Interview with LISA MCCLELLAN-JORDAN
Category: Sports
Interview with LISA McCLELLAN-JORDAN
by Jaroslaw "Yaras72" Drozd (Aug 18, 2006)
for
Jaroslaw "Yaras72" Drozd: Lisa, you and Sandra are taking care of your brother practically from the day he returned home after the tragic fight with Nigel Benn in London (Feb. 25, 1995). How is Gerald today and is there any hope for further marked improvements?
Lisa McClellan-Jordan: Gerald is a lot better than when he first came home but we as a family, pray for further improvement as there will always be hope.
JD: You are taking round-the-clock care of Gerald every day for the last eleven years. How do you manage to reconcile that with work, family life and social life?
LMJ: It is a daily routine that we as a family chose to take on.
JD: Lisa, you have attended a nursing school. Was that choice influenced by Gerald's situation, or an independent vocation, so to say?
LMJ: I have been in the nursing field since I got out of high school.
JD: A few words about the McClellan family. You were born in Freeport, Illinois, and still live there. How is the place, what does life there look like?
LMJ: Freeport is a very small, slow paced, family oriented community. The McClellan family as you said, were born and raised here in Freeport. Most of the family is still in town and we see each other on a regular basis.
JD: How did Gerald's adventure with boxing begin? When did he decide to become a boxer?
LMJ: Our father Emmitt bought Gerald his first pair of boxing gloves at the age of 7 and it took off from there. In 1984 the McClellan family moved to Erie PA and Gerald joined the Boys and Girls and they had a boxing team.
JD: How did the family take it? Did your parents calmly accept the choice of a boxing gym over a basketball court, for instance? When I watch Gerald's old fights it's obvious he was a fine athlete. He could certainly succeed in any discipline he'd choose.
LMJ: Geralds father is who got him involved in boxing so he was very happy with Gerald's success.
JD: Gerald used to train pitbulls in his youth and has a tattoo of his favorite, the "Deuce", on his arm. What other hobbies did he have?
LMJ: Gerald had many hobbies including, race cars, playing pool, and spending time with family.
JD: Your cousin Donnie Penelton still is a pro boxer. Are there any other members of your family who took up professional sports?
LMJ: No.
JD: Who was Gerald's greatest idol, regarding sports?
LMJ: Gerald's idol was Tommy Hearns.
JD: During his amateur career Gerald was mostly away from Freeport, training in Dr. Martin Luther King Center in Milwaukee. Why there and not in Chicago, for instance?
LMJ: Because we lived in Milwaukee and he started training there, so he chose to go back there to train.
JD: From the very beginning of his career, Gerald benefited from having a "punch-proof" jaw and his bravery in the ring. Is the story of his awesome sparring match against Thomas Hearns, while only 16, a true one?
LMJ: Yes, but it wasn't at the age of 16. It was when he was 20 years old at the time.
JD: Was Gerald getting into any street fights in his youth?
LMJ: Gerald kept the fighting in the ring. He was always serious with boxing and spent a lot of time training.
JD: Gerald's coaches were Stan Johnson, Willie Brown and Emmanuel Steward, the last still claiming that the G-Man was the most talented boxer he'd ever workeed with. How did Gerald rate his work with these coaches?
LMJ: Stan Johnson: He wasn't a coach, he was a fluncky. Willie Brown: Was along for the ride. Emmanuel Stewart: Like a father figure, a friend, as well as a manager and a coach.
JD: During his amateur career, Gerald competed against Roy Jones Jr. and won with him on points in the semifinals of National Golden Gloves tournament in Omaha. Was that Gerald's crowning achievement as an amateur, both regarding the importance of the fight and the skills presented?
LMJ: I'm not sure.
JD: Why didn't Gerald attempt to get a place on the American Olympic Team in 1988?
LMJ: I'm not sure.
JD: I saw a photo taken in 1988 at Sugar Ray's training camp in Maryland. Gerald is pictured sitting with Roy Jones jr. and Michael Ward. Was he friends with Roy outside the ring, while competing against him as a sportsman?
LMJ: Gerald and Roy were and still are good friends, they grew up in the amature ranks together.
JD: Were you expecting then that if a rematch with Roy Jones were to occur, a pro world champion title would be at stake? Most experts say that if the fight ever occurred, the G-Man would triumph again. According to Steward, the fight would last some 6 minutes.
LMJ: As Gerald's sister, I would naturally root for Gerald.
JD: After signing the pro deal, Gerald started training at the Kronk Gym in Detroit. Did his life change much?
LMJ: No, his life didn't change.
JD: Did Gerald have ever a moment's doubt in his abilities after the two losses on the way to the champion's belt?
LMJ: No it made him more dtermined and stonger.
JD: Gerald took a bold move in going to England to take away the champion's belt from John Mugabi, considered then a "deadly puncher". But it was Gerald who devoured "the Beast" in the first round, gaining the WBO world title. Reportedly he wept with joy afer the bout...
LMJ: Yes he did cry, that was the first time that I ever saw Gerald cry.
JD: During his pro career Gerald won most fight in the first or second rounds. Did he have the stamina for more? Reportedly Steward tried to make Geraldspare his rivals and box with them for a while longer, but failed...
LMJ: Yes that is true.
JD: Who was most interested in organizing the Benn fight in 1995? Benn himself, Gerald, Don King or the WBC?
LMJ: Don King of course.
JD: Supposedly Gerald bet on himself before that fight. Did he ever do that before?
LMJ: Yes.
JD: Was Gerald really perfectly prepared for the fight? Why did he wrap his own hands? What were his cornermen doing then?
LMJ: I have heard this before, but I don't know if it is true.
JD: Did Gerald really change his lifestyle and dieting habits after leaving Kronk? Steward claims he indulged in junk food.
LMJ: Gerald indulged in junk food when he was with Kronk.
JD: The G-Man wanted to make history by equalling the legendary Joe Louis' record of title fights won by knockout in the first round. He was sure he would knock out Benn within the three minutes, and he would probably make it if it wasn't for the French ref Alfred Azaro. Did really Don King and/or the WBC want the bout to last more than a single round, which might result in the referee's decisions?
LMJ: You would have to ask the ref.
JD: Did you watch the fight live?
LMJ: No I have to this day not seen the fight.
JD: How and when did you find out about the nightmarish conclusion of the fight?
LMJ: When Gerald was on the way to the hospital.
JD: Did you approve Johnson's decision regarding Gerald's emergency surgery in London?
LMJ: Stan didn't make the decision for Gerald's surgery. That decision was made by the family here in the USA.
JD: Did someone from your family fly to London to help get Gerald back home?
LMJ: Someone stayed with Gerald the whole time he was in London.
JD: Roy Jones jr. set up a special trust fund for Gerald, placing there part of his income from fights. Roy never decided to visit Gerald, though. Why?
LMJ: Roy decided to wait until after he retires to visit Gerald.
JD: Do you feel bitter towards Gerald's coaches and promoter for shaping his career in the way they did?
LMJ: Gerald made those decisions as his own man.
JD: How is Gerald in daily life now?
LMJ: Gerald is very happy in his daily life.
JD: Does he remember having been the world champion?
LMJ: Yes Gerald remembers everything about his whole boxing career, including the fight against Nigel Benn.
JD: Does he relate well to his sons? How old are they now?
LMJ: Gerald has 3 children: Gerald Jr 17, Mandale 16 and Forrest 12. Gerald lvoes all of his children just as any father would love theirs.
JD: How would you react if any of them decided to pursue a career in boxing?
LMJ: Gerald's son Mandale has been training for about 5 years and the whole family is very supportive of his decision.
JD: Is Gerald still interested in sports? I've heard you take him to sporting events organized in your hometown.
LMJ: Gerald has been to sporting events both in the area and out of town.
JD: Does he come back in memories to the Benn fight? Does he brood about it?
LMJ: No.
JD: Did Benn contact you after the fight?
LMJ: Yes, but we weren't prepaired to talk to him at the time.
JD: When you think of Poland, what are the most immediate associations?
LMJ: Cold weather.
JD: Many thanks for the interview. Speaking for all the staff and readers of , we wish for Gerald's rehabilitation to progress well, for you never to lose hope for a better tomorrow, and for the boxing community never to forget the G-Man, the awesome fighter. Thanks to you Gerald's fans in Poland will know that their idol fights on, that he is still a champion.
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