By Jake Donovan (photo by www.comancheboy.com)
The next big thing doesn’t always have to be a current big name. Plenty of fighters have risen from virtual anonymity to the top level. On most occurrences, said boxer will tell you that he preferred to fly under the radar.
Welcome to the world of George “Comanche Boy” Tahdooahnippah.
Mention his name anywhere outside of Oklahoma, and the most common response is likely to be “Who?” You’d think with a name like that, he’d stand out from the rest of the pack. But for the moment, the undefeated Native American middleweight prospect has yet to leave an impression beyond his immediate circle.
In 16 pro fights to date (15-0-1, 14KO), three have made their way to ESPN2’s Friday Night Fights series, where he’s registered two knockouts and the lone non-win of his young career.
Most memorable among the lot was a highlight reel first round blitzing of Mike Jackson in his unexpected televised debut in July 2007. A right hand had the journeyman out, to where he was unable to leave the ring under his own power.
Still, he remains an unknown with a funny looking name. It’s exactly how he likes it.
“I'm a sleeper, nobody knows who I am,” acknowledges Tahdooahnippah. “I'm a middleweight in Oklahoma, of Native-American descent. The expectations for my pro career are non-existent.”
Efforts were made to raise his profile this weekend, when he fights for the first time in 2009. Original plans called for his making his Shobox debut, but two things got in the way; age and family.
Having since turned 30 years old, he was no longer viewed as an ideal candidate for the series which traditionally showcases younger prospects. But even if an exception could be made, the birth of his third child slowed down things enough to where the timing wasn’t quite right for what would’ve been the biggest fight of his career to date.
“At the time, I just had my son (November 21); it would've been a lot to make it happen,” admits Tahdooahnippah. He still fights in Tulsa, OK this weekend, but way off-camera and against a less-than-TV-friendly opponent in Brandon Wooten, a 5-12-1 journeyman whose never defeated a fighter with a winning record.
It’s not the ideal opponent when you’re opening up a campaign push as one to watch in ’09, but the right type of fight in which to get reacquainted with the ring.
“In a way, it's a relief,” Tahdooahnippah says of the Shobox plans falling though. “The benefits financially weren't that great, considering the circumstances. I'm ready to step up, but the timing actually works to my benefit. People see my age and think it’s now or never for me, but there’s still plenty of time to make things happen.”
While having just recently said goodbye to his 20’s, Tahadooahnippah is relatively young in boxing years. His amateur background is limited to sparring sessions and toughman competitions, having transferred over from wrestling, in which he excelled in high school in Lawton, Oklahoma.
Wrestling was enough to get him into college, having attended the University of Delaware. The advice to be found in any family is, use any edge you can to get into college and a good education. But that wasn’t good enough for the Comanche Kid.
“I was a wrestler for a while, but it didn't fulfill my hunger.”
He instead reached back to past generations, deciding to follow in his grandfather’s footsteps.
“I come from a boxing family. They grew up in boarding schools from the beginning of the 20th Century all the way through the 1970's. It was a first sport for us.
“I didn't have it growing up, but was always fighting one way or another.”
A grand total of zero amateur fights came out of his training in the sweet science, which began in 2001. He managed three kickboxing matches before catching on in the toughman circuit, which helped give him a sampling of the feel for full speed combat.
But it was boxing to which he truly believed his heart belonged.
“Fighting in various other sports, I naturally took to boxing. I wasn’t sure how it would go at first, but after sparring with guys like Allan Green and Grady Brewer, my confidence level shot up.”
Further boosting his confidence was his ability to knock down – and out – everyone his handlers were lining up. It took four years and 14 fights just to reach 25 rounds as a professional prize fighter, having scored 12 knockouts along that stretch, all in three rounds or less.
The lone non-win on his ledger came in a 4-round draw against James Cook in an ESPN2-televised swing bout a year ago. The scorecards of 39-37 Tahdooahnippah and 38-38 (2x) seemed to accurately reflect the action, which is to say that a draw or a close win for the crowd favorite (the bout taking place in Tulsa, OK) appeared to be the correct call.
It was the first time since his second pro fight in which he was forced to go to the scorecards. It was also the last time, having since scored six straight knockouts en route to an impressive 7-0 (6KO) campaign in 2008.
Despite coming into the sport as a relative newbie, Tahdooahnippah’s path has hardly come against cookie cutter competition. There’s hardly a world beater to be found on his resume, but claims wins over respectable enough opposition to prove that he’s not your garden variety Midwestern tomato can.
Boasting solid skills, a dedicated body attack, strong chin and a mean right hand, his biggest – if not only – flaw would be ring activity. Only four fights came from his first three years as a pro before kicking things into gear in 2007, having since fought 12 times in a span of less than 18 months.
He enters this weekend’s fight coming off of a four-month layoff, his longest since 2006. That’s not to say a fear of ring rust exists; what doesn’t show up in the box score is how he’s spent his downtime.
“I helped Grady Brewer for his fight with K-9 (Cornelius Bundrage) in November. I also trained with Manuel Esparza, who fights Edison Miranda (Wednesday, January 14) and James Freeman, who fights January 15 in Fort Worth. There’s no ring rust at all, just about getting my weight down.”
This weekend is about more than that, though. His fight is off-camera, but is treating the event as an audition for a spot on a future Showtime telecast. With that comes the other side of Tahdooahnippah – his ability to put on a show outside the ring before delivering one between the ropes.
“I'm bringing a big entourage to the event. I have singers, dancers, Indian rappers. We want to let Showtime know how we bring it.”
From there, the goal is to let the best of the middleweight division know what he brings to the table.
“I’m looking to put in a lot of work into the summer. By then comes my big test. Whoever makes the most financial sense that also puts me in title contention, that's my guy. Even if I have to travel, that's what I'm willing to do.
“When the right opponent comes, I'll grab it. I'm getting ready for that opportunity.”
For now, the short-term plan is to prepare for a reunion with those who’ve shown him the most love.
“Tulsa is my second home as far as fighting. (This Friday) will be a good night to make a statement.”
And the first step toward changing “Who?” to “Ooh” anytime his name is mentioned.
Jake Donovan is a voting member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Comments/questions can be submitted to JakeNDaBox@gmail.com.
