Gerald Washington experimented with a variety of sports before settling on boxing. The 43-year-old American professional boxer also served as a helicopter technician for the Navy for four years and spent two years at Chaffey College in Rancho Cucamonga, before moving to the University of Southern California where he where he played tight end as well as defensive end in football.
Interesting Facts About Gerald Washington
1. He started boxing in 5th grade
Washington was born in San Jose, California, and later moved to Vallejo where he spent a part of his childhood. He was born to an African American father and a Mexican American mother.
When he was in the 5th grade, Washington started going to the Boys and Girls Club in his city to learn Karate. Unfortunately, the club didn’t have karate but boxing, and that was when he started becoming familiar with the ring.
2. Gerald Washington’s parents have been very supportive of his career
As earlier mentioned, Washington started his sporting career with attempts at tennis and football. According to him, his mother initially discouraged contact sports, and that is why he spent much of his youth on the tennis court.
Meanwhile, the athlete has claimed that his parents have always been behind him. He added that his mother has always been tough and that’s where he got my hardness from. The athlete has particularly appreciated his mom who according to him had to get up early in the morning to fight a long commute to the City of SanFrancisco, work long hours at the Post Office, and have to drive back 2 plus hours to take care of him and his brother Harris who is now a professional cinematographer. Washington has also said his mother was and is still an ardent tennis player and she used to take him to the tennis court when he was much younger.
3. He served as a helicopter mechanic from the year 2000 to 2004
From 2000 through 2004, Gerald worked as a helicopter mechanic in the US Navy. He said that although he was only in the Navy for four years, his time there taught him how to set and accomplish goals. Gerald Washington claimed that in the Navy, everyone is accountable for their duties as part of a large team or unit. He also said the mission will fail if you don’t finish your task and he now approaches boxing with the same philosophy.
4. Washington played football in college
As stated already, Geral’s mother used to carry him along to the tennis court when he was much younger. Moreover, he also played football at his high school. He signed up for Chaffey College in Rancho Cucamonga, California where he played football for one season.
Washington later made a move to the University of Southern California in 2006. As a junior, he played tight end and defensive end but struggled to stay on the field owing to injuries. While at USC, he had coach Pete Carroll and coach Steve Sarkisian come to his school and offer him a scholarship.
Meanwhile, Gerald has said that boxing has always been in his heart and has always been his passion. According to him, he was playing football but in his heart, there was always boxing. After a redshirt year, he was shifted to the 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.
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5. He made his boxing professional debut in 2012
Washington made his professional debut in 2012 at the fairly advanced age of 30, having never really had an amateur career. At the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California, Washington defeated Blue DeLong via knockout in his debut match as a professional.
In his third professional contest against Terrance Perro, Washington earned his first decision victory. Perro was knocked out once in round 1, and Washington won by scores of 40-34, 39-35, and 39-35 after four rounds.
6. Meet the fighters Gerald looks up to
According to Washington, Mike Tyson and Julio Cesar Chavez are his two favorite boxers. He enjoys watching all fighters, though. He has also mentioned that he now pays close attention to many of the taller competitors, such as Lennox Lewis and Vitali Klitschko, to observe how they make use of their stature.
7. He feels Boxing is dangerous and exciting at the same time
Washington has acknowledged that his line of work is both risky and thrilling. He remarked that it is amazing how sometimes he would simply hurt the opponent in the ring, but once he started to stumble, he would charge in to do further damage. Despite all these, he describes it as an awesome experience. Boxing’s inherent danger forced Washington to prioritize defense from the first time he stepped in a gym, and he considers himself a patient fighter who has developed a methodical approach as he’s gained more experience.
8. A quick look at his boxing profile and record
As earlier stated, Washington went pro in 2012. The 6ft 6in tall fighter has a reach of 82 in (208cm) and as of the time of writing, he has a total of 26 fights out of which he won 20. 13 of his wins were by knockout.
9. Washington has previously been detained by the authorities
Washington was taken into custody on September 16, 2014, after a routine traffic stop. California’s Burbank was the location of the arrest. Some sources claim that Washington’s Chevrolet truck was ‘straddling the lines’ and that it also had expired plates when it was stopped. Washington was sober and gave the police his full cooperation, but the cops discovered that he was wanted for being caught driving without a license before. After Washington was taken into custody, a $5,000 bail was issued.
10. How rich is he?
According to sources Gerald Washington’s net worth is currently estimated at about $5 million. His professional boxing career which spans 13 years is his primary source of income.
Furthermore, the professional fighter shot to the top of the contender list for a matchup with WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder on January 26, 2017, at Birmingham, Alabama’s Legacy Arena. This happened as a result of Polish boxer Andrzej Wawrzyk, Wilder’s initial opponent, testing positive for the anabolic steroid stanozolol during testing for the WBC’s Clean Boxing Program. Gerald received $250,000 from the fight, while Wilder received a TKO victory in the fifth round and a total payday of $900,000. A total of 1.76 million people watched the fight on average, with 1.86 million tuning in at its highest.
In the same vein, Washington competed in a 10-round match against undefeated heavyweight contender Jarrell Miller (18-0-1, 16 KOs). Over the course of eight rounds, Miller thoroughly outplayed Washington, ultimately compelling the corner and the referee to call time on the contest. Washington received $50,000 while Miller received a reward of $70,000 for the victory.
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