Gerald Washington's Unique Journey: Helicopters, USC Football, Unbeaten Boxer
There's a part of almost every man that believes, deep down, he's a tough guy. Left over from the days' fight or flight was more than a slogan for text books, it's that devil on your shoulder that has influenced many a drunken bar brawl or bombastic display of machismo. Football players, so often called on to test their mettle and manhood on the field of competition, are especially prone to this belief.
Maybe that's why Gerald Washington (16-0, 11 KO), who fights Amir Mansour (22-1, 16 KOs) Tuesday on Fox Sports 1, carried a set of boxing gloves with him as he moved from tiny Chaffey College in Rancho Cucamonga, California, to an off-campus apartment with four football players at the University of Southern California back in 2006.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Washington, a tight end who had managed a single catch in his high school career, was moving from junior college to the big time. After four years in the Navy as a helicopter mechanic and two years at Chaffey more notable for potential than production, Washington had plenty to prove.
"That was a big old thing. I had USC coach (Pete) Carroll and coach (Steve) Sarkisian come to my school and offer me a scholarship right there," Washington told Bleacher Report in an exclusive interview. "They were coming off of two national championships. I was just shocked that they wanted me. That made me work so much harder when I got there."
His roommates were a collection of alpha males who had excelled at every level athletically. One of them, a fellow tight end named Anthony McCoy, would go on to play on Sundays. They were bound to ask this newcomer about the red gloves. Each would want to prove himself on a different battleground.
Washington, though never a bully, was happy to oblige.
"The difference between me and them is that I grew up boxing. I went to the Boys and Girls Club in my city to learn to be the Karate Kid. Well, they didn't have karate; they had boxing," Washington remembers. "I would get out the gloves and play around with the guys. All that coordination and all those skills they've developed as an athlete, it goes away when they step into that boxing ring.
"It's not instinctual for most people. Boxing has always been in my heart. It's always been my passion. This is what I really love to do. I was playing football because I could. In my heart there was always boxing."
Washington had an undistinguished football career. After a redshirt year, he was shifted to defensive end where he saw limited time on the field. Standing 6'6" and weighing in at a powerful 255 pounds, Washington says the problem for him was never athleticism. Even when he looked to catch on in the NFL, he always felt he could compete in the strength and quickness departments.
The problem, he says, were instincts. His mother discouraged contact sports, and he spent much of his youth on the tennis court instead of on the gridiron. When it came down to him and athletes who had football in their bones, Washington never stood a chance.
The same things, he says, apply to football players looking to make it inside the squared circle. For years pundits have claimed the next great heavyweight is likely playing in the NFL instead of fighting in the ring. Washington begs to differ.
"He would be like a fish out of water. You can be a tremendous athlete, but when you step in the ring there are no more games," Washington said. "You can't learn how to throw and duck a punch in no time. It will take a lot of hard work and dedication and the mindset to be competitive in boxing. If boxing was easy, everyone would do it.
"Sometimes I even shock myself. I'm like 'Gerald, you just hurt this guy in the ring, and when you had him stumbling, you charged forward to hurt him even more.' That's crazy to me—what we do in there. It's very dangerous, and it's exciting at the same time. I can't tell you another feeling that fills my whole body up like that adrenaline rush you get scoring a big knockout."
That is not to say football is disconnected from his success in the ring.
| Height | 6'6" |
| Weight | 248 pounds |
| Age | 33 |
| Record | 16-0 (11 KO) |
| Rounds Boxed | 56 |
"It was just an awesome experience," Washington said. "It was the height of competition. You had the best players in the country. I was just very grateful to be there and to learn how to perform at a high level. The film study and learning to take the time to perfect your craft. I took all of that, and I use it in my boxing."
It also redefined what pressure means. After all, more than 93,000 fans pack Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for ever USC Trojan home game. Years of athletics at that level means his first televised boxing main event isn't likely to give Washington a case of the nerves.
"Just because it's the main event doesn't mean I have to be scrambling saying, 'Oh, I've got to put on a show.' No. When you start doing that, it takes you out of your game," Washington said. "I'm not caught up in the hype. I'm not listening to the stuff he's saying.
"There's nothing big about this fight. It's just another day in the office. It's just a guy in front of me, just like I've faced 16 previous times. I have a job to do, and I know what I have to take care of to get it done. You handle your business like you always have, and that's how you get the win."
Jonathan Snowden covers combat sports for Bleacher Report.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
