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02/16/2007 Archived Entry: "Don 'Da Bomb' George looks to drop a Blockbuster on Gould Friday Night!"
Don 'Da Bomb' George looks to drop a Blockbuster on Gould Friday Night!
By Juan C. Ayllon
Photo courtesy of Cestus Management
CICERO, Ill.— "Gould is going to get beat to death, practically. You know what I mean," said Cestus Management's Mike Michael.
Chcago's super middleweight prospect, Donovan “Da Bomb” George (11-0-1, 9 KO’s), looks to drop the bomb on opponent, Kendall Gould (8-11-1, 5 KO’s), at the Cicero Stadium tonight. The only thing is, Gould has more experience and has a fighting chance as a spoiler.
Taking a few moments away from training, George and the founder of his managing company Cestus Management, Mike Michael, discussed tonight's bout, their new promoter and related issues at length.
JUAN C. AYLLON: Wow. So, how’s it going, Donovan?
DONOVAN GEORGE: Fantastic. (I’m) just really ready to rock and load on Friday night! I’m going to get in there and take care of business as usual.
JA: What’s different about this training camp versus previous training camps?
DG: I have to say my career is proceeding. We’ve been adding new stuff into camp and just a lot of new mechanics and still going over all the old basics. But, we’re now ready to jump out of six rounds. I’ve been ready to jump out of six rounds, so, I’m just going to get out there, I’ve got to make a statement, and...keep on moving my career as it’s been going.
JA: When you say ‘new mechanics,’ what are you talking about?
DG: Just my dad—he’s installing new moves with me. We’re working with new stuff—new side-stepping, and just new combinations from different angles. Just basically, everyday I go to the gym, I’m just trying to learn something new, so I can just continue to get better.
JA: Now what have you done to prepare specifically for Gould?
GD: We’ve got tape on him. We watched the tape, my dad studied the tape a long time. And, we pretty much know his strengths and weaknesses, so we took that into the gym and we worked on it—what’s going to benefit me the most.
MM: We’re close to guarded secrets, Juan. We don’t want Kenny Gould to read the Cyber Boxing Zone and let the cat out of the bag. You know what I mean?
JA: That’s fine. So, Donovan, are you looking forward to this fight?
DG: Oh God, I’m looking forward to this fight. This is my first fight under Top Rank. So, I’ve got to go out there, make a good impression, (and)…a big splash. And, fighting in Chicago is always awesome for me. I’ve got a real fan base. There’s so much energy once I walk into the ring. I’m super excited about fighting again in Chicago!
JA: I was just curious if you read my report on your last opponent, Johnson, versus Derrick “Superman” Findley.
DG: Yeah, I did read it. Yeah, “Superman” dropped him a couple times, but he couldn’t stop him? I read it.
MM: William Johnson is known for his durability, Juan. He’s been in there with Robert Allen, who’s boxed three times for the title against Bernard Hopkins. He’s a pretty tough kid, William Johnson! And, what Don’s done, not a lot of people can do to him. He’s only every been stopped two times before Don stopped him.
DG: Yeah, I thought that might be a difficult fight for “Superman.” You know, he’s a power puncher and he loads up a lot. And William Johnson, he uses pretty good angles and he’s got sneaky punches that he lands in there, you know? I mean, I knew that Derrick Findley would win, but I was pretty sure it was going to go the distance.
MM: Well, I could tell you this, Juan: if the referee never stopped the fight, Don would have actually knocked that boy out. That boy was getting ready to get knocked out quick. You know what I mean?
JA: Saying all goes well with Gould, what’s next?
DG: Uh, Mike?
MM: Well, we’ve got to sit down with Top Rank and see what they also want to do. Whatever they want to do, we’re going to follow, ‘cause they’re the top promotional company in the world, I would say. I’m sure they’re devising a plan for Don to get to the top. So, we’re just going to take this fight and take each fight as it comes along.
JA: David Diaz is with Top Rank, too. Does it trouble you at all that after he won the Interim Lightweight Title (in August), that he hasn’t gotten a shot yet?
DG: Well, I don’t know what the situation is between Top Rank and David. That’s got nothing to do with me. I’m sure he’s going to have a fight soon. I know there’s talk. I don’t know exactly who or where, but if it’s in Chicago, we’ll be on the card, too. So, we’ll see what happens.
MM: With David, when you reach a level that David’s reached, Juan, you can’t just take any fight. Top Rank’s a master of getting their fighters with belts in the right fights. So, he can’t just go and just defend against anybody, okay? He’s got to fight against the right guys. He’s also waiting for his promoters to tell him what to do first. You know what I mean?
JA: In watching what’s been happening for the last several years, one of my big frustrations as a fan and as a writer is that you get these promoters and sanctioning bodies that collect their fees and sometimes I think the promoters don’t do what they should be doing, and that is promote!
I’ve heard rumors that certain fighters—like David Diaz—may not be a big money maker, so they don’t move on his behalf, whereas my understanding of what a promoter should be doing is promoting (and building the fighter’s marketability).
MM: Yeah, but if you look at what’s out there, Juan, you look at Top Rank—we use Top Rank, because they’re our promoter, as well. They do more shows, stage more events, than most of the promoters combined in the whole country. So, they’ve got another guy in that they’re dealing with, or another promoter, they have to win, and they have to be in the same position as the fighter Top Rank’s got so that fight can be made. Then, you’ve got the sanctioning bodies, then you’ve got elimination tournaments, then you’ve got people who are ranked, then you’ve got to go down the rankings to see who available. It’s one of these complicated situations once you reach a certain level. That’s why That’s why you’ve got the guys who’ve got belts maybe fighting twice, maybe three times a year.
I’m pretty sure David’s going to fight soon, and I’m pretty sure it’s going to be a pretty lucrative fight.
JA: It’s frustrating, and I’m sure you’ve experienced this as well, Donovan, where you’ve got these talented Chicago fighters and they just can’t, for whatever reason, break past a certain point.
DG: Mmm-hmmm. Yeah, absolutely! A lot of it is good management and it’s perhaps if it’s a major fight and, perhaps if it’s a major fight, they won’t have to see you. So, I mean, if you’re not a big draw or entertaining, a lot of people aren’t going to want to see you fight. But, I don’t think David Diaz has that problem. He’s a pretty entertaining fighter. I’m sure it’s just waiting for the right opportunity.
MM: Yeah, I agree with Don. It’s all about waiting for the right opportunity, Juan. And, I think that Chicago now, with Don emerging and David Diaz winning the (Interim) title, I think people are looking at Chicago fighters a little bit differently than what they were two years ago. You know what I mean? So, I think things are going to start looking up, you know?
JA: Sure. Don, are you doing anything to bolster your strength, to advance yourself? What are you doing in terms of your training?
DG: Yeah, I go to the health club and I work with a personal trainer a couple times a week. You know, mostly just core lifting, light weights, (and) repetitions. But, pretty much, I stick mostly to the boxing workout and doing my running everyday and my sprints. I workout with a football team every Sunday. It’s available to me and I take advantage of it. I enjoy doing different kinds of athletics, different sports, just to change the pace, but it’s a good workout at the same time.
JA: Long term, are there any changes as far as your goals?
DG: Ah, no. Goal number one is become a world champion, and that’s it. That’s all I focus on, that’s all I see right now. I’m not looking into the glitz and glamour, or to be rich and famous. I want to be world champion. After that, my goal would be to retain my title, defend it and keep on fighting.
JA: Any tales from your sparring experiences as of late?
DG: I’ve been getting in some good work. I’ve been sparring with Louis Turner. Me and him have been getting really good work with each other. We’ve been going to each other’s gyms, back and forth. And, I’ve got Trinidad Garcia moving up. My dad’s working with him now. So, I think my dad’s training him. I’m not sure. He comes up to our gym every night. So, I got some good sparring. I’m always looking for new sparring. So, any chance I get, I take it.
JA: Have you sparred with “The Weezel” (David Estrada)?
DG: No! We really don’t know where the Weezel’s been. I think he’s still at Garfield Park. We really haven’t talked to him.
JA: I know he took some job with security at the Naval Training Center.
DG: Right. Oh, that might be it, because he hasn’t been around.
Weezel’s a good guy. Like I said before, he’s one of my best friends in boxing by far. So, I really, really like Weezel. Since the beginning, we’ve always been good friends and he’s a good kid.
JA: Have you smoothed things over with Michael Walker, or is that still kind of touchy?
DG: I’m pretty sure they’re smooth. We’ve seen each other at Windy City Gym and we talked and everything’s fine. I’ve got his number. So, actually, we’re probably going to be sparring together as soon as possible. We were actually supposed to meet up for sparring last week at Fuller Park with Louis Turner, but I don’t know what happened. We’re just looking to get good work any way we can get it.
MM: Basically, Mike Walker understood that this is just business.
JA: I understand and have seen that with Rita Figueroa and Mary McGee. Some words were said, and then when I talked with Mary the other night, she said, ‘Hey, we’re friends, you know, but bottom line, only one of us can be on top.’
DG: Right, yeah. We’re not even in the same weight class now.
MM: He fights at 160, doesn’t he?
DG: Yeah, and there’s talk about him going to 154.
So, whatever happens, happens. If we meet each other down the line, then so be it. Along with any other fighters out there: If we meet, and it’s on demand and it’s a fight everybody wants to see, then let’s do it, let’s dance. I’m in a position where I’m ready to fight whoever my managers and promoters put in front of me.
Donovan George's fight will be part of a show put on by Promoters 8 Count and Top Rank at Cicero Stadium, which is located at 1909 S. Laramie in Cicero, Illinois.
