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Shaun George blends Intelligence and Determination
By CHRIS ROBINSON
People leave vastly different impressions upon one another and you can learn a lot about someone when talking to them for even the first time. When speaking with Light Heavyweight contender Shaun George I sensed a man with much intelligence and many facets to his persona. George is a diverse man by nature and there are many different avenues he could have taken in his life but he is a fighter at heart and he won’t be satisfied until his name is known.
News came recently that George is set to face former Heavyweight Champion Chris Byrd on May 16th in a bout that is intriguing and also pivotal to both men’s careers. This is a fight that George has been dying to have and he will have the opportunity to showcase his talents against a man who is both proven and immensely skilled. While much of the talk in this bout is focused on the move that Byrd is making in coming down to 175 pounds, George seems to be relishing the role of the darkhorse and is set to make the most of his opportunity.
Every fighter has to focus their life on boxing to be successful and with some boxers you get the sense that boxing is there only option, but George comes from a different path. The Brooklyn native carries himself in an articulate manner that beguiles the assumptions that many would have about professional fighters. He can speak openly about several topics but never sells himself short when discussing his career and his desire to emerge as one the sport’s prominent figures.
Following another day of training George opened up about his bout with Byrd while also reflecting on his life as a fighter and as a person.
Speaking candidly, George discussed his early days in Brooklyn, his overall competitive nature, his deep relationships within the sport of boxing, and more…
No easy way out…
“Everybody knows who Chris Byrd is and what he has accomplished. He’s a smart man and a very intelligent boxer. He’s coming down from the Heavyweight division and on May 16th all eyes are going to be on the Light Heavyweight division. I’m excited and I’ve been waiting for this fight for a long time. I don’t think that this fight is going to be easy but I know that I’m focused for this opportunity. My career hasn’t been about getting the easy fights and I know that there is no easy way out in this business.”
The most important thing…
“Everybody is going to want to see what Chris Byrd is going to do but then they are going to realize that he is in the ring with Shaun George and they’re going to find out what I am about. Right now the only thing that I am worried about is Chris Byrd. That fight is the most important thing going on in my life right now. If I cant’ get past Chris Byrd there will be no title shot. I have to be successful if I want to meet the other names in the division.”
The total package…
“Chris Byrd has beautiful handspeed and he is a slick boxer. He can also be very aggressive and he definitely has mental toughness. People know what he brings to the table. He might be bigger than me and even stronger than me but I’m going to be victorious when we meet. I have a lot of advantages on my side and I am the smartest Light Heavyweight in the world. When it all comes down to it I am the total package.”
Overcoming the obstacles…
“Injuries have slowed down my career and I’ve had to overcome them. I’ve also had to get the right people behind me to make things happen. I’ve had to get the right promoters while also trying to get a name for myself from a viewing audience. There are so many different things that have factored into my career."
A different kind of punishment…
“I grew up in Brooklyn, New York. My parents tried to keep me out of trouble but when I was younger, around Junior high school, I was somewhat of an upstart and I was hanging around the wrong crowd. My dad ended up taking me to Bed Stuy Boxing up in Brooklyn and I started from there. After that, if I did anything wrong or if I wasn’t doing good in school they wouldn’t let me go to the gym and that was there form of punishment. From that point on I started doing good in school, got my high school diploma and it helped me stay on track.”
Competitive nature…
“I’m a competitive guy and I have a competitive nature. After I started boxing I got beat up by a guy called William and I wanted to beat him up. I was twelve years old and he gave me a bloody nose in sparring. He got the best of me and I just wanted to get him back. By the time I got back into the ring he had stopped boxing but I continued with it and I just kept getting better and better. I won Nationals, New York State Titles, and everything else. I’m just a competitive guy and that’s what fuels me.”
Other options…
“I’m a certified paralegal. I have options to do other things with my life but the thing is that I love the sport of boxing more than anything else. I could see myself doing a lot of different things. I could see myself doing real estate, or even promoting, managing, or training fighters. I have other options besides boxing but when it comes down to it I just love the sport so much and I have invested 18 years into this. Right now it’s my time to shine.”
Survival of the fittest…
“Brooklyn is a very diverse borough. You have all type of people there. You have the hood, you have the middle class, and you have the rich. When it all comes down to it you grow up early if you grow up in Brooklyn. You have to deal with people trying to hustle you and take advantage of you. You know what to look out for and what to expect under certain situations. Brooklyn is just about survival of the fittest.”
Relating to one another…
“Through boxing I have gotten to know so many people. Guys like former Middleweight champion Jermain Taylor, Dominick Guinn, Sechew Powell, Mark Breland, and Antonio Tarver just to name a few. I also know Zab Judah and Vivian Harris very well. I’m a very studious person and I like to learn from everybody that I am around. So many guys I have met have played a role in my career and I met a lot of good people and great friends through boxing. Any professional will agree with me when I say that boxing is a hard sport and that’s why a lot of fighters relate to one another. Outside of the physical side of the sport there are also so many politics that you have to deal with. All fighters are fighting for the same opportunities and it can be a lot harder than other sports."
Rough business…
“People don’t realize how rough this business is. It isn’t just about fighting. You have to deal with the media, the promoters, the managers, and the politics of the sport. You have to work hard just to get the right fights and a lot of things happen on short notice in this business. Training also takes a lot from you and people don’t always understand how much you have to sacrifice. There are so many different things in boxing that people don’t know about. Training can be hard but the business side of the sport is even harder.”
Fighting for them…
“Right now I have my family and I am fighting for them. I want to be able to buy my mom a house and I still have a baby on the way. I want to take care of my wife and give support to the rest of my family. I want to be able to help them and that’s part of what drives me. Through boxing I believe I can do it.”
Going back to the drawing board…
“I’ve learned that you need a lot of patience if you want to be successful in boxing. Everything isn’t going to go your way and you have to deal with bad decisions and people pulling out of potential fights. There were times when I was frustrated with the sport but I just had to go back to the drawing board and take a look at everything. I realized that I just needed to keep working on becoming a better fighter and that’s exactly what I did. Things happen for a reason and I’m glad things worked out the way they did.”
Not satisfied…
“I have won some amateur titles and I won the NABA Cruiserweight title as a professional. I’ve accomplished some things but I’m just not satisfied. I want to be #1 in the world and I want to be compared to the best fighters in the world. I’m out to be a world champion and I want to be on HBO and Showtime representing my division and showing what I am about. I am not satisfied with what I have done and I have a goal of being the undisputed Light Heavyweight Champion of the world and I’m going to do whatever I have to do in order to make it happen.”
By CHRIS ROBINSON
People leave vastly different impressions upon one another and you can learn a lot about someone when talking to them for even the first time. When speaking with Light Heavyweight contender Shaun George I sensed a man with much intelligence and many facets to his persona. George is a diverse man by nature and there are many different avenues he could have taken in his life but he is a fighter at heart and he won’t be satisfied until his name is known.
News came recently that George is set to face former Heavyweight Champion Chris Byrd on May 16th in a bout that is intriguing and also pivotal to both men’s careers. This is a fight that George has been dying to have and he will have the opportunity to showcase his talents against a man who is both proven and immensely skilled. While much of the talk in this bout is focused on the move that Byrd is making in coming down to 175 pounds, George seems to be relishing the role of the darkhorse and is set to make the most of his opportunity.
Every fighter has to focus their life on boxing to be successful and with some boxers you get the sense that boxing is there only option, but George comes from a different path. The Brooklyn native carries himself in an articulate manner that beguiles the assumptions that many would have about professional fighters. He can speak openly about several topics but never sells himself short when discussing his career and his desire to emerge as one the sport’s prominent figures.
Following another day of training George opened up about his bout with Byrd while also reflecting on his life as a fighter and as a person.
Speaking candidly, George discussed his early days in Brooklyn, his overall competitive nature, his deep relationships within the sport of boxing, and more…
No easy way out…
“Everybody knows who Chris Byrd is and what he has accomplished. He’s a smart man and a very intelligent boxer. He’s coming down from the Heavyweight division and on May 16th all eyes are going to be on the Light Heavyweight division. I’m excited and I’ve been waiting for this fight for a long time. I don’t think that this fight is going to be easy but I know that I’m focused for this opportunity. My career hasn’t been about getting the easy fights and I know that there is no easy way out in this business.”
The most important thing…
“Everybody is going to want to see what Chris Byrd is going to do but then they are going to realize that he is in the ring with Shaun George and they’re going to find out what I am about. Right now the only thing that I am worried about is Chris Byrd. That fight is the most important thing going on in my life right now. If I cant’ get past Chris Byrd there will be no title shot. I have to be successful if I want to meet the other names in the division.”
The total package…
“Chris Byrd has beautiful handspeed and he is a slick boxer. He can also be very aggressive and he definitely has mental toughness. People know what he brings to the table. He might be bigger than me and even stronger than me but I’m going to be victorious when we meet. I have a lot of advantages on my side and I am the smartest Light Heavyweight in the world. When it all comes down to it I am the total package.”
Overcoming the obstacles…
“Injuries have slowed down my career and I’ve had to overcome them. I’ve also had to get the right people behind me to make things happen. I’ve had to get the right promoters while also trying to get a name for myself from a viewing audience. There are so many different things that have factored into my career."
A different kind of punishment…
“I grew up in Brooklyn, New York. My parents tried to keep me out of trouble but when I was younger, around Junior high school, I was somewhat of an upstart and I was hanging around the wrong crowd. My dad ended up taking me to Bed Stuy Boxing up in Brooklyn and I started from there. After that, if I did anything wrong or if I wasn’t doing good in school they wouldn’t let me go to the gym and that was there form of punishment. From that point on I started doing good in school, got my high school diploma and it helped me stay on track.”
Competitive nature…
“I’m a competitive guy and I have a competitive nature. After I started boxing I got beat up by a guy called William and I wanted to beat him up. I was twelve years old and he gave me a bloody nose in sparring. He got the best of me and I just wanted to get him back. By the time I got back into the ring he had stopped boxing but I continued with it and I just kept getting better and better. I won Nationals, New York State Titles, and everything else. I’m just a competitive guy and that’s what fuels me.”
Other options…
“I’m a certified paralegal. I have options to do other things with my life but the thing is that I love the sport of boxing more than anything else. I could see myself doing a lot of different things. I could see myself doing real estate, or even promoting, managing, or training fighters. I have other options besides boxing but when it comes down to it I just love the sport so much and I have invested 18 years into this. Right now it’s my time to shine.”
Survival of the fittest…
“Brooklyn is a very diverse borough. You have all type of people there. You have the hood, you have the middle class, and you have the rich. When it all comes down to it you grow up early if you grow up in Brooklyn. You have to deal with people trying to hustle you and take advantage of you. You know what to look out for and what to expect under certain situations. Brooklyn is just about survival of the fittest.”
Relating to one another…
“Through boxing I have gotten to know so many people. Guys like former Middleweight champion Jermain Taylor, Dominick Guinn, Sechew Powell, Mark Breland, and Antonio Tarver just to name a few. I also know Zab Judah and Vivian Harris very well. I’m a very studious person and I like to learn from everybody that I am around. So many guys I have met have played a role in my career and I met a lot of good people and great friends through boxing. Any professional will agree with me when I say that boxing is a hard sport and that’s why a lot of fighters relate to one another. Outside of the physical side of the sport there are also so many politics that you have to deal with. All fighters are fighting for the same opportunities and it can be a lot harder than other sports."
Rough business…
“People don’t realize how rough this business is. It isn’t just about fighting. You have to deal with the media, the promoters, the managers, and the politics of the sport. You have to work hard just to get the right fights and a lot of things happen on short notice in this business. Training also takes a lot from you and people don’t always understand how much you have to sacrifice. There are so many different things in boxing that people don’t know about. Training can be hard but the business side of the sport is even harder.”
Fighting for them…
“Right now I have my family and I am fighting for them. I want to be able to buy my mom a house and I still have a baby on the way. I want to take care of my wife and give support to the rest of my family. I want to be able to help them and that’s part of what drives me. Through boxing I believe I can do it.”
Going back to the drawing board…
“I’ve learned that you need a lot of patience if you want to be successful in boxing. Everything isn’t going to go your way and you have to deal with bad decisions and people pulling out of potential fights. There were times when I was frustrated with the sport but I just had to go back to the drawing board and take a look at everything. I realized that I just needed to keep working on becoming a better fighter and that’s exactly what I did. Things happen for a reason and I’m glad things worked out the way they did.”
Not satisfied…
“I have won some amateur titles and I won the NABA Cruiserweight title as a professional. I’ve accomplished some things but I’m just not satisfied. I want to be #1 in the world and I want to be compared to the best fighters in the world. I’m out to be a world champion and I want to be on HBO and Showtime representing my division and showing what I am about. I am not satisfied with what I have done and I have a goal of being the undisputed Light Heavyweight Champion of the world and I’m going to do whatever I have to do in order to make it happen.”
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