Jamaal "Da Truth" Davis:
Sticking to the game plan fighting in support of cancer
awareness
October 24, 2009
There is a range of responsibility, which
we as adults have to attend to in our everyday lives. We have personal
relationships, family, career and self preservation. And at times, all
of a sudden things can get difficult and make it hard to keep going. A
common response in an overwhelming situation is to let one of the many
responsibilities go, and abandon it for a given period of time,
sometimes forever. This gives the illusion of making everything else
seem easier.
Sports as a career are very demanding. It requires unparallel
determination, time, effort, and sacrifice. The sacrifice can come in
many forms, causing problems in one's life. There are many examples
where this happens to boxers, famous or not. Only people who posses
great strength can juggle everything in life and come out a winner.
Jamaal 'Da Truth' Davis has to be one of those people capable of making
all the gears turn in life. I have interviewed a respectable number of
boxers, and have never encountered such an honest and humble person on
the other line as Jamaal Davis. His answers seemed honest and
passionate, spoken with respect to everyone including myself. Many of
you have never heard of Jamaal Davis and what he is all about, and that
is where this article comes in: meet Jamaal 'Da Truth' Davis.
For Jamaal it all started at the age of fifteen, after getting into a
fight at school. He came home that day, and his father, now deceased,
had given him an interesting suggestion: "If you want to fight, might as
well get paid for it." For little Davis, it was an interesting thought,
but not too exciting. As a matter of fact, when watching his first fight
on TV, being Oscar De La Hoya vs. Whittaker, Jamaal was convinced that
boxing wasn't real, that it was "fake". He thought it was similar to
wresting. It wasn't until his first sparring session some time later
that he had a reality check: being hit in the face, he thought: "whoa,
this is real."
Since then, a lot has happened to the light middleweight Jamaal Davis.
His boxing life has since improved, currently providing him with a
decent professional start record of 10 wins (KO 6), 5 losses (KO 1), and
0 draws. His wife had passed away of breast cancer after giving Jamaal
two kids. Currently, Jamaal is waiting for a baby with his current
partner. They patiently anticipate the sex of the baby, which will be
known this coming Thursday.
There are many aspects that make Jamaal exceptional. I would like to
start by discussing his boxing career. When asked how Jamaal ended up
with his current alias 'Da Truth', he replied by saying: "I came up with
it myself. People always knew me by another nickname, but it was too
childish and not public friendly. I chose it because I can fight and I
can box; it shows my maturity and defines my true self." I think that
this indeed shows Jamaal's intentions and belief system.
Jamaal is still learning about himself. "My identity hasn't fully come
out yet," he said. This is good, because it shows that he is still
humble and open to learning new things. He is young and ambitious. While
you can't teach old dog new tricks, a young one is always ready to
absorb it all. I can see Jamaal going far in his career, climbing the
ladder to the top. He's not jumping the gun, and is ready to pace
himself: "I can see myself being a champion. Fist I want to grab the
little belts. They are like a key; they get you through the door. All
the little belts count. There are a lot of alphabet belts out there, I
see me grabbing them." This is a very good attitude to have for any
fighter; it gives him an edge to perfect himself as much as he can.
Jamaal is an interesting character, and I think people need to do a
little research on him to get to know more. "I have worked to get into
my position. My wife was diagnosed with breast cancer after our second
child in 2002. I had to witness my wife going back and fourth from
hospital to hospital for operations, procedures and treatments. It was
very hard, and anyone in my position would probably just take off." His
wife knew what boxing meant for him, and supported him unquestionably.
For Jamaal, family always came first. He never showed what boxing meant
for him, always being by his wife's side, supporting her every step of
the way. Meanwhile, he still attended gym workouts full time. His life
was havoc, like something out of a depressing drama film. Yet he never
gave in. He told me that he ignored all the distractions, such as going
to the bars and clubs with other fighters. He was totally focused on
what mattered. In a situation like that, a lot of men would be pulled
toward bars, but he insisted on honoring his alias. Steve Cunningham
seems to be his current favorite and inspirational fighter. Jamaal
admires his dedication to the sport, as well as his passion towards
family and friends.
Jamaal is still learning to stick to his game plan: "We definitely have
game plan. Last fight we had one, but I didn't stick to it. I tried to.
Sometimes we stray away from the game plan. But I try to stick to it,
because it shows maturity." He assured me that they are working on it
with his coach, and that he will try to take care of this problem.
Another thing he feels he needs to work on is head movement, saying "In
my last fight, I got hit with too many right hands. We are working on it
now. The whole fight someone was screaming 'move your head, move your
head', but it wasn't on purpose, sometimes you just freeze up." Jamaal
feels that he wants to be a well rounded fighter, having outstanding
offense, defense, and of course most importantly stamina. He likes pad
work and sparring sessions the most. His perseverance amazes me. He told
me about his religious workout schedule, and that nothing ever stopped
him from getting to the gym, including migraine headaches and teeth
being pulled. I take a week off after a dental visit, while Jamaal puts
the pain aside and goes to work. Speaking of work, we all need financial
stability in our lives. Jamaal is not an exception to the rule. He had
to work to support his family. He had to put in a lot of effort to
maintain a work schedule that allowed him regular workouts.
Jamaal is not a one dimensional person. Boxing is his life, but like a
cat, he has more than one life. Currently Jamaal is enthusiastically
involved with the American Cancer Association, sponsoring and donating
to the cause. He is involved in different fundraisers to help women with
breast cancer. His wife's death had a very big impact on him and his
knowledge of this unrelenting disease. When I asked him what he would
say to all the women suffering from cancer right now, he spoke with
great significance in his voice, saying, "Stay strong and don't think
that you will not make it. Don't let little things stress you out,
because it takes a great toll on your health. There are more and younger
women getting sick out there. It's getting crazy. Women need to let the
little stresses go and focus on themselves." Strong words from a strong
man who went through it all. When discussing this issue, Jamaal was very
emotional, being straight forward, giving his words weight and meaning.
Many people out there donate and help the cause, but sometimes it's hard
to depict who is doing it with their heart, and who wants public
recognition. Jamaal didn't care about people knowing; to him it was
personal and real. I want to thank him for doing what he does, we need
more people like Jamaal to step up to the plate and participate.
There are of course many other things going on in his life. He has kids
to look after in the midst of everything else. His current girlfriend
and her mother are very helpful with everything they can do for him.
They help with every aspect of Jamaal's life, including raising the
family. Jamaal was extraordinarily thankful to them for everything, and
could not stop telling me about how he appreciates having them in his
life. He is a very modest man.
I asked Jamaal if he would ever recommend boxing to his son, and Jamaal
replied that while he would like his son to box, it would have to be
only according to his own choice.
Jamaal wanted to thank Diamondboxing.com and Diane for all her help with
his career and his involvement with the American Cancer Association. He
also wanted to thanks his family for sticking by him.
Personally, I got nothing but great feelings from Jamaal. He seems like
a very well rounded person: emotionally, mentally, and physically. I
think he will go far in his life. I would suggest we all follow his
career, because he is not the kind of person to give up, and in boxing,
that's half the battle already.
Jamaal, Webster's dictionary defines luck as a force that brings good
fortune or adversity. I think that you yourself are a force and luck
should be default for people like yourself. All that I do wish you is to
keep strong, and do what you have been doing.
Jamaal, what is your prediction for the Cotto vs. Pacquiao fight?
I truly believe that Pacquiao is going to surprise Cotto with his speed.
I have sparred with smaller guys before, and know how speed difference
can be the deciding factor.
What did you think about the Abraham vs. Taylor fight? Taylor
needs to really make up his mind, and I think he needs to stop boxing.
It's important to know when to quit. It's hard to get out of the game
after being in it so long, but sometimes you got to do it. Once you lose
it, that's it, it's over.
