year plan, but, hey! I’ll get it done.
JA: After your ring career is over, what would you like to do?
DG: I would probably like to maybe go partners with Cestus Management, that’s the biggest company in the world of (inaudible).
MM: Well, look, baby. Once we reach that point, our doors are open for you as a fighter, and they’re open for anything else you want to do!
DG: I would love to manage fighters or promote—you know, something in the boxing world—and I think that people would respect me because of what I’m going to do and what I’ve done in boxing. I’ll know what they’re going through when they’re cutting the weight or they can’t get the fight. I’ll know, ‘cause I’ve been there.
JA: What do you do then to wind down after you’ve had a long day at “the office?”
DG: I like to go to the movies, go bowling, hang out with my friends. I don’t live the typical 21-year-old life. You know, these guys are going out to the bars and clubs and mess up, but I stay away from all that. And I try to stay focused.
JA: How do you manage that? That seems to be a downfall for a lot of fighters.
DG: I know what I have to do, and I know what I shouldn’t be, and who I shouldn’t be hanging out with. I’m not fool. I know that I don’t belong in the bar scene. I don’t go out hanging out late nights. I’ve got to get home. I’ve got a bedtime, you know!
These kids, that’s fine for them because they don’t got nothing going. They got work or whatever and they can go out and get (expletive) up. I can’t.
MM: I have had a lot of fighters in my boxing span and I worked for Lennox Lewis for a long, long time, and I can tell you that this kid, Donovan George, happens to be a good fighter on his way to becoming a great fighter. [He] has the look, the style, the attitude, the desire—everything that a championship quality requires.
I haven’t seen that—and I said this to Don last night—I was dying before I met Don. I was starting to reach a plateau. I made good money. I did whatever was required. Then, this kid comes along and he rejuvenates my fire! I haven’t felt like this in many, many years.
The reason I say this is, when this man says something to you, he will do it. He will not do it half-assed. He will not do it 99 ½ percent. He will do it 110 percent. He will give it everything he’s got and he’s not a liar. He’s a man of measure.
A man of measure is hard to come by. This kid may be 21, 22 years old, but he’s a man of measure. To cut himself off with the looks that he’s got, with all the women chasing his ass, and alienating himself in a town like Chicago, which is a fun town, you know?
That’s a big damn thing. And that’s why a lot of fighters that are good fighters have not managed to knock that wall down, and stay on that Chicago circuit. This kid is breaking that wall down. We’ve got him with us, and we know what he’s going to do.
* * *
It remains to be seen whether or not the kid fulfills the potential that Mike Michael sees in him. Sure, he’s got the look, talent, and brash confidence combined with dedication, but will it be enough?
Stay tuned. Either way, something tells me the show’s going to be “Da bomb.”
