Some facts about Gerald McClellan, The G-Man

[Nortonsjab]

1979 and 1981 Pennsylvania Jr Olympic Champion @ 125 (beating Michael Moorer)

1982 Winsconsin Jr Olympic Champion @ 147

1984 Winsconsin Golden Gloves Champion @ 156

1984 Third Place, National Junior's @ 156

1985 Third Place, National's @ 156

1986 Third Place, National's @ 156

1987 National Champion @ 156

1988 Second Place, National Golden Gloves @ 156 (beating Roy Jones Jr.)

Never known as a knockout puncher in the amateur ranks

Youngest member of a semi-pro basketball team when he was just 15 but found he wasn't much of a team player

Chief sparring partner for middleweight contender 'Dangerous' Donald Lee from 1984 to 1988

Didn't drink, smoke or do drugs

Prayed to God every day

Father was alcoholic and regularly lashed out at him as a kid

Brother Todd was said to be an even better prospect but didn't have Gerald's dedication

Sisters ignored Gerald as a kid and adored Todd

Felt his mother loved Todd more than him

Slept around a lot because he seeked attention and affection

Listed Don King as his idol

Received only a measly $250,000 from the Benn fight, compared to Benn's $1,700,000

[The Wire]

A great, great fighter who could have achieved so much. It breaks my heart what happened to him. A really good book on him is 'War, Baby' by Kevin Mithell

[THE REAL NINJA]

His brother is well known to be a great street fighter out here . I'm not so sure that he didnt drink because he hung out a lot in freeport's silver knights club where BOYz 2 Men played at the time . He to me is a hero to most of the kids from Freeport my age he made it so far from such a small place. You should have seen it out there when he was hurt it looked like 911, flags, flowers his name was everywhere, the whole thing just for him

[Super Cruiserweight]

HERES AN INTERESTING ARTICLE http://www.withinthering.com/Default...vigationID=348


A formidable tagteam they make - the former Middleweight Champion of the World and his devoted and very protective sister. It was 10 years ago today, that Gerald "The G-Man" McClellan almost lost his life in a brutal bout with Nigel Benn. That bout resulted in McClellan being thrust into the toughest fight of his life - a fight that never ends. Brain damaged, blind, nearly deaf and crippled, these past 10 years have been extremely trying for both Gerald and his primary caregiver, sister Lisa. I spoke with Gerald and Lisa on this ominous anniversary. Gerald's care is tremendously expensive and the Champ needs your help. Please show your compassion by making a tax deductible contribution to: Gerald McClellan Trust, C/O Fifth Third Bank, PO Box 120, Freeport, IL 61032. Thank you.

LR: Describe Gerald growing up.
LM: Gerald was very playful and a jokester. But also when he turned into a teenager, he never showed any emotions, with anything. He was just kind of like off to himself, doing his own thing. He was more of a loner. We grew up in a home with a lot of physical and mental abuse (father directing toward mother). Gerald was one that just separated himself from everyone else. He was kind of distant from everyone else. Gerald never showed any emotion - about anything. When the abuse happened, we would pack up and leave - but he wouldn't go. We'd (siblings) cry and he'd put the pillow over his head and not cry - just kind of different.

LR: What are the names and ages of your brothers and sisters and who were you closest to growing up?
LM: Currently, Sandra is 40, Todd is 38, Gerald 37, I'm 36 and Stacy is 34. I was probably closer to Todd then Gerald growing up.

LR: What got Gerald interested in boxing?
LM: When Gerald and Todd started having problems with the boys in the neighborhood, my father was going to teach them how to fight to defend themselves. This is when they were about 8 and 9 and they also got boxing gloves for Christmas that year.

LR: Was this Gerald's first involvement with sports?
LM: Yes. In the beginning both Gerald and Todd were really good fighters. When they were 11 and 12 we moved to Pennsylvania and they started going to the gym. Around that time, every day all day long it was boxing. When my dad got off work in the evening, we knew after dinner what we were going to be doing. They also started amateurs at that time and they both were winning.

LR: Gerald eventually turned pro and won the WBC Middleweight crown against Julian Jackson. Describe that experience.
LM: We were at the fight in Las Vegas. It was the whole family - my mom, my grandma, my brother and sisters. We didn't get to spend a lot of time with Gerald before the fight so we ran over after the weigh-in and had dinner with him and Don King and Emanuel Steward. I remember going back to the hotel to get ready for the fight and when we got to the arena we were real nervous. When Jackson hit Gerald below the belt and Gerald went down on one knee, I actually thought the fight was over. I don't think any of us sat in our seats.

LR: Describe the scene when Gerald knocked Jackson out in Round 5 to become champion.
LM: It was probably the first time I had seen Gerald cry since we were kids. He cried in the ring. I went down in the dressing room where he was doing a Spanish interview and I remember him having a real big knot on his head. I kept trying to get him to put ice on it, but he didn't want to. It was really exciting. He left us in Vegas and hopped a plane and came right back to Freeport, IL. Everytime he fought he got on the plane and came right back to Freeport. He went home so people could make a big deal over him and he could hang out with friends.

LR: You were in Freeport during the The Nigel Benn fight on February 25, 1995 and planned to watch it that evening on tape delay on Showtime.
LM: We were getting ready to go to Stacy's to watch the fight and the phone rang. It was Donnie Pendleton (cousin). He said, "I wanted to call you before they showed the fight on TV, but Gerald had a headbutt and took a knee and we are taking him to the hospital for observation, but he's fine." He wanted us to know what to expect. Five minutes later he called back and said Gerald slipped into a coma and they needed permission to do surgery or he wasn't going to make it. We made phone calls within the family and then met at my Aunt Lou's house. We were calling the hospital and they were keeping us posted. At the same time, Don King was working on getting family members over to England. He said he had to make a call to someone in Chicago to get emergency passports. Angie (Gerald's girlfriend), my Aunt Linda and Stacy went over first. We waited for them to get to England and they called back and just kept us posted, but I called every couple of hours and got an update from the doctor and nurse while they were flying there. The hardest part was knowing that he was over there by himself.

LR: What happened after Gerald slipped into a coma?
LM: He was in a coma for 11 days and was transported to a hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where he stayed for a week. I drove to Michigan before his plane arrived. Don King had said this was one of the best hospitals in the United States. It was very emotional for me, because it was the first time I had saw him. He was still in a coma at that point. I don't see why Don thought it was the best hospital, because they didn't do anything. As a matter of fact, his feeding tube was mistakenly pulled out. I found a place in Milwaukee and we transferred him there by ambulance. He stayed there from April to August and we noticed he wasn't making a lot of big progress. It was costing $2,000 a day to stay in the facility and we didn't know how long we would be dealing with it, so we brought him home. We knew what it would be like to take care of him since we cared for him at the hospital every day.

LR: For the people that don't have the privilege of knowing Gerald, how he has changed as a person since February 25, 1995?
LM: He has become very emotional. I remember I used to come to the hospital every day at the same time. One day I didn't get there right away and the nurse called and said Gerald was very upset and they couldn't get him to calm down. When I got there, he was crying, saying that I ran away and something bad happened. He wouldn't even let me get close to him, he kept saying, "get away." This was taking place in a family room where all the patients and their families have dinner. He had everyone in the room crying because he was crying so hard.

LR: Who have you seen support from in the boxing game and which people have disappointed you after Gerald was injured?
LM: When he first got hurt, Evander Holyfield came down to Freeport and Joe Frazier. I was disappointed in the friends he had in boxing like Michael Moorer. I knew there was some fueding between Gerald and Emanual Steward but he came to Milwaukee to visit him, but when Emanual got back to Detroit he did a big article in the paper and said a lot of private things about Gerald's condition. I was upset by that. Roy Jones, a lot through his former attorney has done some things. He's had fundraisers and gave some earnings from one of his matches. Roy hasn't seen Gerald and says he does not want to until after he retires - which is something I've always respected and totally understand. As far as Don King, I remember reading a profile on Gerald and he listed Don King as the person he most respected or idolized. It was sad to see the way things were done by people like Don King with the way Gerald felt about him. Gerald is in the position he is in because of the people he trusted. King didn't give us a copy of the (Benn) contract and Gerald got a lot less in his pocket then he was supposed to receive. There were other financial things that King said he would be responsible for and didn't take care of. A lot of this happened after Gerald couldn't remember anything. Mike and the Mad Dog (New York sports radio hosts) called me a few years ago saying that Don King was on air and he was promoting a show to benefit Gerald. I went on air and said that wasn't true. So this put pressure on King to pay a balance of one of his obligations. Also, two years ago he sent $5,000 for a fundraiser. I would tell all boxers, don't trust anyone and have your affairs in order.

Before I wrapped up the interview, I posed a question to my friend, Gerald. (If you know Gerald and his playful personality, you know the answer.) I asked him, "Gerald, who do you think is the greatest boxer in the world?" Gerald's Answer: "The G-Man and outside myself, Tommy (Hearns)."

[mECHsLAVE]

Not to rain on everybody's parade, but didn't he also hang small dogs from trees and train his pitbulls to rip them apart?

[Super Cruiserweight]

GMAN'S PUNCH BAG: http://www.boxrec.com/boxer_display.php?boxer_id=4788

[Nortonsjab]

Not to rain on everybody's parade, but didn't he also hang small dogs from trees and train his pitbulls to rip them apart?

According to who? Stan Johnson? Get out of here.

[THE REAL NINJA]

good read ^^^^^^^^^George Foreman was also up here with Holyfield they have done a few over the years but i dont hear much about fundraisers or him anymore

[Super Cruiserweight]

BELOW JOHN SCULLY DESCRIBING RJJ V GMAN AS ONE OF BEST AM FIGHTS SEEN (1987 GOLDEN GLOVES CHAMP RJJ V 1987 NATIONALS CHAMP GMAN)......AFTER BEATING ROY IN THE SEMI'S, GERALDS CORNER PULLED HIM OUT OF THE 88 GG FINAL AGAINST RAY MCELROY BECAUSE HIS JAW WAS IN AGONY-IT COST GERALD A PLACE ON THE OLYMPIC TEAM AND MEANT HE HAD TO KNOCK EVERYONE OUT QUICK IN THE PROS TO GET SOME ATTENTION AFTER ROY GOT THE ALL THE ATTENTION FROM THE OLYMPICS AND GERALD TURNED PRO UNKNOWN (DESPITE BEATING ROY FAIR AND SQUARE)......


Later on in 1988, at the National Golden Gloves, Roy won his first three matches. The first one was a decision over Thomas Tate. He also scored a 3rd. round stoppage over defending National 165 pound Champion and Future NABF Champion Fabian Williams. Those victories set up a fight that someone should have taped for obvious reasons. The semifinal match was Roy Jones taking on Gerald McClellan. You would expect this fight to be very exciting. It was more than that. It was a WAR. One of the greatest examples of speed and power that I have seen in an amateur Boxing match. I remember that Roy was forced back to the ropes often in the fight but that what made the fight so thrilling was the way Roy would FURIOUSLY fight off the ropes with flurries. It was like watching two Olympic athletes fight for the Gold Medal or two guys going for the world professional championship.

Omaha World-Herald: "Two 1987 Champs, 156 pounder Roy L. Jones of Knoxville and 132 pound Donald Stokes of Louisiana, were eliminated last night.

Gerald McClellan of Milwaukee crowded Jones most of the first two rounds in pounding out a decision triumph. The 156 pound McClellan was there to slug with Jones from the opening bell, and carried the first round. Jones spent a lot of that time along the ropes.

Jones showed some movement in a fairly close second and then scored well in the early part of the third. McClellan was stronger at the finish when he again pounded Jones along the ropes and in a corner."


I saw Gerald a month later at Sugar Ray's training Camp in Maryland and he told me he wouldn't be able to spar for a while longer because his jaw was still hurting from the fight with Roy.

http://www.********boxing.com/news.php?p=3824&more=1

[Miagi1]

HE HAD TO KNOCK EVERYONE OUT QUICK IN THE PROS TO GET SOME ATTENTION AFTER ROY GOT THE ALL THE ATTENTION FROM THE OLYMPICS

And that`s what caused Mcclellan`s two early losses!