Chordale Booker doesn’t focus on Olympic failures, and how can he — seeing that he deserves a gold medal just for overcoming some early life obstacles that could have derailed his career.
After just missing out on the opportunity to represent his country and his hometown of Stamford, Connecticut at the Rio Olympics, Booker is focused on mowing down division after division — until he cements his championship legacy.
The man formally known now as “Mr. Get It Done” — Booker was able to bounce back from a 2009 arrest for narcotics possession, marijuana possession and two counts of possessing of a firearm — to put himself on the radar, as one of the top up and coming young boxers on the planet.
Taking advantage of his second chance — Booker is now making a name for himself, and sat down with BSO to discuss his rise, “Getting it Done” and what’s next for Brooklyn resident — who has boxers from different weight classes ducking him already.
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BSO: Chordale — you have an amazing story that people are now starting to hear about, but I’m not interested in your past, I want to discuss the now, your bright future and what it means to “Get it Done.”
BSO: How did just missing the cut for the Rio Olympics, motivate to you turn pro and start mowing down competition?
CB: I mean it motivates me — I literally felt like I couldn’t be beat at the time. I got to a place where I was so comfortable I felt like I could be in the ring with anybody, so it was definitely motivating. I suffered a loss in the first final of the double-elimination tournament, but I really felt like I’d won the fight. I had one judge have me winning all three rounds, and the other two judges had me losing by one point. And I just don’t see how one judge thinks that I won the whole fight and then two judges think I lost one round. It’s just kind of messed up, but it pushes me everyday now.
BSO: Where does the nickname, “Mr. Get It Done,” come from?
CB: It actually came before boxing. It means basically what it says — I will do whatever I have to do to get it done. So if I gotta chase you to get it done, or you gotta chase me, or it’s gotta be in-between, you know, I’m just gonna do what I have to. There was this kid, he was big, and he kept bothering me every day but I was like, I gotta stay on the basketball team. This is my last year. So as soon as the season ended, he was talking and I was like, Today’s finally the day. I’m beating him up. I catch him in the hallway, my brother’s like, You sure you wanna do this?I beat him up through the whole stairwell, then beat up his friend. My brother was like, You’re Mr. Get It DONE!
BSO: Dope Story!
BSO: How Influential has Ahmad Mickens been for you?
CB: Awe man, he means everything. I had a brush with the law, and landed in his gym, in his program — Ahmad’s Revolution Fitness Youth Boxing (RFYB), a fitness program for at-risk youth. This was right after I graduated high school in 2009. You know he would let me train for free. He’s more than just a trainer, he’s a friend, family and a mentor. He saved my life, but I had to prove myself to him first.
BSO: You had an epic sparring session with Shawn Porter at the Gleason Gym, that everyone is still talking about. Tell us how that helped you, and what did you get out of it.
CB: It was amazing to spar with Shawn, I mean it was inspiring to talk to him. He picked me because I’m a lefty and have a certain style, but it was crazy. We got it in, it gave me a ton of confidence going forward, and he’s a great dude. He taught me a lot.
BSO: You had a really late start in boxing as a pro, do you feel any pressure to make big fights now? And is it true, that your interested in fighting maybe 4 or 5 times in the next two months alone?
CB: I mean yes you can say that. I was 24 years old the first time I walked into the gym. So I know I’m behind, but I know I’m talented and I know what I want to accomplish in this sport.
I actually wanted to turn pro for a couple of years, but my Ahmad thought it was better to wait. It ended up being a good decision, I’ve become a better boxer. I definitely want a big fight in the near future. At the end of 2017, I want to have a fight that people know me for. Put somebody in front of me who people know and think will beat me. And I wanna be able to beat them and show people, Look, this is why I’m going to be the next big star.
BSO: In this new era of branding and social media — how have you intertwined the two?
CB: Just signed up for social media pages on all the big four, and it was on from their. Up until I turned pro, I didn’t even have any social media bruh. Social media is the best tool though, now I know that. That’s where everything is at now. It’s where people go. People on their phones. I want to build a social media following and bring them along when I reach the point my fights are on TV. My original idea of it was basically The Gift and The Curse. I’d be a Gift to boxing fans and a Curse to boxing opponents. Now I’m just focused on good branding. My plan is to use the talent I’ve been given and one day become a world champ. Be a legend. Be one of the best to lace on boxing gloves, while allowing that platform to impact youth, impact the community and impact the world.
BSO: Being a guy from Stamford, Connecticut — how has it been adjusting to life in Brooklyn, one of the five boroughs.
CB: I was actually born in Stamford, but I relocated to Brooklyn for boxing. My whole mom’s side of the family is from Brooklyn. It’s definitely a lot more diverse. When I started coming out here for boxing, the neighborhood starting changing right before my eyes. It got real once they knocked down a hood to make the Barclays Center. And everything changed around that. They just started getting more people out and I seen a lot more different people coming in. It’s good change, but for some people it’s bad because they lost their homes.
BSO: We’ve addressed your past somewhat, your future is extremely bright — what advice do you have for young up and coming boxers, or anyone young kid in the hood who stumbled early, but seeks redemption and change in their life? And How can you help play a part as well with your new platform?
CB: It’s definitely not easy getting kids to accept the message. It’s easier for me now to reach out, because I can stand on my boxing. Young kids don’t want to hear the same old cliches and stories.