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Gerald Washington (born 23 April 1982) is an American
professional boxer Professional boxing, or prizefighting, is regulated, sanctioned boxing. Professional boxing bouts are fought for a purse that is divided between the boxers as determined by contract. Most professional fights are supervised by a regulatory auth ...
. He has challenged once for the WBC
heavyweight Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling. Boxing Professional Male boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 2 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation an ...
title in 2017.


Early life

Washington was born to an
African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...
father and a
Mexican American Mexican Americans are Americans of full or partial Mexico, Mexican descent. In 2022, Mexican Americans comprised 11.2% of the US population and 58.9% of all Hispanic and Latino Americans. In 2019, 71% of Mexican Americans were born in the Unite ...
mother, and lived in
Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
for part of his childhood. Growing up, Washington played tennis and one season of
high school football High school football, also known as prep football, is gridiron football played by High school (North America), high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular high school sports, interscholastic sports in both c ...
. Washington later served in the
United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...
as a helicopter mechanic Despite having played one season of organized football, he enrolled at Chaffey College in
Rancho Cucamonga, California Rancho Cucamonga ( ) is a city located just south of the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains and Angeles National Forest in San Bernardino County, California, United States. About east of Downtown Los Angeles, Rancho Cucamonga is the List ...
and was an NJCAA All-American as a tight end. As a junior, Washington transferred to play for the
University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...
, where he played tight end as well as defensive end, but had a difficult time staying on the field due to injuries. In the NFL, he went undrafted and was a member of the
Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...
and
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practice squads.


Professional career


Early career

At the relatively advanced age of 30 Washington made his professional debut in 2012, having had no actual amateur career. In his first professional fight, Washington knocked out Blue DeLong at the HP Pavilion in
San Jose, California San Jose, officially the City of San José ( ; ), is a cultural, commercial, and political center within Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area. With a city population of 997,368 and a metropolitan area population of 1.95 million, it is ...
. A month later in August, Washington defeated Gary Cobia via 1st-round TKO at the Fantasy Springs Casino in
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
. Washington's first decision win came in his 3rd professional fight against Terrance Perro. Perro was knocked down once in round 1, after 4 rounds the scorecards were 40–34, 39–35, and 39–35 in favor of Washington. On June 8, 2013, Washington fought 40 year old veteran Sherman Williams (35-12-2, 19 KOs) to an 8-round unanimous decision victory at the Home Depot Center in
Carson, California Carson is a city in the South Bay (Los Angeles County), South Bay and the Los Angeles Harbor Region, Harbor regions of Los Angeles County, California, located south of downtown Los Angeles and approximately away from Los Angeles International ...
. Since 2005, Williams had only lost two of his last thirteen fights. The three judges all had it 79-72 in favour for Washington. In April 2014, Washington scored a 2nd-round knockout of fellow American Skipp Scott (16-1, 10 KOs). There was controversy after the fight as Scott took a knee, but was hit with a body shot after he was on the canvas. The stoppage was at 1 minute, 40 seconds of round two. Due to the controversy, Scott's team filed a protest to correct the decision. Washington fought veteran journeyman Travis Walker (39-11-1, 31 KOs) in June 2014. The fight ended when Washington stopped Walker in round 2, following some hard power shots. Walker had trouble getting back up and the referee waved the fight off. Two months later, Washington was taken the 8-round distance for the first time when he fought 28 year old
Nagy Aguilera Nagy Aguilera De La Rosa (born May 28, 1986) is a Dominican Republic, Dominican professional boxer. He is perhaps best known for his upset first-round knockout win over former World Boxing Council, WBC heavyweight champion Oleg Maskaev. Profess ...
(19-8, 13 KOs). Washington won on the scorecards 78–74, 78–74, and 77–75. Washington next fought in December 2014 against 39 year old journeyman Mike Sheppard (22-17-1, 9 KOs) at the Pechanga Resort & Casino in
Temecula, California Temecula (; , ; Luiseño language, Luiseño: ''Temeekunga'') is a city in southwestern Riverside County, California, United States. The city had a population of 110,003 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and was Municipal corpora ...
. The fight lasted just 1 minute and 26 seconds as Washington dropped Sheppard twice. On March 13, 2015 Washington went the 8 round distance, winning a wide decision of 78–71, 79–70, and 79–70, against 37 year old journeyman Jason Gavern (26-18-4, 11 KOs). The fight took place at the
Citizens Business Bank Arena Toyota Arena is a multi-purpose arena in Ontario, California, United States. The arena hosts local sporting events and concerts and is suitable for indoor events, including basketball, ice hockey, ice shows, boxing, graduation ceremonies and con ...
in
Ontario, California Ontario is a city in southwestern San Bernardino County, California, United States, east of downtown Los Angeles and west of downtown San Bernardino, the county seat. Located in the western part of the Inland Empire metropolitan area, it lies ...
on the undercard of
Andre Berto Andre Michael Berto (born September 7, 1983) is a professional boxer who holds dual Haitian and American citizenship. A two-time former welterweight world champion, he held the World Boxing Council, WBC and International Boxing Federation, IBF t ...
vs. Josesito Lopez interim welterweight title fight. Gavern was dropped three times in the fight.


Rise up the ranks


Washington vs. Mansour

In September 2015, it was announced that Washington would fight heavyweight contender
Amir Mansour Amir Mansour (born Lavern Moorer; July 25, 1972) is an American professional boxer who fights at heavyweight. His professional debut came in 1997. He fought 9 fights, before he was sent to prison in 2001, serving 8 1/2 years on a Controlled subst ...
(22-1, 16 KOs) at the Little Creek Casino Resort in Shelton, Washington. Washington had his best win to date in March 2015 when he beat longtime veteran Jason Gavern in a 10-round decision victory. The fight took place on Tuesday 13 October 2015. The fight was to take place on Premier Boxing Champions on
Fox Sports 1 Fox Sports 1 (branded on-air as FS1) is an American pay television television channel, channel owned by the Fox Sports (United States), Fox Sports Media Group, a unit of Fox Corporation. FS1 airs an array of live sporting events, including Majo ...
from the Little Creek Casino Resort, in Shelton, Washington. In a controversial decision, Washington and Mansour fought to a 10-round draw. The final judges' scores were 97–93 for Washington, 96–94 for Mansour, and 95–95. Washington looked to be fading after round 4, he previously had a reputation of being gassed out after 5 rounds in previous fights. Washington appeared to lose the last 6 rounds of the fight due to his running, holding and low punch output. Washington was mostly just holding and running away from Mansour from rounds 5 to 10. Mansour was able to land a lot of body shots that clearly bothered Washington and him holding on and doing a lot of shoving. The crowd loudly booed the outcome.


Washington vs. Chambers

On February 2, 2016 a fight between Washington and rising Colombian prospect Óscar Rivas (18-0, 13 KOs) was set to take place at the
Honda Center Honda Center (formerly known as the Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim) is an indoor arena located in Anaheim, California. The arena is home to the Anaheim Ducks of the National Hockey League. Originally named the Anaheim Arena during construction, it w ...
in Anaheim, California on February 27 on Showtime. Two days before the fight, the California State Athletic Commission conducted an eye exam, which Rivas failed. The scheduled 10-round bout was cancelled. On April 6, it was announced that Washington would fight former world title challenger Eddie Chambers (42-4, 23 KOs) on April 30 at the
StubHub Center Dignity Health Sports Park is a multi-use sports complex located on the campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills, in Carson, California. The complex consists of the 27,000-seat Dignity Health Sports Park soccer stadium, the Dign ...
, Carson,
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
. it was scheduled to be a 10-round bout, but this changed to 8 rounds. Washington threw three times the amount of punches and used his big size advantage to beat Chambers by an 8-round unanimous decision. The final judges' scores were 79–73, 80–72, and 80–72.


Washington vs. Austin

On July 11, it was announced that Washington would fight 47 year old American Ray Austin (29-7-4, 18 KOs) on the undercard of WilderArreola on July 16, 2016 at the Legacy Arena in
Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...
,
Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...
. Washington delivered by stopping veteran Austin in round 4 via knockout. Washington unloaded a flurry of punches followed by a straight right which put Austin flat on his back.


Career from 2017–2019


Washington vs. Wilder

On January 26, 2017, Washington became a front runner to land a fight against WBC heavyweight champion
Deontay Wilder Deontay Leshun Wilder (; born October 22, 1985) is an American professional boxer. He held the World Boxing Council (WBC) heavyweight title from 2015 to 2020. By winning the title, Wilder became the first American world heavyweight champion si ...
(37-0, 36 KOs) at the Legacy Arena in
Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Jefferson County, Alabama, Jefferson County. The population was 200,733 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List ...
, on February 25 on
Fox Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush"). Twelve species ...
. This came after Wilder's original opponent for the fight, Polish boxer Andrzej Wawrzyk, tested positive for
stanozolol Stanozolol (Abbreviation, abbrev. Stz), sold under many brand names, is a synthetic androgen and anabolic steroid (AAS) medication derived from dihydrotestosterone (DHT). It is used to treat hereditary angioedema. It was developed by American ph ...
, an
anabolic steroid Anabolic steroids, also known as anabolic-androgenic steroids (AAS), are a class of drugs that are structurally related to testosterone, the main male sex hormone, and produce effects by binding to the androgen receptor (AR). Anabolism, Anaboli ...
, during testing for the WBC's Clean Boxing Program. The fight was officially confirmed on January 30, 2017. Washington released a statement following the announcement, "I'm very happy to get this opportunity to fight for my first world championship. I know that I'll be fighting Deontay Wilder in his backyard, but that adds more excitement ... I'm looking forward to going to Birmingham and coming away with a victory just like I did in my last fight there." Wilder would win the bout by TKO in the 5th round. Washington started off strong with power punches as Wilder moved around with jabs. Midway through the 5th, Wilder got Washington against the ropes and landed a combination of power shots, the last shot being a left to the head of Washington, dropping him backwards against the ropes. Washington recovered quickly on unsteady legs. The fight resumed, and Wilder unloaded heavy blows the head of Washington, missing some, but eventually leading referee Michael Griffin to halt the fight at 1 minute and 45 seconds of the round. Washington attributed his loss due to lack of experience, saying after the fight, "I just got a little impatient. I was trying to go for it. It was an even boxing match. I could have kept it like that and kept it boring. I don't know why I fell asleep there. I guess I lost a little focus." Washington earned $250,000 from the fight while Wilder earned $900,000. The fight was watched by an average audience of 1.76 million viewers, peaking at 1.86 million. The bout was the most watched boxing match in the United States for 2017 until the Thurman- Garcia unification fight drew 3.74 million on March 4.


Washington vs. Miller

On June 27, it was announced that Washington would fight unbeaten heavyweight contender Jarrell Miller (18-0-1, 16 KOs) on the undercard of Garcia- Broner at the
Barclays Center Barclays Center ( ) is a multi-purpose list of indoor arenas, indoor arena in the New York City Boroughs of New York City, borough of Brooklyn. The arena is home to the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association and the New York Liber ...
in New York on July 29, 2017 in a 10-round bout. Miller weighed in a career high 298.8 pounds and Washington weighed 248 pounds, 9 pounds heavier than when he challenged Wilder for the WBC title in February 2017. After the weigh in, the face off was tense as Miller trash-talking to Washington, who never did any trash-talking back. Miller then threw his promotional cap towards Washington as the face off was broken up. Miller broke down Washington over 8 rounds eventually forcing the corner and referee stopping the fight. Washington had a good opening round, but Miller took control landing power shots and causing heavy punishment. By the end of the fight, both fighters looked tired. Washington suffered his second consecutive stoppage loss and Miller fought for the first time in 11 months. Stephen Espinoza, Showtime Sports general manager praised Miller and said he could soon feature on 'Showtime Championship Boxing' soon. Miller had a $70,000 purse for the win, while Washington earned $50,000. After 11 months out, Washington returned to the ring on a Sunday edition of PBC on
Fox Sports 1 Fox Sports 1 (branded on-air as FS1) is an American pay television television channel, channel owned by the Fox Sports (United States), Fox Sports Media Group, a unit of Fox Corporation. FS1 airs an array of live sporting events, including Majo ...
on June 10, 2018. His opponent was 32 year old John Wesley Nofire (20-1, 16 KOs). His only loss came to veteran journeyman
Joey Abell Joey Abell (born May 16, 1981) is an American professional boxer. Early life Abell is a native of Minneapolis, Minnesota. He attended Champlin Park High School, and later played football at South Dakota State University, where he majored in Ed ...
in 2016. The fight took place at the Pioneer Event Center in
Lancaster, California Lancaster is a charter city in northern Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, in the Antelope Valley of the western Mojave Desert in Southern California, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the popul ...
. The 10-round bout was mostly back and forth. Washington started off fast, landing big shots and applying pressure on Nofire. In round 3, Nofire landed some hard shots on Washington, however he recovered and took over, landing his own big shots. Nofire slowed down after landing his big shots. Washington remained in control for most of the fight. The three judges scored the bout 98–91, 97–92, and 97–92 in favor of Washington, giving him the much needed win and snapping his 2-fight losing streak.


Washington vs. Kownacki

On November 13, 2018 it was announced that Washington, who was at the time negotiating a possible fight with British heavyweight Joe Joyce, would fight on January 26, 2019 at the
Barclays Center Barclays Center ( ) is a multi-purpose list of indoor arenas, indoor arena in the New York City Boroughs of New York City, borough of Brooklyn. The arena is home to the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association and the New York Liber ...
in New York against Polish-born, Brooklyn-based Adam Kownacki (18-0, 14 KOs). The fight would air live on
FOX Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush"). Twelve species ...
, as part of their new long term deal with PBC, on the undercard of
Keith Thurman Keith Fitzgerald Thurman (born November 23, 1988) is an American professional boxer. He is a former unified welterweight world champion, having held the World Boxing Association, WBA title from 2016 to 2019 (promoted to WBA (Super), Super champio ...
vs. Josesito Lopez.


Washington vs Helenius

On 13 July, 2019, Washington fought Robert Helenius. The fight was competitive, as both fighters were throwing and taking a lot of punches. In the eighth round, Washington caught Helenius with a long right hand, sending him straight to the canvas. The referee immediately waved the fight off, and Washington was awarded the KO victory over Helenius.


Washington vs Martin

On February 22, 2020, Washington ranked #9 by the IBF at heavyweight fought former world champion Charles Martin, who ranked #11 by the IBF at the time. Washington was knocked down by Martin in the second round and despite beating the count, the referee decided he is not fit to continue, awarding Martin the sixth round TKO win.


Outside of boxing

On September 16, 2014 Washington was arrested during a routine traffic stop. The arrest took place in
Burbank Burbank may refer to: Places Australia * Burbank, Queensland, a suburb in Brisbane United States * Burbank, California, a city in Los Angeles County * Burbank, Santa Clara County, California, a census-designated place * Burbank, Illinois, ...
, California. According to some sources, Washington was pulled over because his
Chevrolet Chevrolet ( ) is an American automobile division of the manufacturer General Motors (GM). In North America, Chevrolet produces and sells a wide range of vehicles, from subcompact automobiles to medium-duty commercial trucks. Due to the promi ...
truck was 'straddling the lines' and also had expired tags. Washington fully cooperated with the police and was not under the influence. However the police noticed that there was a warrant for his arrest for previously driving without a licence. A bail of $5,000 was set after Washington was taken into custody.


Professional boxing record


References


External links

*
USC Trojans biographyGerald Washington - Profile, News Archive & Current Rankings
a
Box.Live
{{DEFAULTSORT:Washington, Gerald American boxers of Mexican descent Boxers from California Heavyweight boxers 1982 births Living people USC Trojans football players Players of American football from San Jose, California American male boxers American football tight ends Sportspeople from San Jose, California